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.
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.
Zohar – Man of la Book
Summary
Article Name
Fun Facts Friday: A.A. Milne
Description
British children’s author A.A. Milne (18 January, 1882 – 31 January, 1956). Most people know his most beloved creation Winnie the Pooh.
Author
Man of la Book
Publisher Name
Man of la Book - A Bookish Blog
Publisher Logo
Man of la Book
A father, husband, avid reader, blogger, software engineer & wood worker who is known the world over as a man of many interests and to his wife as “an idiot”.
Milne is a great writer, but that is one creepy picture of him.
Yes, it is a creepy picture. I liked it because it has Milne, Christopher Robin and Pooh in it.
I have fond memories of reading Milne's books "when I was very young." I found I enjoy them just as much as an adult. Especially Eeyore because he's so sarcastic.
When I lived in NJ I was delighted to find out that the original toys were at the Children's branch of NYC library. Have you seen them? They're on the 2nd floor. You should take your kids.
As an adult I was as excited to see them as I would any movie star.
I've always loved the Winnie-the-Pooh stories and never knew where the name came from. I did know that Hundred Acre Wood was inspired by Ashdown Forest. I've been there a couple of times and even played poohsticks on poohsticks bridge! They've built a replica at the spot where they believe Milne set the books (near a part of the forest called Thousand Acre Wood). It's a beautiful place and I recommend a trip there to anyone who's a fan of the stories.
I loved having the Winnie-the-Pooh stories read to me when I was a child, and have fond memories of them once I learned to read.
View Comments
Milne is a great writer, but that is one creepy picture of him.
Yes, it is a creepy picture. I liked it because it has Milne, Christopher Robin and Pooh in it.
I have fond memories of reading Milne's books "when I was very young." I found I enjoy them just as much as an adult. Especially Eeyore because he's so sarcastic.
When I lived in NJ I was delighted to find out that the original toys were at the Children's branch of NYC library. Have you seen them? They're on the 2nd floor. You should take your kids.
As an adult I was as excited to see them as I would any movie star.
I've always loved the Winnie-the-Pooh stories and never knew where the name came from. I did know that Hundred Acre Wood was inspired by Ashdown Forest. I've been there a couple of times and even played poohsticks on poohsticks bridge! They've built a replica at the spot where they believe Milne set the books (near a part of the forest called Thousand Acre Wood). It's a beautiful place and I recommend a trip there to anyone who's a fan of the stories.
I loved having the Winnie-the-Pooh stories read to me when I was a child, and have fond memories of them once I learned to read.