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January 18 is celebrated as the National Winnie The Pooh Day. The special day is observed to honor the birthday of English author A. A. Milne.
Born on January 18, 1882, Alan Alexander Milne, aka A. A. Milne, created the character of Winnie the Pooh and his friends Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, and more. The beloved bear first appeared in the children’s poetry book When We Were Very Young in 1924.
Since then, the character has been part of pop culture through multiple animated series and films. As Winnie The Pooh Day has finally arrived, let’s delve deeper into how to observe the special day, along with events and more.
How to observe National Winnie The Pooh Day?
There are many ways to observe Winnie The Pooh Day. One can celebrate the special day by reading books and poems written by Milne while also enjoying the illustrations by E. H. Shepard.
Milne created Pooh and his friends especially for children, so reading the stories of the characters can be a special treat for them. Besides kids, adults can also enjoy the stories, which can be a great way to remember their childhood days.
The Walt Disney Company licensed the rights to Winne the Pooh stories in 1961, which led to the character’s adaptation in films and animated shows. So, on this day, watching the films and shows about the characters is the best way to celebrate Winnie The Pooh Day.
One can watch popular shows and films like The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988–1991), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977), Christopher Robin (2018) and Winnie the Pooh (2011) to celebrate Winnie The Pooh Day.
Besides films and TV series, playing video games based on the characters is also a way to celebrate Winnie The Pooh Day. One can play games like Winnie the Pooh: The Video Game (2011), Tiger’s Honey Hunt (2000) and Winnie the Pooh’s Rumbly Tumbly Adventure (2005).
Dress your kids as Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and more. Take them on a picnic in a nearby park and playground, which will be your version of Hundred Acre Wood. And don’t forget to pack honey or include it in food items, which will be your tasty snack for the picnic.
Events
If you are living in England, you can visit Pooh Corner, which is located in East Sussex in Hartfield.
Pooh Corner is a gift shop/tearoom based on the characters created by Milne. The shop is a perfect destination for Winnie the Pooh fans, where one can have tea and purchase gift items related to the bear.
Pooh fans from all over the world visit Ashdown Forest and Hartfield to have an experience of the Hundred Acre Wood, home to Christopher Robin, Pooh, and his friends.
There, people play Pooh Sticks, where players standing on the Pooh Sticks Bridge drop their wooden sticks from the upstream side of the river and run to the other side of the bridge to see whose stick came first.
Pooh Sticks might be a simple game, but there are dedicated championships held for this game. The Poohsticks Championship has been held in the UK annually since 1984.
More about Winnie the Pooh
Milne found the inspiration to create Winnie the Pooh in his son Christopher Robin’s stuffed toy. He also created the character of Christopher Robin, based on his son. Moreover, he also created friends of Pooh Bear based on his son’s stuffed animals and wrote stories about them.
Though Milne penned the stories, it was English artist E. H. Shepard who illustrated the character of Winnie the Pooh. However, when Disney bagged the rights to the character, the company changed the illustration. Milne’s stories about Winnie the Pooh and his friends have been translated to over 50 languages.
The stories of Pooh have been part of children’s literature, teaching kids about kindness, friendship and courage. Stories by Milne have also inspired many quotes, like:
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.”
Winne The Pooh Day brings memories of childhood. One can celebrate the day by reading stories and watching movies and shows based on the characters. If you also know unique ways to celebrate Winnie The Pooh Day, do mention them in the comments below.
