Winnie-the-Pooh

Early Life & Birth

His story starts in 1921, West London, at a Farnell’s factory where Britain’s teddy bears were manufactured. One lucky day Daphne Milne walked into Harrods, where a big supply of these bears were, and she purchased a teddy bear for her son’s, Christopher Robin Milne’s, first birthday. Christopher Robin named his new companion Edward bear, little did he know that Edward would acquire a new name and that they would become not only inseparable but that they would become famous for their story.

Edward bear soon acquired the name of Winnie-the-Pooh, like any indecisive child Christopher Robin changed his Bear’s name based on the interests that he developed as he became older. Christopher Robin was obsessed with a Canadian black bear at the London zoo called Winifred, Winnie for short, Thus inspiring him to name his own Bear Winnie. The second part of his name was acquired by Christopher Robins interest on a swam called pooh that he met on a family vacation. His name was later shortened to Pooh after in one of the stories

Toys

“But his arms were so stiff ... they stayed up straight in the air for more than a week, and whenever a fly came and settled on his nose he had to blow it off. And I think—but I am not sure—that that is why he is always called Pooh."

Meet The Creators

Milne
A.A. Milne:
Milne started as a poet, in one of these poems he first mentions Edward bear. Later he was commissioned by the London Evening News to continue writing about the bear as a children’s story, thus first introducing the bear as Winnie-the-Pooh.

Christopher
Christopher Robin:
Pooh’s loyal companion and owner. His constant demand for bed time stories, especially those involving his favourite toy, the stuffed teddy bear we now know as Winnie-the-pooh, was the inspiration of the stories.

Shepard
E.H. Shepard:
First official illustrator for the Books. He based his drawings on stuffed animals such as Milne’s stuffed animals and those owned by his own son, creating the image that would be easily recognized as Pooh until Disney’s take over.

100 Acre Wood and Friends

Pooh resides in the hundred acre wood, a place created by Milne based on Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, England. Milne has purchased property near the forest and he would often take Christopher robin during the summers where they would go on little expeditions on foot. Milne became inspired by Christopher Robin's interaction with his toys in the forest and therefore decided this would be a proper setting for his writings. In fact, it made it easier to come up with stories for his son; he would use the scenarios that Christopher Robin started to develop and build from them to make up bedtime stories for him. The landscapes of the hundred acre wood are based directly on the Ashdown Forest, and certain spots from the illustrations can be easily recognized.

Over the years the list of residents of the hundred acre wood kept growing as Christopher robin acquired more toys. Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, and Tigger. owl and rabit, and the heffalump were created by Milne and were never part of the toy collection. Pooh’s best friend is clearly Christopher Robin, not only does he help him when his foolish personality poses obstacles, but he always understands and gives good advice. Nevertheless Christopher Robin is not always present, so Pooh has his second closest friend piglet, who is very small and jittery. Piglet often depends on pooh in the same way that Pooh does on Christopher Robin.