The town council of Tuszyn, Poland have banned Winnie-the-Pooh from a local playground. The politicians who made this censorious decree first examined A.A. Milne’s famous bear when they were trying to appoint a famous character as the face of this public space.
This group found Pooh’s lack of pants and questionable gender to be offensive and “wholly inappropriate for children.” All four Winnie-the-Pooh short story collections feature illustrations by artist E. H. Shepard; Shepard’s artwork consistently depicts Pooh not wearing pants.
Here’s more from the The Independent: “The meeting of officials was sneakily recorded a councillor and leaked to local press, according to The Croatian Times. One unnamed councillor can be heard discussing Pooh’s sexuality, arguing that ‘it doesn’t wear underpants because it doesn’t have a sex’ before another, Hanna Jachimska starts criticising Winnie the Pooh author AA Milne.” (via Jezebel)
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Ack! Winnie the Pooh is 90 years old, today! Wow. That's original fluff-brained Pooh, not cute-i-fied ad nauseam Disney Winnie. When it comes to Pooh and Christopher Robin and Piglet, I am a Milne/Shepard ONLY fan. I especially dislike what Disney did to Eeyore, who has been my favorite character since I reached adulthood.
Winnie and his friend, Piglet, live in a glass display case in the
New York Public Library, now. These toys are the original stuffed animals on which A. A. Milne based his stories. Rabbit, Rabbit's Friends and Relations and Owl are based on actual animals. Everyone else was a member fo Christopher Robin's bedroom menagerie. Except the Heffalump. I'm not sure where the Heffalump came from.
To mark this august occasion, Christopher Robin's estate allowed the first-ever "authorized" sequel to
The House at Pooh Corner to be published in 2009.
Return to the 100 Acre Wood by David Benedictus introduced a new wild character and brought back all of the old favorites. I still like the old stories, the ones I and my son grew up with, best of all.
Don't forget the J
ack Gantos giveaway has another week to go. (Yeah, I just linked to my own blog in my blog!)
Winnie-the-Pooh will turn 90 years old on August 21st.
The New York Public Library will collect birthday cards to celebrate the occasion. Three to twelve-year-old kids can make cards for Pooh Bear and his friends at a special craft event on Tuesday, August 9th.
Everybody can join the party inside the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Saturday, August 20th. While you’re there, you can take a peek at an original Winnie-the-Pooh & friends doll set.
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Classic Winnie-the-Pooh by Ernest H. Shepard
On October 5, 2009, you’ll find the first authorized sequel to A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner on bookstore shelves. Return to the Hundred Acre Wood penned by David Benedictus and illustrated by Mark Burgess marks Pooh’s comeback after nearly 90 years.
I, like many of you, adore this “bear of very little brain.” His innocence and inquisitive nature is captivating. Winnie-the-Pooh goes where the world takes him; never hesitating to search for the answer to any question.
Ernest H. Shepard’s endearing illustrations brilliantly capture the essence and spirit of Winnie-the-Pooh. All he required were a few lines to bring this gentle, kind bear to life. Simple and straightforward drawings that elicit wonder in its audience.
For me, the pièce de résistance is A. A. Milne’s charming narration. Whenever I think of Winnie-the-Pooh, I think of that voice. A voice that sees the world through a child’s eyes and wraps you with comfort and security.
Can Benedictus and Burgess duplicate the magic created by Milne and Shepard? Can Benedictus and Burgess fill their shoes? Frankly, I don’t think they can. For those are some substantial shoes to fill. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
