Tiddely Pom

It is hard to comprehend. A 90 year old Pooh.

No, not some freakish.part fossilised remains but a celebration of the most endearing characters in popular fiction, that of the cuddly, yellow and rather eccentric bear, Winnie the Pooh.

His is an interesting story born from the imagination of A.A Milne, based on the stuffed toy of his son and named after an occupant of Winnipeg Zoo in Canada.

It all dates from October 1926 when, after a brief appearance in a newspaper, the first book of Winnie the Pooh was published.

It was an instant success ensuring global recognition, fame and fortune.

The United States and Canadian Rights to the character were acquired in 1930 and within 12 months the merchandising was producing a phenomenal $50 million a year.

In the mid 1960's the Disney Corporation acquired the Americas' interest and the rest is history.

Unfortunately, the money spinning bear also attracted more than his fair share of controversy and dirty dealings.

As part of the deal with Disney the original entrepreneurs were entitled to a 2% royalty on all related sales but they felt that they were being diddled out of their agreed share through poor or mis-accounting of the true level of revenue on which it was based.

A legal action ensued.

The presiding Judge was very critical of the Disney Corp. for allegedly destroying 40 boxes of evidence but the moral higher ground of the Claimant was diminished by the revelation that their own investigator had rummaged through Disney's bins in search of vindication.

The lawsuit, on balance, was dismissed.

All of this litigation, claim and counter claim could not, however, take away the innocence and charm of Winnie the Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood.

Disney took the liberty of introduced a gopher into their big-screen animated features but the original Pooh, Piglet, Eyeore, Christopher Robin, Kanga, Roo and Owl remained as the principal protagonists.

Those brought up on the A.A Milne books and the E H Shephard illustrations are unlikely to have been too disappointed with the animated versions of the beloved characters and to me, the Disney vocalisation of the characters actually embellishes the quality of the written word.

What makes Pooh?

Well, biological explanations aside, it is his simplistic but philosophical attitude to life and experiences.

Here are just a few of his comic, wise and intuitive sayings.

"When looking at your two paws, as soon as you have decided which of them is the right one, then you can be sure the other one is the left"

 "They're funny things, accidents. You never have them till you're having them".

"Those who are clever, who have a brain, never understand anything",

"Rivers know this; there is no hurry. We shall get there some day".

"Some people care too much, I think it's called love".

"The more he looked inside, the more Piglet wasn't there",

"if you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you",

"It's so much more friendly with two",

"My spelling is wobbly. It's good spelling but it wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places",

 "Always watch where you are going. Otherwise, you may step on a piece of the forest that was left out by mistake",

"Before beginning a hunt, it is wise to ask someone what you are looking for before you begin looking for it"

 "I used to believe in forever, but forever's too good to be true",

"To the uneducated, an A is just three sticks".

My own personal favourite just sums up the whole Pooh character, his love of life and those around him,

"When having a smackerel of something with a friend, don't eat so much that you get stuck in the doorway trying to get out".

Too true, Pooh, too true.,