A Brief History
Although the story of Winnie the Pooh is over 70 years old, it
remains a timeless classic. Children, young and old, from
all over the world, are still delighted to join in the
adventures of that silly old bear named Winnie the Pooh!
Winnie was the surviving cub of twins. She was found by a
trapper after she had lost her mother to a hunter. He brought
her back to White River.
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homelands. White River was a half-way point between Winnipeg and Toronto, where trains and troops would stop to refuel. A soldier riding out of White River wrote in his journal the following passage: "August 24, 1914. Left Port Arthur 7A. In train all day. Bought bear. $20." This young man was Harry Colebourn. He had purchased that small bear cub from the trapper and named it Winnie after his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba. |
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with Colebourn and became a pet to the Second Canadian Infantry Brigade. |
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In December 1914, Colebourn received news that he would soon be
posted in France. He knew Winnie would not be able to
accompany him, so he made arrangements to keep her in the London
Zoo until he returned. Winnie soon became a favorite attraction for everyone.
Described as a very gentle bear, Winnie captured the hearts of
visitors, both young and old. When Colebourn returned to
England in 1919, after the war, he witnessed Winnie's
affect on the children and decided to let Winnie stay at the zoo
for good. One boy in particular took to the cub, his
name? Christopher Robin Milne. Christopher received a teddy bear
for his birthday and named it Winnie the Pooh
(he insisted that it was a boy). For Christmas, he got a stuffed
donkey and a few months later, he received a little pig. These
toys, along with Owl and Rabbit (made up at a later date)
became the basis for a story. Tigger, Kanga and Roo
were soon added. So in 1926, his father, A.A. Milne,
published Winnie-the-Pooh with Christopher Robin and
his "friends" the characters. In 1928, The House at Pooh Corner
followed, telling of more tales of Winnie the Pooh
and all of his friends.
Winnie lived a long life in the London Zoo. She died May 12,
1934 at the age of 20. The London newspaper ran her obituary as
she was so loved by all. A bronze statue now stands a
t the London Zoo in her memory.
It was unveiled in 1981. Part of the inscription reads
"She gave her name to Winnie the Pooh and A.A. Milne and Ernest Shepard gave
Winnie the Pooh to the rest of the world."
