Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie-the-Pooh is a fictional bear created by A. A. Milne. He appears in the books Winnie-the-Pooh (published October 14, 1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Milne also wrote two books of children's poetry, When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six, which include several poems about Winnie-the-Pooh. All four volumes were illustrated by E. H. Shepard.

Development by Disney

In 1929, Milne sold the Pooh merchandising rights to an American promoter named Stephen Slesinger. It was only one of many assets Slesinger managed during his lifetime, and not even the biggest — that would probably be the Red Ryder comic strip, which he placed in movies, on radio and other media. Slesinger died in 1953, and his widow inherited the operation.

Related Topics:
1929 - Red Ryder - 1953

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In 1961, Walt Disney Productions bought film and other rights to the character and made a series of cartoon films about him. (Note that Winnie-the-Pooh's name was hyphenated in the Milne books, but lost its hyphens in the Disney incarnation.) The early cartoons were based on several of the original stories. However this is not true of the more recent films and television series which Disney have made.

Related Topics:
1961 - Walt Disney Productions

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The appearance of the cartoons derives from Shepard's illustrations but the style of drawing is simplified and the characters are given exaggerated features. Alongside the cartoon versions, merchandise using the Shepard drawings is now marketed under the description "Classic Pooh". The storytelling style and characterisation have little in common with Milne's tales.

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In 1977, Disney released the animated feature The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, introducing a new character named Gopher – a sign of the increasing Americanization of the franchise (the gopher being a uniquely North American animal), which Disney nevertheless explicitly acknowledged, by having the Gopher proclaim, "I'm not in the book, you know!" This movie features three segments that were originally released separately as featurettes: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974). This feature version featured new bridging material and a new ending, as it had been Walt Disney's original intention to make a feature. In 1983, a fourth featurette, Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore, was released.

Related Topics:
1977 - The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - Gopher - 1966 - 1968 - 1974 - Walt Disney - 1983

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Pooh has become one of the most lucrative literary franchises in history. Today, Pooh videos, teddy bears, and other merchandise generate $1 billion in annual revenues for Disney – as much as is earned by Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto combined.

Related Topics:
Teddy bears - Mickey Mouse - Minnie Mouse - Donald Duck - Goofy - Pluto

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