A century at Hundred Acre Wood
For a century, generations have come to know and love Winnie-the-Pooh - one of the most iconic characters in children’s literature in the world. The tales of the honey-loving bear, his fellow animals and best friend Christopher Robin’s adventures in Hundred Acre Wood are still told to children today.
Through time, they have also been adapted to reach new audiences in television and film. But what was the inspiration behind the much-loved bear and his famous name?
To celebrate 100 years since the first Winnie-the-Pooh book was published, BBC Bitesize looks back at the history Pooh and how he came to be. You can also test your knowledge on all things Winnie-the-Pooh in our quiz below!
Who wrote Winnie-the-Pooh?
It was back in the 1920s that author A.A. Milne first began writing stories about Winnie-the-Pooh - also known simply as Pooh or Pooh Bear - and his adventures with best friend Christopher Robin and fellow animals. But the inspiration behind the classic children’s books in fact came from his son, Christopher Robin, after whom one of the main characters is named.
Milne wrote the books Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner - and his son’s childhood teddy bear, originally named Edward Bear, was the basis for the lead character. Several of Christopher’s toy animals were also the inspiration behind the other beloved animal characters featured in the famous stories.
After his works were published, it wasn’t long before Milne’s characters became known worldwide. The idea for the name of the famous bear and the fictional Hundred Acre Wood where the stories are set also came from Milne’s family life.
Where did the name Winnie-the-Pooh come from?
We know the famous bear is inspired by the teddy bear owned by A.A. Milne’s son. But where did the name Winnie-the-Pooh originate for the loved character?
Christopher Robin's teddy bear was in fact named after a real-life bear who was somewhat of a celebrity in London Zoo in the 1920s. The black bear, Winnie – short for Winnipeg – came to England from Canada in 1914 and she was regularly visited by Christopher Robin, who renamed his teddy bear Edward Bear to Winnie in her honour.
As for “the Pooh” part of the name, this was added later and is said to be inspired by a different animal entirely. In his collection of children’s poetry entitled When We Were Very Young, Milne featured a swan called Pooh in one of his poems – believed to be the inspiration - before the names Winnie and Pooh were brought together.
What inspired Hundred Acre Wood?
The Winnie-the-Pooh stories are set in the fictional Hundred Acre Wood, also referred to as 100 Aker Wood, but it was inspired by a real place. Author A.A. Milne had a country home on the edge of Ashdown Forest in East Sussex and the beautiful landscape inspired the world where readers came to know his iconic British characters.
Over the last century, much of the landscape of Ashdown Forest has changed. But every year, tourists from across the UK and beyond continue to visit to see the places featured in the beloved children’s books.
Who originally drew Winnie-the-Pooh?
The world of Winnie-the-Pooh was further brought to life by artist and illustrator E.H. Shepard, who also illustrated Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows. But outside of children’s literature, Shepard also had a successful career as a cartoonist for weekly magazine Punch for over three decades.
In the 1920s, A.A. Milne asked another Punch staff member, E.V. Lucas, to recommend someone to illustrate some of his work and Shepard was put forward as the suggestion. Originally, Milne was unsure that Shepard could deliver the style he envisioned, but after he illustrated his poems, When We Were Very Young, he realised Shepard was the right fit.
Today, Shepard’s illustrations of Winnie-the-Pooh characters and Hundred Acre Wood are known across the world. Through the years, original Pooh drawings by E.H. Shepard have sold for millions at auction.
Who are the famous Winnie-the-Pooh characters?
At the heart of the original Winnie-the-Pooh series is the title character and his best friend Christopher Robin, as well as a number of other famous characters inspired by the toy animals played with by A.A. Milne’s son. Through the generations, we’ve come to know forest friends Piglet, a timid pig; Eeyore, a gloomy donkey; Owl, a wise bird; Rabbit, a fussy rabbit, and Kanga and Roo, a mother kangaroo and her joey.
In Milne’s sequel, The House at Pooh Corner, readers were also first introduced to Tigger, the bouncy and energetic tiger. In more recent years, a number of new characters have also been introduced to new generations.
