One of the cuddliest holidays around is National Winnie The Pooh Day and is celebrated on 18 January, which is also the birthday of author AA Milne.
Milne brought the adorable, honey-loving bear to life in his stories, which also featured his son, Christopher Robin as well as other characters – Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore – based on some of his toys.
The lovable Pooh Bear, as he was fondly called, is a fictional bear that was inspired by a black bear named Winnie that lived in the London Zoo during World War 1. Christopher Robin would visit the bear often. He even named his own teddy bear after her and a swan name Pooh.
This friendship inspired a collection of books, starting with Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926, for which EH Shepard did the illustrations. In the 1960s, Disney bought the rights to the Winnie-the-Pooh characters, dropping the hyphen from Pooh’s name and changing the illustrations somewhat.
Milne’s stories have been translated into over 50 languages and are considered today as classic children’s stories.
To celebrate, snuggle up with your favourite Pooh fan, a pot of honey and take turns reading about the adventures of Winnie the Pooh and his friends in the 100 acre woods.
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