The original teddy bear that inspired the image of Winnie the Pooh in A. A. Milne's books will not be moved from the New York Public Library. The British Embassy in Washington dismissed rumors of an official campaign to return it to the Island and said the toy was in good hands.
“Winnie the Pooh is always open to a temporary visit to the UK, but we have no doubt that he and his friends are in excellent hands at the New York Public Library“, British diplomats wrote in X. The statement was published after reports emerged that British fans wanted the collection returned to Milne's homeland.
How the toys ended up in New York
Milne bought the teddy bear in 1921 from the London department store Harrods for his son Christopher Robin's first birthday. It was the boy's childhood toys that inspired the characters in the “Winnie the Pooh“ books and “Pooh's House on the Corner“.
The collection also includes Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore and Kanga. The toys went to the United States in 1947 for a promotional tour, and in 1987, the publisher Dutton Children’s Books donated them to the New York Public Library. Since then, they have been part of its collection and are on display for visitors.
An invitation, not an official campaign
The rumors intensified after an article in The Washington Post on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the publication of the first Winnie the Pooh book. The publication says that British writer Giles Brandreth visited New York two years ago as an intermediary for Queen Camilla in the hope that the toys would visit Buckingham Palace.
According to Brandreth, the library is reluctant to move the collection because of the advanced age of the toys and the great interest in them. He defines the British initiative not as a campaign, but as an invitation. “This is not a campaign. This is an invitation“, Brandreth told The Washington Post.
Queen Camilla visited the library in April and instead of the original collection, she gave a replica of Roo - the little kangaroo from the stories. The library is already preparing initiatives for the character's 100th anniversary, including exhibitions and the distribution of 3,000 copies of the books. There is currently no information on a planned relocation of the original toys.
Sources: apnews.com, washingtonpost.com