Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh is a character and media franchise based on the books by A.A. Milne. He was originally voiced by Sterling Holloway. He was then voiced by Hal Smith until his death in 1994. Since The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Pooh has been voiced by Jim Cummings.

Pre-Disney
"Winnie-the-Pooh," as he was originally called, first appeared in a story written by A.A. Milne, who based the characters off his young son, Christopher Robin and the boy's stuffed animals. The original toy bear was named after Winnie (short for "Winnipeg"), a bear that had been adopted as a cub by a Canadian soldier during World War I, who was popular attraction at the London Zoo.

Personality
Pooh is described as being stuffed with fluff, as well as being "a bear of very little brain." He is generally kind and friendly towards everyone. He can be very courageous in tough times, and is consulted when trouble occurs. Pooh is also known for his love of honey (or "hunny" as he spells it). He keeps a supply of pots at his home, but they are often empty due to his appetite. When he runs out, he often travels to Rabbit's home to borrow some. Loyal to his friends and often entitled to "leader of the group". Pooh has a knack for being very optimistic during times of despair.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Pooh features prominently in the first two segments, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree and Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, and plays a supporting role in Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too!.

The first segment showcases Pooh's attempts to gather honey after he runs out. He first attempts to get some from a bee tree, going so far as to disguise himself as a raincloud. Even with Christopher Robin's assistance, however, all of Pooh's attempts fail. Afterward, Pooh decides to go over to Rabbit's house, as Rabbit always invites him to lunch. In reality, Rabbit fears these visits, but reluctantly gives in. However, Pooh eats so much honey, that he becomes stuck in Rabbit's front door. As the only remedy is to wait until Pooh grows thinner, Pooh must wait to be pulled from the door. At one point, Pooh meets Gopher, who offers to dig him out, but is chased off when Gopher offers to give Pooh more honey. Finally, Pooh grows thin enough that he can be removed, but Christopher Robin and friends pull him so hard that Pooh nearly flies out of the book before landing in a honey tree, where he happily eats.

In the next segment, Pooh learns from Gopher that it is "Winds-Day", so Pooh travels to wish his friends a Happy "Winds-Day". Pooh is forced to rescue Piglet via Piglet's unraveled scarf, when the strong winds blow Piglet away. During the adventure, Pooh inadvertently harvests Rabbit's carrots while plowing through Rabbit's garden. Later on in the day, Pooh pays a visit to Owl. During the visit, Owl's tree home blows over and is deemed unreparable. That night, as Pooh is at home, he is unexpectedly visited by Tigger. Tigger introduces himself and leaves as quickly as he came. However, Pooh is terrified by the stories of the honey-stealing Heffalumps and Woozles Tigger spoke of, and takes measures to protect the honey. That night, Pooh dreams of the honey thieves, and awakens to a flood. Pooh manages to get to a tree limb with some honey pots, but falls into the river while eating. Pooh eventually floats into Piglet, inadvertently rescuing his friend from the flood. Both arrive at Christopher Robin's home, and Pooh is given a party in honor of his actions after the flood ends. When Piglet chooses to let the homeless Owl have his home, Pooh offers to let Piglet live with him.

In the third segment, Pooh is roped into Rabbit's plan to lose Tigger in the mist as a punishment for his excessive bouncing. However, Pooh, Rabbit and Piglet become lost themselves. Rabbit walks off on his own, and Pooh is able to get himself and Piglet home, claiming that his honey pots were calling to his stomach. In the winter, Pooh and Piglet are walking through the woods, when they notice that Tigger and Roo are stuck in a tree. After getting Christopher Robin, Roo is saved by jumping down onto Christopher Robin's coat. Tigger is eventually brought down by the Narrator. At the end, Pooh is taught to bounce by Tigger.

The closing scene of the film shows Pooh and friends dealing with the fact that Christopher Robin must go away to school.

Pooh's Grand Adventure
In the sequel of the film, Pooh is portrayed more as a hero and leader than just an innocent citizen. After receiving a note,he set out to seek Christopher Robin along with Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore and Rabbit. They go seeking him on a journey through the Great Unknown, thanks to Owl reading the word 'School' as a dangerous place of 'Skull'. Pooh and friends find Christopher who explains he didn't go missing but just went to school for the day. He's seen in the end of the film with Christopher Robin going to his home.

