In 1924, A.A. Milne first wrote poems about his son, Christopher Robin, which led to two books, “When We Were Very Young” and “Now We Are Six.” The next two installments, “Winnie the Pooh” and “The House at Pooh Corner,” introduced the silly ol’ bear’s woodland friends that were inspired by his son’s stuffed animals. After having the four books translated into 12 different languages and having sold more than 10 million copies, theater audiences were first brought into the Hundred Acre Wood on this day in 1966 when Disney introduced Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. Pooh’s popularity was boosted by merchandise due to an early exclusive marking agreement with Sears, where you could purchase a variety of Winnie the Pooh Golden Books, the Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree combination record album and illustrated book, a famous designer collection of Winnie the Pooh fashions, and, if you happened to visit Sears back in 1966, we hope you also picked up your free Winnie the Pooh souvenir packet, including “Winnie’s Official Gold Badge…” while quantities lasted.
