Fun Facts Friday: A.A. Milne

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Today is the birthday of British children’s author A.A. Milne (18 January, 1882 – 31 January, 1956). Most people know his most beloved creation Winnie the Pooh.

Fun Facts Friday A.A. Milne

  1. The A.A. stands for Alan Alexander
  2. Winnie the Pooh and friends are based on stuffed animals that belonged to Millen’s son – Christopher Robin. You can see the original toys at the New York Public Library.
  3. Winnie-the-Pooh was named after a Canadian black bear (Winnipeg) that resided in the London Zoo and was used as a military mascot in World War I. “Pooh” was a swan.
  4. The toy which inspired the famous bear was purchased in Harrod’s in London and was called Edward Bear (as is only proper in England).
  5. Both Christopher and the family dog loved to play with the stuffed animals. Eeyore lost some stuffing over the years which caused his head to droop and gave him a melancholy appearance.
  6. Hundred Acre Wood was inspired by Ashdown Forest in Sussex.
  7. Christopher Robin took boxing classes to defend himself against bullies at school who used to tease him about the popular book series.
  8. As was customary at the time, Christopher Robin was brought up by a nanny and only met his parents in a formal manner three times a day.
    Neither his parents nor the nanny ever read him a story!
  9. Winnie-the-Pooh books have been translated to 29 languages, merchandise can be found 40 countries (more or less). Forbes ranked Winnie-the-Pooh as the second most valuable character in global retail sales (Mickey Mouse was number one).
  10. A.A. Milne also published 7 novels, 4 non-fiction books, 18 plays, 4 screenplays, numerous poems and articles.

Zohar – Man of la Book

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