The Tigger Movie
Pooh is busy gathering enough honey to last all winter until an energetic Tigger burst in. Tigger visited to ask Pooh if he could go bouncing but unfortunately Pooh was too busy. Later Pooh helps Rabbit and his friends remove a boulder from Eeyore's home. The plan goes well until Tigger joins and ruins it. Pooh explains they will never be able to have as mush fun with Tigger because their not Tiggers. Heartbroken Tigger leaves and Pooh resumes to his day until he decides to find Tigger a family of his own.

Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore search but Pooh becomes distracted with honey. He sing the hardworking and furious bees a lullaby. They dose off and the bear gets his honey. Owl gathers the friends to write a family letter to Tigger and Pooh suggest the quote "Eat well". Tigger believed it to be his true family so the friends disguise themselves as Tigger but are quickly revealed. Tigger leaves the woods so Roo goes to Pooh. Pooh Bear ask Rabbit to lead an expedition and they are off. They find Tigger and shows that they are his family which he accepts gratefully.

Piglet's Big Movie
During a plan to obtain honey from the bees, Piglet makes several attempts to join his friends eventually saving them from the bees after their plan failed. Pooh gives credit only to Tigger, Rabbit and Eeyore unaware of Piglet's actions. Pooh and friends learn Piglet is missing and to them for unknown reasons. Pooh uses Piglet's scrapbook to track him down eventually realizing how big a hero Piglet truly is. Soon enough the book is accidentally dismantled by Rabbit and Tigger.

The friends track most pages but the cover and a few more pages are dangling over a log in a dangerous pose. Pooh, not caring about the danger goes after it anyway and nearly fell to his death but rescued by Piglet. The group is safe and the throw an appreciation party for their heroic friend.

Pooh's Heffalump Movie
A mysterious intruder has entered the Hundred Acre Woods and Rabbit knows there's only one thing it could be, a Heffalump. To protect the woods, Pooh and his pals gather all the furniture, tools and honey they can find. The expedition begins the next morning. Piglet uses jellybeans to remember the way home but are eaten by Pooh the minute they touch the ground. Pooh and Piglet are lost and separated from the group.

While searching for Rabbit and Tigger, they spot what appears to be a Heffalump. They use the skills and training they learned to rope up the beast but the creature turns out to be Rabbit and Tigger. Fearing a Heffalump is following them they flee and return home. All is good until footprints are all over from a Heffalump. They all set up trap and Pooh uses honey as bait. The mysterious intruder turns out to be a mother Heffalump in search of her missing baby Heffalump, Lumpy who has become the best friend of Roo. Pooh and his friends make peace with them and the woods is peaceful yet again.

Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie
In the sequel to Pooh's Heffalump Movie, Pooh and friends try to help Lumpy enjoy the fun of Halloween.

Winnie the Pooh
"Something feels funny. I must be thinking too hard"

- Pooh's quote from the film

It is a regular morning in the Hundred Acre Woods and to Pooh seems like a great day until he finds himself out of honey. He goes out to find some in during which he runs from bees and screws up some of the text and eventually runs into a depressed Eeyore. Pooh's friend has yet again lost his tail and to learn what to do; Pooh and his friend goes to Owl. The first thing to do is issue a reward for the finding of the tail says the wise bird. The session is briefly interrupted when Pooh strongly believes Owl's caught a cold.

Shortly after Christopher Robin sets a contest for the finding of the tail. The winner gets a pot of honey. Pooh is then given the task to alert the woods that there is a very important thing to do. While he's out; Pooh runs into Tigger who attacks the balloon Pooh is holding. The balloon is attracted to the fur of Tigger which frightens him. Pooh claims the balloon wants to stay with Tigger who then suggest having him become a sidekick until he begins to worry about something wrong happening to him.

