WI N N I E TH E P OOH AT 90
The Harrods Link Winnie the Pooh has a long-standing history with Harrods – A.A Milne created Winnie based on a real 18inch high Alpha Farnell teddy bear, which was purchased for his son, Christopher Robin, from the luxury department store in 1921. The toys that inspired the characters of Eeyore, Kanga, Roo and Tigger were also purchased from Harrods and received as gifts by Christopher Robin between 1920 and 1928. Harrods was featured in the free illustrated ebook and audio story, Winnie the Pooh and the Royal Birthday, and a 20-inch 90th anniversary plush is due to launch with the retailer in September. Meanwhile, Aden + Anais launched a dedicated pop-up shop in Harrods for its new Disney collection. Included within the range are burpy bibs, dream blankets, muslin squares and classic swaddles, all featuring Winnie the Pooh. Below: The toys that inspired a number of the characters were purchased from Harrods.
release simply called Winnie the Pooh, while, more recently, Tales of Friendship launched on preschool channel Disney Junior, featuring British actor Robert Webb. Understandably for such a classic and much-loved character, Disney and its partners are going all out to mark the 90th milestone.
Inset: Tales of Friendship airs on Disney Junior and features British actor Robert Webb. Below: The interactive Hundred Acre Wood experience was launched in partnership with Google Maps.
Kickstarting the celebrations in May – and coinciding with the Queen’s 90th birthday – a free illustrated ebook and audio story called Winnie the Pooh and the Royal Birthday was released on YouTube and DisneyInspired. co.uk. The tale – which saw Winnie travel to Buckingham Palace with Piglet, Eeyore and Christopher Robin – received an incredibly strong reaction, resulting in Winnie the Pooh trending on Twitter and blanket national media coverage. Tying in with this was an interactive Hundred Acre Wood experience, launched in partnership with Google Maps, while DisneyInspired.co.uk shared a number of craft ideas for children. There are no shortage of partners who are also backing the 90th anniversary. Key UK licensees include Posh Paws, TOMY, Blueprint, Hallmark/UKG, Rubies, Egmont, Paul Dennicci, East Coast Nursery, Hauck, Obaby, STOR, Travis Designs, Poplar Linens, Widdop Bingham, 4-Com, Zeon and Philips. The apparel category is buoyant, with the likes of Aykroyds, TDP Textiles, Fashion UK, Smith & Brooks, TV Mania and William Lamb all on board. Retailers such as Clintons, George @ Asda, Tesco, Primark and Mothercare have all been supportive, while Marks & Spencer will be launching a
collection of special edition Winnie the Pooh baby toys to mark the anniversary. The range includes a baby comforter, wooden building blocks and a melamine feeding set, along with plush soft toys, including a giant limited edition teddy. “We know that Winnie the Pooh is a favourite of mums with babies and infants,” said Liz Shortreed, director of softlines at Disney UK & Ireland, “so we’re really excited that, to help celebrate the 90th anniversary, there will be a beautiful, rich range of new products that meet mums’ needs and really evoke the storytelling, friendship, humour and nostalgia that is at the heart of this brand.” There’s more to come, too. The anniversary itself falls on October 14 and, while Disney is keeping its powder dry until nearer the time, it has confirmed that special news will be announced during the anniversary week. One thing we do know is that Egmont will be releasing a new official anthology of four stories, called The Best Bear in All the World, on October 6 this year. Mark Burgess will illustrate the text in the style of the original illustrator, E.H Shepard, and four authors – Paul Bright, Jeanne Willis, Kate Saunders and Brian Sibley – will write the stories. Little brain or not, to paraphrase one of his quotes, it seems we are destined to be friends until forever with Winnie the Pooh. PROGRES SIVE PRESCHOOL
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