Every year on January 18 is National Winnie the Pooh Day, and I got my childhood Pooh Bear out of storage so he could star in today’s blog post for The Daily Artisan!
The iconic bear was introduced in 1926 with author A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh book, followed two years later by The House at Pooh Corner, and now 96 years later, Pooh’s wisdoms remain important words to live by. And, who can’t smile when you’re looking at this lovable bear face!
There are some childhood things that your adult self can part with. Winnie the Pooh does not belong in that category! I was happy to photograph him at my house today, looking none the worse for wear from over the (not yet 96) years I’ve had him.
The Daily Artisan
In honor of the most famous bear ever, I selected 12 of my favorite Pooh-isms, and made a red and yellow (of course!) box to feature them along with a corner photo of my Winnie. There are so many great quotations it’s hard to choose just 12, but these are my favorites.
And before we get to the Pooh-isms, here are a few facts I’ve read about Winnie and his creator, A.A. Milne:
- The annual National Winnie the Pooh Day on January 18 is in recognition of when author A.A. Milne was born.
- Winnie’s human companion, Christopher Robin, was named for A.A. Milne’s son, Christopher Robin Milne.
- Winnie the Pooh was based on young Christopher Robin’s toy teddy bear (named Edward, with inspiration from a zoo bear named Winnie), along with his other stuffed animals of a piglet, a donkey, two kangaroos, and a tiger.
- The Hundred Acre Wood is based on Ashdown Forest in England, near where the Milne family lived.
- Winnie-the-Pooh was beautifully illustrated by artist and book illustrator E.H. Shepard.
- You can see Christopher Robin’s original stuffed animals Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet, and Kanga in the New York Public Library. (Roo was lost at some point over the years.)
- Sadly, A.A. Milne passed away in 1956, and Christopher Robin Milne in 1996.
- And on January 1 of this year, 2022, the exclusive rights long held by Disney expired, and Winnie the Pooh entered the public domain.
- Regardless of legalities, Winnie the Pooh always has been the people’s bear!
Thank you, Mr. Milne.
And, is there a better song to get stuck in your head than “Return to Pooh Corner,“ written by Kenny Loggins as a 17-year-old senior in high school?
If you don’t know this song or haven’t heard it in a while, just stop what you’re doing now and find one of his performances of the song from over the years on YouTube. Be sure it’s a version with the complete lyrics as the best part is toward the end. Trust me. You’ll thank me for (re)introducing you to this beautiful, heartfelt song based on Winnie the Pooh!
And in the timeless words of the world’s beloved bear:
Did you grow up with Winnie the Pooh? Do you have another favorite Pooh-ism? Please comment below!
