Today is the birthday of British children’s author A.A. Milne (18 January, 1882 – 31 January, 1956). Most people know his most beloved creation Winnie the Pooh.
- The A.A. stands for Alan Alexander
- Winnie the Pooh and friends are based on stuffed animals that belonged to Millen’s son – Christopher Robin. You can see the original toys at the New York Public Library.
- Winnie-the-Pooh was named after a Canadian black bear (Winnipeg) that resided in the London Zoo and was used as a military mascot in World War I. “Pooh” was a swan.
- The toy which inspired the famous bear was purchased in Harrod’s in London and was called Edward Bear (as is only proper in England).
- Both Christopher and the family dog loved to play with the stuffed animals. Eeyore lost some stuffing over the years which caused his head to droop and gave him a melancholy appearance.
- Hundred Acre Wood was inspired by Ashdown Forest in Sussex.
- Christopher Robin took boxing classes to defend himself against bullies at school who used to tease him about the popular book series.
- As was customary at the time, Christopher Robin was brought up by a nanny and only met his parents in a formal manner three times a day.
Neither his parents nor the nanny ever read him a story! - Winnie-the-Pooh books have been translated to 29 languages, merchandise can be found 40 countries (more or less). Forbes ranked Winnie-the-Pooh as the second most valuable character in global retail sales (Mickey Mouse was number one).
- A.A. Milne also published 7 novels, 4 non-fiction books, 18 plays, 4 screenplays, numerous poems and articles.
Post originally published as Fun Facts Friday: A.A. Milne on 18 January, 2013
Zohar – Man of la Book
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Fun Facts Friday: A.A. Milne
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British children’s author A.A. Milne (18 January, 1882 – 31 January, 1956). Most people know his most beloved creation Winnie the Pooh.
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Man of la Book
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Man of la Book - A Bookish Blog
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