In 2016, English author and broadcaster Brian Sibley was one of four writers who contributed new stories inspired by A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard’s original works as part of a 90th anniversary collection entitled The Best Bear in All the World. In his story, he introduced a new character, Penguin – which is based on an old photograph of Milne and his son Christopher playing with a toy penguin.
More recently in 2023, a new collection from author Jane Riordan, Winnie The Pooh: Tales From The Forest, was published and introduced another new character, Carmen the dog. Riordan was inspired after discovering a little-known story told by Daphne Milne, A.A. Milne’s wife, of how her husband took a small toy dog called Carmen with him when he served in the First World War.
The recent illustrations for both created by Mark Burgess, who drew the characters in the style of E.H. Shepard’s original works. He also illustrated another 90th anniversary special, Winnie-the-Pooh Meets the Queen.
Test your knowledge in our Winnie-the-Pooh quiz
What are the themes in Winnie-the-Pooh?
Winnie-the-Pooh is more than just a collection of children’s stories – there are many lessons we can learn and so many key themes to explore, both in the stories and individual characters. There are so many we could mention, but here, we take a look at just a few of them.
One of the main themes in Winnie-the-Pooh is friendship between the characters, who work as a team and rely on one another. In many of the stories, the characters live in the moment and encourage one another to look on the bright side, as well as enjoy the simple things in life.
Other key themes in the stories include celebrating your individuality and accepting differences. From the energetic, confident Tigger to the shyer and more timid Piglet, all the friends have something to offer and are valued in the group.
And of course, the imagination of Christopher Robin and the adventures created for Winnie-the-Pooh and their friends is also central to the famous stories.
Famous quotes from Winnie-the-Pooh
Milne’s classics feature several famous and inspirational quotes that have stood the test of time and remain relatable, no matter what your age. In recent years, a number of them have had a resurgence on platforms like TikTok, the most popular perhaps being “how lucky am I to have something so special, that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
Many TikTok videos feature the full, original quote - whereas others have adapted it to express their feelings of appreciation and gratitude. Here, we share just a few beloved quotes attributed to different characters from the original Winnie-the-Pooh stories which highlight everything from friendship to words of encouragement and more.
“How lucky am I to have something so special, that makes saying goodbye so hard.” - Winnie-the-Pooh
“You're braver than you believe and stronger and smarter than you think.” - Christopher Robin
“Some people care too much. I think it's called love.” - Winnie-the-Pooh
"The things that make me different are the things that make me." - Piglet
“A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside.” - Winnie-the-Pooh
"You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes." - Winnie-the-Pooh
Is Winnie-the-Pooh a Disney character?
A.A. Milne’s fictional characters have become among the most famous in children’s literature across the globe. But the honey-loving bear reached new audiences and fame back in the 1960s.
In 1961, Disney acquired the rights to the stories and by 1966, the first animated featurette, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree was released. In the decades that followed, Disney have created several animation films based on Milne’s stories and characters, as well as a television series and spin-off films for other characters, like The Tigger Movie and Piglet’s Big Movie.
In 2018, Disney also released a live action film based on the famous franchise, titled Christopher Robin. Actor Ewan McGregor starred as the title character and the story followed Pooh and an adult Christopher Robin as they returned to Hundred Acre Wood.
Moving away from the original illustrations, many of us have also come to know the distinctive Disney artwork of Pooh - the lovable yellow bear wearing the red top. Through the years, Disney also introduced its own characters not featured in Milne’s original stories, such as Gopher - a grey bucktoothed gopher who predominantly features in the TV series, The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
How old is Winnie-the-Pooh?
Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared under this name in short story The Wrong Sort of Bees, which was published in the London Evening News newspaper on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1925. The following year in 1926, A. A. Milne published the first book of the series, entitled Winnie-the-Pooh and for the last century the characters of Hundred Acre Wood have been loved by generations of children.
In 1928, the sequel, The House at Pooh Corner, was published and Milne also wrote two books of poems – When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six – featuring the beloved characters. The year 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the first book being released.
Every year, National Winnie-the-Pooh Day is also celebrated on 18 January. It marks the birthday of author Milne, who was born in 1882.
This article was written in January 2025
