Winnie the Pooh (1977) 1

Oh, bother, it’s Monday. Maybe celebrating with a cuddly, stuffed bear will raise spirits since today is National Winnie the Pooh Day.

January 18 remembers Pooh’s creator, A.A. Milne’s birthday through his most famous creation.

Winnie the Pooh (1977) 1

Pooh became a beloved children’s book that became a franchise. Much of the success of Pooh comes courtesy of Walt Disney who licensed Pooh Bear in 1961.

Milne’s stories have been translated into over 50 languages and are considered classics. Disney’s adaptation consisted of five theatrical shorts:  Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974), Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons (1981) and Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (1982). Theatrical feature films included The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977), The Tigger Movie (2000), Piglet’s Big Movie (2003), Pooh’s Heffalump Movie (2005), Winnie the Pooh (2011) and Christopher Robin (2018).

Pooh starred in five different television series beginning in 1983 and continuing through 2014. He also shared his name with television holiday specials for Christmas, Halloween, Valentine’s Day and Thanksgiving.

Dell played host to Pooh for 33 issues beginning in 1977, predating the Winnie the Pooh comic strip by a year and a half. The comic book series ran until 1984.

Dark Horse Comics released a collection of reprints featuring the strips Sunday pages, 365 Days with Winnie the Pooh.

To celebrate, grab a pot of honey, read the books or whatever makes you feel Pool-like.