Winnie the Pooh
During the first World War, troops from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, were
being transported to eastern Canada on their way overseas to Europe where they
were to join the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade. When the
train stopped at White River, Ontario, a lieutenant named Harry Colebourn bought a small female black bear cub for $20 from a hunter
who had killed its mother. He named her 'Winnipeg' after his hometown of Winnipeg, or 'Winnie' for short.
Winnie became the mascot of the Brigade and went to Britain with the unit. When the Brigade was posted
on the battlefields of France, Lt. Colebourn took Winnie to the London Zoo for a long loan. Formally, Colebourn presented the London Zoo with Winnie in December 1919 where it became a popular attraction and lived until 1934.
Winnie was also very popular along with Christopher Robin, son of author A.A.
Milne.
A.A. Milne started to write a series of books about Winnie the Pooh, his son Christopher Robin, and their
friends at 100-Aker-Wood. These other characters, such as Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, Kanga and Roo,
were also based on stuffed animals belonging to Christopher Robin. Other
characters such as Rabbit and Owl were based on animals that lived, just like the swan Pooh, in the
surrounding area of Milne's country home in Cotchford Farm, located in Ashdown Forest, Sussex, on which 100-Aker-wood was based.
'Winnie-the-Pooh' was published by Methuen on October 14th, 1926. The verses 'Now We are
Six' in 1927, and 'the House at Pooh Corner' in 1928. All of these books were illustrated
beautifully by E.H. Shepherd, who made the
books even more magical. The Pooh books became firm favorites with the old and young alike and have been translated into almost every known
language.
The Pooh-books had also been favorites of Walt Disney's daughters,
who inspired Disney to bring
Pooh to film in 1966. In 1977, 'The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh', the first feature-length animated film of Pooh, was released.
In 1993, the Walt Disney Company acknowledged that Pooh Bear is second only to Mickey Mouse in their portfolio of the most-loved and
trusted characters known to millions of people all over the world. By 1996, after the second release of 'the Many Adventures of Winnie
the Pooh,' the Bear of Very Little Brain had proved to be more popular than any other Disney character. In 1997, thirty years after
the release of 'the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh', Disney released 'Pooh's Grand Adventure', picking up where Disney's 22nd
Masterpiece left off.
Fantasy Land at the Walt Disney World Resort - Winnie the Pooh
Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Visit all your friends from the Hundred-Akre Wood for a "hunny" of an adventure. It's
a ride in
which you get put in the middle of Pooh's blustery day. You'll bounce along with Tigger,
float through a floody place with
Piglet, and even enter the mysterious world of Heffalumps and Woozles. It's a willy nilly silly good time.
Winnie the Pooh
Description: A small golden bear, about 22 inches tall. Wears an old red t-shirt.
More Description: Chubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff. A bear of very little brain.
Age: One year younger than Christopher Robin.
Alias: Known to live under the name of "Mr. Sanders". "It
means he had the name (Sanders) over the door in gold letters, and (Pooh) lived under it."
Also Known By these Names: Pooh Bear, Winnie-the-Pooh and Edward Bear.
Address: Ashdown Forest, 100 Aker Wood West, in a hallow Walnut Tree.
Best Friend: Piglet
Favorite Food: Hunny and more Hunny.
Favorite Things to Do: Play Poohsticks. Adventures with Piglet or Christopher Robin. Exercise in the Morning. Humming.
Thinking up poems and songs. Finding Hunny to fill the Rumblee in his Tumblee. Visiting
friends who have Hunny.
Honors: Hero. Knighted "Sir Pooh de Bear" by Christopher Robin. Discoverer of the North Pole.
First Thing He Says in the Morning: "What's for breakfast"
Quotes and Sayings: "Oh, bother.", "Think, think, think."
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