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The history of Winnie the Pooh
Have you ever wondered where that cuddly brown teddy bear with the red t-shirt and all of his friends first originated? Was Winnie the Pooh a figment of someones imagination? Or was he a real bear?
Winnie the Pooh, was in fact a real bear. He was first found during World War I when troops from Winnipeg (Canada) were being transported to Eastern Canada, and from there on to Europe. They stopped at White River, Ontario and a lieutenant named Harry Coleburn purchased a small female black bear cub for $20 from a hunter who had killed the cub's mother. Lt. Coleburn named that cub "Winnipeg", after his own hometown. He called her "Winnie" for short.
Winnie became the mascot of the Brigade and went onto Britian with the unit. Winnie was presented to the London Zoo in 1919, where she became a popular attraction and lived until 1934.
The bear became very popular with someone else as well, Christopher Robin, son of the author of the Winnie the Pooh books, A.A. Milne. Christopher Robin loved Winnie, he was even allowed to spend time inside the cage with Winnie when he was at the zoo.
A.A. Milne started to write the books about Winnie and his son, and all of the gang in the 100-Acre-Wods. The other characters were Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga, and Roo. These characters were based on some stuffed animals that belonged to Christopher. Rabbit and Owl, like Winnie, were based on real-life animals near their home in Ashdown Forest, in Sussex, England. It is the forest in which the 100-Acre-Woods is based upon.
The first story of Winnie the Pooh was published on October 14, 1926, the verses entitled "Now We are Six" in 1927, and in 1928, "The House at Pooh Corners". All the books became favourites with old and young alike, and have been translated in almost every language around the world.
Winnie the Pooh was a great insperation to A.A. Milne, Winnie has been famous for years, and the popularity of him and the 100-Acre-Woods gang is still growing strong around the world.
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