How did Winnie the Pooh go from being a character in a British novel to being featured in an attraction in nearly all of the Disney Parks? Let’s dive into the rich history of everyone’s favorite silly old bear!

Every year on January 18 – the birthday of A. A. Milne – we celebrate Winnie the Pooh, the world’s most famous “hunny”-loving bear. 2026 is extra special, as Winnie the Pooh will be turning 100 years old in October.

Original Inspiration: “Winnipeg” the Black Bear – 1914

The original story of Winnie the Pooh actually started with a real-life black bear.

Canadian veterinarian Harry Colebourn was traveling across Canada to a training camp in Quebec in preparation for overseas duty in World War I. While on route, he encountered a hunter selling an orphaned black bear cub. He bought the cub for $20 and named her “Winnipeg Bear,” or “Winnie” for short, in honor of his adopted hometown. Winnie became much beloved by the entire troop and was their unofficial mascot.

While Colebourn served in France, Winnie lived in the London Zoo and was eventually officially donated to the zoo. While Winnie was alive, she was adored by visitors, including a boy named Christopher Robin Milne, the son of A. A. Milne. Christopher Robin even changed the name of his stuffed bear from Edward Bear to Winnie-the-Pooh, a combination of Winnie’s name and the nickname of a swan he fed every morning.

And thus, the bear we know as Winnie-the-Pooh was born.

First Published Appearance – 1924

The first appearance of Christopher Robin’s stuffed bear – using the name Edward – was in the poem “Teddy Bear” in the February 13, 1924 issue of Punch magazine. This same poem was published in Milne’s book of children’s verses, When We Were Very Young, in November 1924.

The next year, a London newspaper, The Evening News, published a Christmas 1925 story that featured Winnie-the-Pooh by name.

Winnie-the-Pooh – October 14, 1926

The first official collection of Pooh stories was published on October 14, 1926, under the title Winnie-the-Pooh. The book was written by A. A. Milne and illustrated by E. H. Shepherd.

The character of Winnie-the-Pooh was so popular that Milne wrote two more novels that featured him:

• Now We Are Six (1927) – Another collection of children’s poetry.
• The House at Pooh Corner (1928) – A sequel to Winnie-the-Pooh that introduced Tigger as a character for the first time.

The characters of Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga, and Roo were based on stuffed animals Christopher Robin had. Owl and Rabbit were created by Milne himself and are actual animals, not stuffed toys. The Hundred Acre Wood in the books is also based on a real place – Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, England, about thirty miles south of London.

Milne was already a successful and varied writer, producing works for magazines like Punch (where E. H. Shepherd also worked), as well as several plays. But it was his stories for children that led him to become a household name. One of those households being, of course, the Disneys.

Walt Disney Acquiring Rights to Winnie-the-Pooh

Walt Disney overheard one of his daughters giggling while reading a book. He found out that the book she was reading was Winnie-the-Pooh. Her delight at the stories and characters inspired him to acquire some rights to the bear in 1961, using the unhyphenated name “Winnie the Pooh.”

The first appearance of Winnie-the-Pooh wearing a red shirt actually appeared 30 years prior in a drawing created by Stephen Slesinger. He had acquired several U.S. and Canadian rights to Winnie-the-Pooh in 1930. His wife, Shirley, continued to develop the character after Stephen’s death in 1953, and she – along with A. A. Milne’s widow Daphne – licensed certain rights, including motion picture rights, to Disney.

Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree – 1966

The first musical short featuring Disney’s version of Winnie the Pooh was released in 1966 as Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. (A musical figurine celebrating the 60th anniversary of this short film was recently released at Walt Disney World. You can check it out here.)

Winnie the Pooh was voiced by the famous actor Sterling Holloway (known for voicing characters like the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland and Kaa in The Jungle Book), and the classic Winnie the Pooh main theme song was created by the Sherman Brothers, Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman. They are also known for creating the main themes on “it’s a small world” and the Carousel of Progress, among several other famous Disney songs.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – 1977

The first full-length animated film featuring Winnie the Pooh was The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, released in 1977. It combined the musical shorts Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966), Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968), and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (1974). Later on, home releases of the film also included Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (1983) as a bonus feature.

Fun fact – Gopher was a new character created for the Disney film, and he even says a line in the movie to point that out: “I’m not in the book, you know.”

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ended up being so successful that Disney Imagineers quickly started planning on adding a Winnie the Pooh attraction in the Disney Parks. Plans were made but later stalled at Disneyland Resort, but during a resurgence of popularity of the character, Winnie the Pooh eventually made his first debut in a Disney Park at Walt Disney World.

Disney Park Attractions Featuring Winnie the Pooh

Over the years, Winnie the Pooh has been added as an attraction in nearly all of the Disney Parks. Most of the rides are based on the 1977 film.

