Winnie the Pooh - That Lovable Bear

Winnie-the-Pooh began as a bedtime tale author A.A. Milne told to his young boy, Christopher Robin.  The adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh followed the eponymous bear and his pals Eeyore the donkey, Piglet the piglet and Tigger the tiger.  The talented E. H. Shepard illustrated Milne's early books, and the simple but touching narratives led to literary fame.  The original Pooh books were published in 1926 and 1928 respectively based on the made-up stories Milne developed for his son.

In the ensuing years, the Walt Disney Company purchased the Winnie-the-Pooh characters and rights. There have been legal fracases over the Pooh assets.  Milne's family (including son Christopher Robin and grand daughter Claire) as well as Milne's former agent, Stephen Slesinger, have battled in court over the rights for the profits from the Pooh franchise.

Winnie-the-Pooh has touched billions of people across the globe.  He has inspired countless spin-offs, including a very popular series of animated stories by Soyuzmultfilm in the former Soviet Union and Benjamin Hoff's now famous book on eastern wisdom called The Tao of Pooh.  Over a dozen Pooh films have been released, including Winnie-the-Pooh and the Blustery Day (made in 1968), Winnie-the-Pooh And A Day For Eeyore (1983), and Pooh's Heffalump Movie. 

Plans are in the works to release a new TV series in 2007 starring a female replacement for Christopher Robin.  All told, Pooh memorabilia, video games, and accessories bring in more than a billion dollars a year for the Walt Disney Company.