The Bear Essential: Winnie the Pooh
Surrounded by Winnie the Pooh….
Most cartoon characters either frighten or bore our toddler. Winnie the Pooh, though, won his heart almost from the start. It probably didn’t hurt that he has a Pooh-themed play gym, sofa, soft balls, and other Pooh toys.
In a survey of 1000 people, Winnie the Pooh wallpaper topped the list of best wallpaper characters for children, as well as male and female adults.
Winnie the Pooh is a timeless classic that has captured the hearts of children and adults alike for nearly a hundred years, teaching good values like helping your neighbours, being nice to your friends - and floating pooh-sticks down the river for fun!
My son’s bedroom is still unfinished, but I’m sure that even if we don’t paper his walls with Pooh bear, he’ll still have the sweet bear keeping him company.
PRNewswire, August 3, 2005
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POSTED IN: General Play Library Goodies
13 opinions for The Bear Essential: Winnie the Pooh
echomyst
Aug 4, 2005 at 8:30 am
I suppose you’re right that the Disney version of Winnie the Pooh is well-loved. But have you ever read A.A. Milne’s original stories of Pooh and his friends? Vicious, mean-spirited creatures… I never realized just how mean they are until I re-read the stories two years ago in a children’s lit course.
Lei
Aug 4, 2005 at 10:02 am
echomyst, I have the complete collection of Winnie the Pooh stories and poems but haven’t read but a few. Thus far, they seem benign. I’ll be on the look-out for the nitty gritty. ;)
echomyst
Aug 4, 2005 at 6:10 pm
Lei: The mean-spiritedness is pretty subtle, but it’s there. Two easy to spot ones are how the animals and even Pooh himself keep reminding Pooh of how stupid and silly he is (it’s not just the light-hearted "silly old bear" kind of sentiment), and how everyone ignored poor Eeyore. Kanga and Roo weren’t really welcomed either when they were first introduced.
Lei
Aug 5, 2005 at 3:10 am
echomyst, Actually I thought the various characters displayed some strong character traits I’ve observed in different adults and children. And their treatment of each other almost seemed to be a mirror of the harsh world of children with its bullying and cliquish behavior. No? I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or not, but maybe it makes kids feel they’re not alone if they feel like an outsider?
Qadira
Aug 5, 2005 at 3:53 pm
My children all love the Disney Winnie the Pooh and Friends also.
I’m not a big fan of the way the "classic Pooh" characters are drawn.
When my oldest son was a toddler, I found a Duplo playset that was Pooh themed. :) We still have the pieces and the little ones are enjoying them.
echomyst
Aug 5, 2005 at 7:24 pm
Lei: Oh definitely - it’s a mirror of the world around us! Satire can be a good thing. I just wanted to point out that the original characters are not as *kind* as the Disney ones.
Lei
Aug 6, 2005 at 3:02 am
Qadira, You heretic! Isn’t it "in" to prefer classic Pooh rather than Disney Pooh. ;) The Pooh Duplos sound soooo cute.
echomyst, Yup, I gotcha! :)
Qadira
Aug 6, 2005 at 12:09 pm
<a href="http://i13.ebayimg.com/03/i...">Eeyore’s birthday</a>
and
<a href="http://www.bricklink.com/ca...">Tigger’s treehouse</a>
are the one’s I’d gotten for my 12 yr old when he was a toddler. The ‘flower’ pieces have been favorites of all 3 boys.
Christine
Aug 10, 2005 at 5:53 pm
i love pooh bear! My daughter has got a pooh bear themed bedroom from pooh bedspread, wallpaper, toys, lamp — everything! hehe
Lei
Aug 10, 2005 at 11:36 pm
Christine, I’d love to see a picture of your daughter’s bedroom! :)
Shai
Aug 11, 2005 at 12:30 am
echomyst: Hmmm… I’m not sure I’d call it "mean"… I believe that it’s partly the Brit culture kind of thing. The Disney version of The 100 Acre Woods definitely refers more to the American psyche. There’s a bit of a culture difference there, you see. I grew up with the Disney version, but I must say that I really like the original ones.
Lei: Can you tell I’m a big Winnie The Pooh fan? During my briday shower/hen party, I received lots of Pooh stuff from friends and family. :-) That’s why Cam’s got lots of them too and his first birthday party is Pooh-inspired. There’s a story behind my Pooh obsession, but that’s a whole different post altogether. :-)
Lei
Aug 11, 2005 at 12:33 am
Shai, I want to know more about your Pooh obsession! I had no idea. :)
Play Library » Nostalgia Toy #3: Weebles
Sep 14, 2006 at 2:48 pm
[...] Once again I’ll sound like an old fogie and say, “My, how these toys have changed since we were little!” My sibs and I had the Winnie-the-Pooh Weebles and a yellow and orange house, and they more resembled an egg than the Weebles that are out now. It’s the first thing I remember being moved into our new house when we came back to the States. As long as you have your favorite toy make the trip with you, what else do you need? [...]
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