The everlasting appeal of Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne, has been captivating readers young and old for more than 90 years, aided in large part by the whimsical and emotive illustrations of E.H. Shepard
                         

Dec 10, 1879: Illustrator Ernest Howard Shepard born in London

Jan 18, 1882: Author, poet, playwright and screen- writer Alan Alexander Milne (right) born in London

Aug 1914: Canadian Lieutenant Harry Colebourn (above) buys black bear cub en route to Europe to fight in WWI, calling her Winnie after his home town of Winnipeg

Dec 1914: Colebourn leaves Winnie at London Zoo when his regiment ships out to fight in France (bear lives until 1934)

Aug 21, 1920: A.A. Milne’s wife Dorothy gives birth to their only child, Christopher Robin Milne

1921: Christopher given teddy bear named Edward for his first birthday. Milne and son soon become frequent visitors to London Zoo, where Christopher is enchanted by Winnie

1924: Milne publishes book of verse When We Were Very Young, featuring Mr. Edward Bear, drawn by E.H. Shepard

1925: Milne buys Cotchford Farm, country house near Ashdown Forest in East Sussex

Dec 24, 1925: Newspaper commissions short story The Wrong Sort of Bees, featuring bear now renamed Winnie-the-Pooh (“Pooh” is local swan named and fed by Christopher Robin). Bear lives in Hundred Acre Wood (inspired by Five Hundred Acre Wood, in Ashdown Forest)

1926: Winnie-the-Pooh published, featuring characters largely inspired by Christopher’s toys, although Pooh is modelled on Shepard’s own son’s teddy, Growler

1927: Now We Are Six – collection of poems, some featuring Pooh Bear, published

1928: Sequel, The House at Pooh Corner, published

1930: American producer Stephen Slesinger acquires rights to sell Pooh products in U.S. and Canada, creating modern licensing industry

1931: Pooh becomes $50 million-a-year business with Slesinger developing first Pooh toys, U.S. radio shows, animations and movies

1932: Pooh appears in colour for first time (drawn by Slesinger) and is given his now familiar red shirt

LONDON
Five Hundred Acre Wood
Ashdown Forest
25km 15 miles

1956: A.A. Milne dies, aged 74. Original toys of Pooh and friends go on display in New York

1961: Widows of Milne and Slesinger license movie and merchandising rights to Walt Disney
in return for royalties

1966: First Disney short released, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (hyphens removed from name). Several more shorts follow

1973-74: Shepard colours his illustrations for new editions of all four Winnie-the-Pooh books, making bear’s shirt red

Mar 24, 1976: E.H. Shepard dies, aged 96

1977: First feature-length Pooh animation from Disney released, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Further films follow in 1997 and 2000

Apr 20, 1996: Christopher Robin Milne dies, aged 75

2009: First official post- Milne Pooh book published – Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, by David Benedictus, illustrated by Mark Burgess
                     
2016: Second official post-Milne Pooh book, The Best Bear in All The World, published
     
Jul 10, 2018: Shepard’s map of Hundred Acre Wood fetches £430,000 at Sotheby’s auction – three to four times estimated value

Aug 3, 2018: Disney releases Christopher Robin, fantasy comedy-drama movie
        
  
Pictures: Associated Press, The Walt Disney Company, Creative Commons
Sources: Fine Books and Collections, The Guardian, Time, Just-Pooh.com, New York Public Library, Sotheby’s, Google Maps
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