Walt Disney World – The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1999)

The first Winnie the Pooh dark-ride attraction opened up in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. It replaced Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in Fantasyland, but Imagineers still honored the ride’s past with a reference to the Wind in the Willows character. Inside Owl’s fallen house, guests can spot a portrait of Mr. Toad handing the deed of the ride to Owl. The ride also received an updated interactive queue based on the Hundred Acre Wood in 2010.

Tokyo Disneyland – Pooh’s Hunny Hunt (2000)

While also based on the 1977 film, what makes Pooh’s Hunny Hunt unique is that it used a never-before-seen trackless ride system. This technology enables guests to have a unique experience every time they ride and can “dance” with other honey pots. To this day, Pooh’s Hunny Hunt has some of the longest wait times at Tokyo Disneyland due to its enduring popularity.

Disneyland Resort – The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (2003)

The next park to receive a dark Winnie the Pooh attraction was Disneyland. Due to the limited space in the park, it was decided the ride would replace the Country Bear Jamboree attraction in Critter Country (now known as Bayou Country). As a tribute, guests who turn to look behind them after exiting the Heffalump and Woozles room can see the heads of Max the deer, Melvin the moose, and Buff the buffalo mounted on the wall above the doorway. Disneyland’s version of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is also the only attraction to use beehives as the ride vehicles.

Hong Kong Disneyland – The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (2005)

Hong Kong Disneyland opened its park in 2005 with The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which was the only dark-ride in Fantasyland until “it’s a small world” opened in 2008. It is based on the Magic Kingdom version at Walt Disney World and is also very popular with guests.

Shanghai Disneyland – The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (2016)

Similar to Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland opened the park in 2016 with a dark-ride mostly identical to Hong Kong’s version.

Shanghai Disneyland – Hunny Pot Spin (2016)

What makes Shanghai Disneyland unique, is that it has a second Winnie the Pooh attraction. Based on the 2011 movie, Winnie the Pooh, guests can board a honey pot that spins around, similar to the teacups in the “Mad Tea Party” attraction at several Disney Parks.

Disneyland Paris is currently the only Disney Park in the world that does not have a Winnie the Pooh attraction. However, a Winnie the Pooh bronze statue bench has been recently added to the Gazebo Garden in the newly transformed Disney Adventure World, and a Winnie the Pooh scene was added in 2024 as part of a refurbishment to the Storybook Land Canal Boats ride for the 30th anniversary of Disneyland Paris.

Winnie the Pooh Meet and Greets

In several Disney Parks, including Disneyland and Walt Disney World, guests can meet Winnie the Pooh and friends.

Disneyland Resort Meet and Greet Locations

There is primarily one spot to meet Winnie the Pooh and friends at the Disneyland Resort. In front of the Pooh Corner shop, guests can meet Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and occasionally Piglet in Pooh’s “thotful” spot.

Walt Disney World Meet and Greet Locations

There are three places to meet Winnie the Pooh and friends at Walt Disney World.

In Magic Kingdom, near The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride, guests can meet Winnie the Pooh and Tigger at The Thotful Spot. During the Halloween and Christmas seasons, more characters are available to meet, and they are dressed up in special costumes!

The Crystal Palace is a character buffet featuring the Hundred Acre Wood friends.

Additionally, in the U.K. Pavilion at EPCOT World Showcase, guests can meet Winnie the Pooh in Christopher Robin’s room.

Other Disney Parks

At Disneyland Paris, head to Boarding House in Main Street, U.S.A. for a meet with Pooh or one of his friends. Shanghai Disneyland has a Pooh and friends meet and greet in Fantasyland. And, guests visiting Hong Kong Disneyland can meet Pooh and other Hundred Acre Wood friends as well.

Winnie the Pooh Media

Since the 1977 film, several movies and television shows have been released featuring Winnie the Pooh and friends across various seasons and holidays. Some enduring favorites include Pooh’s Grand Movie: The Search for Christopher Robin (1997), The Tigger Movie (2000), and Piglet’s Big Movie (2003). In the 2005 film, Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, viewers were introduced to a new character: Lumpy the purple Heffalump.

Richard Sherman also made a cameo appearance in the 2018 live-action film, Christopher Robin. During the credits, he can be seen playing the piano on a beach while singing an original song, “Busy Doing Nothing.”

Recently, Jim Cummings, the current voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, posted on social media that Disney is working on a new Winnie the Pooh film. Disney has not made an official announcement yet.

Winnie the Pooh Merchandise

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Winnie the Pooh, Disney released new merchandise online and at Disney World. Several other apparel and houseware items themed to Winnie the Pooh and friends have been released recently in the parks as well.

The Enduring Popularity of Winnie the Pooh

Though Winnie the Pooh and friends were already popular as book characters, Disney acquiring the rights to the characters and featuring them in movies, television shows, and eventually as attractions and meet and greets in Disney Parks across the world is likely what has made Winnie the Pooh the enduring and popular character that he is today.

Happy 100th birthday, Winnie the Pooh, and here’s to 100 more!

What is your favorite memory of Winnie the Pooh? Let us know on social media.

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