Winnie the Pooh character marks one hundred years since publication

The fictional character Winnie the Pooh is celebrating his centenary this year, as France 24 and Modern Ghana both report. According to France 24, the first book collection of stories was published on October 14, 1926. France 24 and Modern Ghana both noted that the bear first made his debut in a story titled The Wrong Kind of Bees in the London Evening News. [1][4]

The original book collection was illustrated by E. H. Shepard, France 24 added. CBS News reported that the history behind the famous character traces back to a $20 bear bought by a First World War soldier. [1][6]

English author A. A. Milne and illustrator E. H. Shepard created Winnie the Pooh. The character was inspired by a stuffed toy that Milne purchased at Harrods department store for his son, Christopher Robin, as well as a real bear named Winnie that they saw at London Zoo. The bear first appeared under his full name in a story for London's Evening News on Christmas Eve in 1925. [7]

Before his full name was introduced, the character appeared in print in a 1924 poem titled Teddy Bear inside Milne's book When We Were Very Young. Milne later published the follow-up collection The House at Pooh Corner in 1928, which introduced elephant-like creatures known as Heffalumps. [8][9]