How are we only learning this NOW?
So, in news that will probably cause you to question the veracity of everything you learnt during your childhood years, we’ve come across reports that the tubby little cubby (all stuffed with fluff) we know as Winnie the Pooh is actually a female bear from Canada.
Before you say anything, we know.
Yes, the cartoon we all know and love has a pretty obvious British accent and yeah, the bear’s voice does sound a little masculine. But believe us when we say there’s quite a story behind this piece of trivia.
According to a picture book named Finding Winnie, the character is based on a real black bear who was adopted by Lieutenant Harry Colebourn; a vet who was headed off to war to tend to horses. That bear was a female from Canada who Colebourn named Winnie, after the city of Winnipeg.
Bustle shares that the Lieutenant bought the bear for $20 when he saw her tied up at a train station in Ontario, Canada. He brought her with him to London but when he was required to deploy to France he felt it was safer to leave Winnie at the London Zoo.
And this touching story doesn’t end there.
During her time at the zoo, Winnie won herself something of a fan. A young boy named Christopher Robin enjoyed visiting Winnie so much that he named his toy bear after her… Christoper Robin’s father was author A. A. Milne who wrote the Winnie-the-Pooh books.
Gives new meaning to the entire series, doesn’t it?
And on that note, we think we’ll leave you with this cute little quote by Mr Milne:
“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem.”
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Image: Disney, NBC
Written by Stephanie Nuzzo
