It doesn’t matter if your childhood is far behind you, if you barely remember who Winnie the Pooh was or the names of those friends who lived with this beloved bear in the «Hundred Acre Wood.»
Winnie the Pooh is an icon for many generations of children and one of the most profitable characters for Walt Disney, since the dream factory bought the rights to the classic stories of its creator, Mr. A. A Milne.
As always happens in these topics, when a literary character becomes famous, one often wonders what is behind and how the author conceived this imaginary being that today, and for so many decades, has not lost a shred of its original brilliance and charm. This is when the curtain of the super curious opens.
Because what is hidden behind the bear in the red shirt leads us to two characters as interesting as they are impressive: a bear and a sad child. We explain it to you.
Christopher Robin, the sad story behind the real Winnie the Pooh
Let’s start with the bear, because she is the one who started it all, an endearing little creature who crossed an ocean and who established a very special friendship with a child with dreamy eyes.
Winnie was actually Winnipeg, but the soldier and veterinarian who found her, Harry Colebourn, ended up shortening her name given the affection he had for her and the time they used to share together. This bear originally from Canada established a very unique relationship with a contingent of British soldiers. She was just a baby, but she was alone, she was curious and in a very short time, those soldiers became so fond of her that they decided to take her with them back to the United Kingdom. She was almost like another member of her troops.
Now, we were in 1914, and The drums of the First World War resounded on the horizon, and Harry Colebourn, was aware that he could not always take her with him. Like a good veterinarian, she found a home for him: the London Zoo. He knew it was a perfect scenario for her, since she was used to human contact and it would warm her heart. That’s how it went. Winnie soon became the most beloved animal in London.
A few years later, another character enters the scene: Christopher Robin Milne. Winnie is already an adult bear, but her wise gaze, intimately connected to human character, suddenly established a bond with this child of just over 6 years old. Nobody really knows why, but every time this boy came to visit her, The animal began to dance and spin to catch his attention, as if it wanted to get a smile from him.
Christopher Milne had a teddy bear at home that he called Edward, but when he met Winnie, he changed her name instantly. She was her best friend. But let’s get to know this sad-eyed boy a little more.
He is the son of Alan Alexander Milne, a writer of fantasy plays, poetry, detective novels and children’s books. His dream, like his wife’s, was to have a girl, but when Christopher arrived things changed a little. He was well received and loved, but as people of good standing in British society they delegated the child’s upbringing to nannies. Christopher only saw his parents at tea time and bedtime. The rest of the time they spent alone or at school.
We could say that Alan Alexander Milne saw his son as that curious creature from whom he could obtain inspiration to write children’s books. And the boy was, without a doubt, a source of inspiration. He only had one obsession: Winnie the bear. He visited her at the zoo and later recreated adventures with her thanks to her teddy bear. and other stuffed animals that he called Piglet, Tigger, Rabbit, Igor…
The fuse was more than lit and Mr. Alexander Milne’s brain soon outlined those stories that every child knows today. Winnie the Pooh had just been bornand those stories, those stories that had his own son Christopher Robin as the protagonist, and the rest of his imaginary companions, were a success.
Now, we are sure that you already understand what happened after this. Christopher Robin Milne’s life was not exactly easy. Everyone knew, including his classmates, that that child was him, that those were his fantasies, the ones that his father heard in his mouth while watching him play secretly. It didn’t matter that the years went by, that Christopher was a teenager, the laughter always ran behind him.
It is known that Christopher Robin Milne was a gifted boy, very skilled in mathematics and engineering. His life was like an emotional merry-go-round where at times he deeply hated his father for what he considered an «exploitation» in his childhood years, for having exposed to the public his fantasies, his imaginary friends… Those who, even becoming a soldier during the Second World War, accompanied him in his own regiment at the ridicule of his comrades.
But later, he couldn’t help but continue to love his father, who, after all, continued to help him in his steps as an adult. However, it is known that Christopher Robin Milne finally The one with whom he had the most turbulent relationship was his mother.with whom he ended up breaking all contact for the following reasons:
Christopher Robin Milne married the woman he loved, not the one his parents wanted. He opened a bookstore and did not continue with his military career. And he became an environmental protectionist, fighting for the protection of forests just as his childhood friend Winnie would have done.
As you can see, the story behind our Winnie the Pooh undoubtedly deserved to be included in our space. If you liked this article, don’t miss Tshikko, the dog that looks like a lion.