Back at the contest Pooh suggest a cuckoo clock. His victory is short lived and Pooh's tail is backfired. Frustrated Pooh leaves while Piglet tries a balloon tail and Kanga tries a scarf tail. Meanwhile Pooh is wondering off and runs into a sad Eeyore once again to learn that his scarf tail has unraveled. Eeyore walks away sadly and soon after Pooh finds a mysterious note on the door of Christopher Robin's house. Of course Pooh could not read it himself and heads over to Owl's.



Once there Owl has won the honey pot giving Eeyore a chalkboard that reads "Tael" as a tail. Pooh begins to speak about the note but becomes dumbstruck by the pot of honey. Owl notices the note and ask for further information. Pooh explains he is unable to read it but Owl claims he can. The note actually reads "Gone out, back soon." but Owl (not being able to read himself) claims the note is a distress call from Christopher Robin saying he's been kidnapped by a ferocious creature called the Backson. Pooh and his friends learn from Owl what the creature is. It's a monstrous beast that is responsible for all the horrible things in the woods. Rabbit advises a plan to capture the beast and the groups sets off.

The friends, led by Rabbt; gather all the things the Backson destroy and dig a huge pit to trap him in. Pooh and Piglet go off to set up a false picnic for the Backson which leads into the pit. Piglet pulls out an empty honey pot and specifically tells Pooh it's just bait for the Backson. While the plan is in motion, Pooh and Piglet go to a bee hive to obtain some honey. Instead Piglet gets stuck and after saving him they are chased.

They run back into Rabbit. Soon after Pooh begins to visualize everything as honey. The trees, bees, ground all resemble either honey or honey pots. Pooh is transferred into a world of honey complete with giant floating honey pots and a honey sea. Pooh explores his new tropical getaway and soon enough it becomes paradise. He later awakens and instead of honey; is chowing down on mud. Pooh soon finds a honey pot sitting on the picnic blanket set up by Piglet and himself earlier. Pooh completely forgets the picnic is actually a trap after coming from his dream and goes after the empty pot sitting right in the middle of the blanket.



Pooh ends up falling into the pit and trapped. Rabbit and the others advise a plan to rescue Pooh by using an anchor tied onto Eeyore to create a rope. Instead they are all trapped inside. Piglet is the only one that is not trapped until Tigger accidentally causes both him and Piglet to fall in. Pooh uses the text to create a ladder and they are free. As soon as they get out, something begins to emerge from the bushes. It is only Christopher Robin who sets things right. Later on Pooh visits Owl for the honey pot but instead finds that Owl was using Eeyore's tail for a pulley for the door.

Pooh goes off to reunite Eeyore with his tail instead of getting his beloved honey. Christopher was so proud of Pooh that he was rewarded a giant honey pot. Pooh and Christopher Robin then walk off as the day ends.

Welcome to Pooh Corner
In Welcome to Pooh Corner, Pooh is portrayed by a live actor operating a puppet suit. His voice was done by Hal Smith, who also voiced Owl. Pooh has his own song he performs called "The Right Side", originally written for Mary Poppins, He also performed a duet with Piglet called "Please and Thank-You".

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Pooh appears as one of the main characters in the series. Pooh is often shown dealing with various conflicts involving his friends. The ending of some episodes shows Pooh recounting the day's events to Christopher Robin. A few episodes show Pooh taking up the alter ego of "The Masked Bear," an old west style cowboy, with Eeyore as his "faithful steed".

The Book of Pooh
In this series, Pooh is portrayed by a bunraku style puppet, so that the show resembles a pop-up book. Since this show was aimed towards toddlers and preschoolers, Pooh's adventures are geared more towards educating the viewer.

House of Mouse
In the Disney series House of Mouse, Pooh doesn't have any lines and is mostly seen on the background. In the episode "The Three Caballeros", Mickey mentions "Somebody with a little brain is in the audience. After this line, there is a shot of Pooh sitting on his table and waving to Mickey since he thinks that Mickey mentioned him. Mickey responds to it with "I was just kidding, Winnie!" and offers Pooh a pot of honey on the house.

Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue
Disney versions of Pooh Bear and Tigger appeared in this anti drug movie.

