Turns out Winnie the Pooh and his fluffy friends aren’t getting a nap from their longtime home at the New York Public Library.
The British Embassy in Washington on Thursday dispelled rumors of a campaign to return the collection of stuffed animals, including the “old bear willy-nilly”, to the UK. The toys were owned by the son of English author AA Milne – the real Christopher Robin – in the 1920s and inspired the characters in the writer’s beloved children’s books.
“There is an open invitation if Pooh would ever like to make a temporary visit to the United Kingdom, but we are confident that Pooh and his friends are in excellent hands with the New York Public Library,” the embassy said in a social media post.
Rumors started circulating about a change of scenery for Pooh after The Washington Post reported last week about a push to bring the teddy bear home as the famous character turns 100 this year.
Milne bought Pooh for his son’s first birthday in 1921 from Harrods department store in London. Decades later, the doll collection came to the United States on a national tour before publisher Dutton Children’s Books donated it to the library in 1987.
Asked about the British Embassy’s statement, Melissa Grace, director of communications at the library, said she was delighted to celebrate Winnie the Pooh’s birthday and invite the public to its exhibition for free.
“Christopher Robin’s childhood toys are the cornerstone of our famous collection of children’s literature,” she said in a statement, adding that the library had many things planned for the anniversary, including giving away 3,000 copies of the books.
Last week’s Post article reported that Gyles Brandreth, author and friend of the late Christopher Robin Milne, visited New York two years ago to Queen Camille to try to get Pooh to Buckingham Palace. But, he said, the library wasn’t interested.
Camilla visited the library herself in April and, rather than trying to run off with the chubby bear, she delivered a new Roo doll to add to the library’s collection which also includes Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore and Kanga. Roo, in the books, was a little brown kangaroo and Kanga’s son.
This is far from the first time we have talked about relocation.
In the late 1990s, Gwyneth Dunwoody, then a Labor Party MP, asked a question in Parliament asking what plans the British Culture Secretary had for the return of the collection.
“Just as the Greeks want their Elgin marbles back, we want our Winnie the Pooh back, and all his wonderful friends,” she told a reporter.
A New York congresswoman introduced a resolution condemning the attempt to eliminate the bear.
“The British have their heads in a honeypot if they think they’re getting Pooh out of New York,” said then-U.S. Representative Nita Lowey.
And unlike the looted antiquities, there’s no doubt that Pooh and his friends were given to the library for free. So it would seem once again that children looking to catch a glimpse of the honey-loving bear who has inspired so many fantastic stories have nothing to fear.
Besides, New Yorkers would never give up their stuffed friend without a fight. As Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said when he reposted the embassy statement Friday: “You’re coming to the bear, you better not miss it.” »
Gn entert
