On 18 January we will celebrate Winnie the Pooh Day! It is celebrated on A.A. Milne’s birthday, an English author who created Winnie the Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear . The first collection of stories about Winnie the Pooh was the book Winnie-the-Pooh, published in 1926.

A. A. Milne named the character Winnie-the-Pooh after a teddy bear owned by his son, Christopher Robin Milne, on whom the character Christopher Robin was based. The rest of Christopher Robin Milne’s toys – Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, and Tigger – were incorporated into Milne’s stories. Two more characters, Owl and Rabbit, were created by Milne’s imagination, while Gopher was added to the Disney version.

In the Milne books, Pooh is naïve and slow-witted, but he is also friendly, thoughtful and steadfast. Although he and his friends agree that he is “a bear of very little brain”, Pooh is occasionally acknowledged to have a clever idea, usually driven by common sense. Pooh is also a talented poet and the stories are frequently punctuated by his poems and “hums”. Pooh is very fond of food, particularly “hunny”, but also condensed milk and other items. Pooh is very social. After Christopher Robin, his closest friend is Piglet, and he most often chooses to spend his time with one or both of them.

Winnie the Pooh Day is celebrated by having teddy bears’ picnics, featuring plenty of honey on the menu. Or by rereading the books, watching the movie, or even introducing a child to the delightful adventure of Winnie the Pooh.

You can also celebrate it in an extra-special way by visiting Pooh Corner in Hartfield, East Sussex, where the books were written. You can pick up a map to follow in the characters’ footsteps, and even play a game of Poohsticks on the original bridge.

Do not know about Winnie the Pooh yet? Then Winnie the Pooh Day is a perfect time to get to know one of the most loved teddy bear characters in the world!