Disney Parks


Pooh is a common character in the Disney parks and the most common in the Winnie the Pooh franchise. He is usually seen in parades and as a meetable character. He is also usually seen with Tigger and Eeyore, and occasionally Piglet. Pooh is also the most requested character in Disney Parks second only to Mickey Mouse himself.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Pooh is the star of his own dark ride based off the film located in most Disney Parks most notably Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. Pooh is an audio animatronic and basically plays out the same role he did in the film.

Fantasmic!
Pooh appears riding the Mark Twain Riverboat or Steamboat Willie in the nighttime spectacular.

Flights of Fantasy
Pooh appears in a Heffalump inspired float. He is the central character from his film seen inside a honey pot hot air balloon with the face of a Heffalump.

Disney Dreams Come True Parade
Pooh appears in the parade sharing a float with Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, and Dumbo. In the parade, Pooh holds his famous red balloon while Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore are on foot and holding kites.

Kingdom Hearts series


Pooh is the main character of the Hundred Acre Wood world of Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts II. Pooh's role is very unique to the Kingdom Hearts universe, as he lives in a world within a world, whose inhabitants are blissfully unaware of the battles waged outside of their peaceful forest.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Winnie the Pooh makes his first chronological appearence in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep as a Command Board character, him and Tigger playing with Terra, Aqua, and Ventus.

Kingdom Hearts
10 years later in Kingdom Hearts, Cid asked Sora to deliver a very special book that he had repaired to his friend, Merlin. After Sora did so, Merlin revealed that the book had special properties, and suggested that Sora take a closer look at it. Upon doing so, Sora found himself standing on the pages of the book, considerably smaller than his usual size. Walking over to one of the book's drawings, Sora ended up in a meadow, where Pooh sat on a log talking to himself. Once Sora introduced himself to Pooh, the bear detailed his sad news to Sora that all of his forest friends had disappeared, nor that Sora had so much in common with Ven who he hadn't seen in a decade. Along with his favorite honey tree (among other locations), and that he had been left all alone (and very hungry) in the Hundred-Acre Wood. As Sora journeyed to other worlds, he found additional pages of Pooh's book, which the Heartless (for unknown reasons) had torn out of the book. When Sora added the last page to the book, reuniting Pooh with all of his friends, Pooh expressed his wish for Sora to stay with him. Sora explained as best he could to Pooh that they would always be linked through their hearts and memories of each other, which Pooh accepted, allowing Sora to depart the book.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
A facsimile of Pooh created by Naminé was featured in this game as a memory to Sora.

Kingdom Hearts II
Prior to events in Kingdom Hearts II, Merlin apparently lost Pooh's book, but found it in one of the districts of Hollow Bastion. Sora eagerly jumped in to visit Pooh while Merlin was away, leaving Goofy and Donald to watch over the book from the outside world. As Pooh asked Sora to join him in his exercises, he suddenly froze in mid-action, leaving Sora momentarily confused before he was forced out of Pooh's book. It was soon revealed that Donald and Goofy had summoned Sora out of the book, needing his help as they were under attack by the Heartless. As Sora exited Merlin's house to assist his friends, a group of Soldier Heartless made to steal Pooh's book, ripping pages out in the process and leaving slash marks on the book's cover. However, Sora managed to take the damaged book back from the Heartless. When Sora returned to the Hundred-Acre Wood to check on Pooh, he discovered that the traumatic forces that had been imposed on the book had given Pooh amnesia. To remedy this, Sora once again collected the scattered pages of the book and assisted Pooh's friends in helping Pooh gain back his memories of them. Certain actions in each area triggered Pooh's memories, but he did not remember Sora until nearly all the pages were recollected. And, as was the case in the ending of Kingdom Hearts, Pooh begged Sora to stay with him, and again Sora explained that he had to leave but that he and Pooh would always have a special connection through their hearts.

Popularity
Pooh and his gang of friends are the most popular and famous set of Disney characters second only to Mickey and Friends. The Winnie the Pooh merchandise over the years have made as much money as Mickey and Friends.

Trivia

 * Winnie the Pooh character was amortized several times by Sears.
 * All Winnie the Pooh media projects are combined at #4 of the "100 Greatest Cartoons of All Time."
 * On April 11, 2006, Pooh received a star on the walk of fame in Hollywood.