Let’s Explore Hundred Acre Wood Characters

Who is your favorite Winnie the Pooh character? And what does that say about your character? Often times people think that their favorite character is the one they identify most with, but I have always loved Winnie the Pooh, and yet I don’t identify with him. In fact, the character that I most identify with will probably shock you.

You see the character I most identify with is Piglet. He is unseen and unheard. This small pink piglet is meek and afraid, and he would feel so alone and unsure of himself if it wasn’t for his deep friendship with Pooh. And it is because of his friendship with Pooh that he feels brave enough to try new things.

As we explore the characters of Hundred Acre Wood and those that meet at Pooh Corner, we will find some interesting facts. Of course, Pooh is the main character.

POOH’S CHARACTER

Pooh Bear offers wisdom, friendship, and encouragement to his little pink friend. As a young girl I remember reading the books and watching Winnie the Pooh and loving every minute of it. Disney brought a classic storybook to life in a fantastic way, and I have been hooked ever since. And Pooh became my favorite character because he embodied all the characteristics I would want in a friend.

As I watched the friendship between Piglet and Pooh, I was immediately attracted to the kind words that Pooh spoke over Piglet. And since Encouraging Words is my Love Language having a friend like Pooh is a necessity in life. If you don’t know about the Five Love Languages, read this great article from my dear friend, The Positive Mom.

But it isn’t just the way Pooh interacts with Piglet. Pooh has a special friendship with all the animals of the Hundred Acre Wood and a unique friendship with Christopher Robin. This is one of the many reasons I was so excited about the live-action movie by Disney entitled Christopher Robin which stars Ewan McGregor as Christopher Robin. Pooh was voiced by Jim Cummings who has been the voice of Pooh since 1988. (As a side note, I attended the same high school as Jim Cummings, but just a few years later.) The movie’s release date was August 3, 2018.

As I anxiously awaited the release date of this awesome movie, I distracted myself with rereading the Pooh books, watching the movies, and posting many photos and blog posts. How many of the original books have you read? How many movies and videos have you watched?

What Your Favorite Character Says About You

So what does your favorite Pooh character say about you? A quick search of the internet reveals a host of articles written about these adorable characters. These characters have been entertaining children and adults alike for almost a century. Their unique personalities, their fun antics, and what each character represents has been the subject of books, articles, and even medical journals.

Favorite Characters from Winnie the Pooh and their Personalities

Through the years I have read a wide range of articles and here are my thoughts on each character:

Christopher Robin:

The first major character we will explore is Christopher Robin. Young Boy. In charge. The leader of all the animals. Pooh is his best friend. Tends to show up when there is trouble or to assist in finding adventure. Tagline: Silly Old Bear. Christopher Robin was created by A.A. Milne based on his son Christopher Robin Milne.

Winnie-the-Pooh:

A thoughtful, lovable bear. Cheerful. A friend to all. Helpful to his friends. Lover of Honey. Lacks common sense. Doesn’t think things through.

Piglet:

Timid. Shy. Small. Kind and caring. Pooh and Piglet are best friends. Loves Pooh just as he is. Tries to be brave. Loyal friend.

Tigger:

Energetic. Bouncy. One of a kind. Optimist. Extrovert.

Eeyore:

Miserable. Depressed. Pessimist. Spends most of his time alone. Even his happiness seems depressing. Usually is referred to as Gloomy Eeyore.

Rabbit:

Dependable. Lover of rules. Opinionated. Bossy.

Owl:

Oldest animal. Appears wise, but often times is wrong. In fact, Owl can’t even spell his own name. The animals look to Owl for advice, and he bluffs his way through life. Long-winded.

Kanga:

Kangaroo – Mother of RooKind. Patient. Loving. Nurturer to all in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Roo: The youngest. Son of Kanga. Asks lots of questions. Playful.

Your Favorite Winnie the Pooh Character and their Disorders:

Now the Canadian Medical Association Journal weighed in on these lovable characters back in 2000, and this is what they had to say:

on closer examination by our group of experts we find a forest where neurodevelopmental and psychosocial problems go unrecognized and untreated.

And these are the disorders that they “diagnosed” for some of the characters.

Winnie the Pooh: ADHD – Significantly Obese and Cognitive impairment.

Piglet: Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Tigger: Pattern of Risk-Taking Behaviors

Eeyore: Depression

Owl: Dyslexic

To read the entire article, Pathology in the Hundred Acre Wood: a neurodevelopmental perspective on A.A. Milne

I am not certain which theory out there is right about the Winnie the Pooh characters, but it is fun to analyze. So who is your favorite Winnie the Pooh character and why? Drop me a line and share this article with your friends to learn more about their personalities and disorders!

More Winnie the Pooh Characters – Minor Roles

Bees; Rabbit’s friends and relations; Heffalumps; Woozles; Jagulars; Backson; Uncle Robert

Additional Characters Created by Disney

The Narrator

Gopher

Kessie

Lumpy

Mama Heffalump

Darby

Buster

Evelyn Robin (Wife of Christopher Robin in the feature film, Christopher Robin)

Madeline Robin

History Behind the Pooh Stories

In the book, Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear, you may be surprised to find out that there was an original Winnie that started this all. The actual bear that inspired the stories that A.A. Milne wrote. It wasn’t just a made-up story about a teddy bear. It goes even further back than Milne and starts with a man named Harry Colebourn. In 1914, Colebourn was a veterinarian going to tend horses during World War I. He found a baby bear, rescued her, and named her Winnie after Winnipeg.

It is a wonderful thing that he did because this started the journey to A.A. Milne’s son meeting Winnie at the London Zoo. This started the journey of the creation of these beloved characters.

Since I know true Winne the Pooh fans will want to see all the movies and read all of the books, I have listed them below.

Timeline of Winnie the Pooh and Books

• 1882 A.A. Milne was born
• 1920 Christopher Robin Milne was born
• 1924 When We Were Very Young published
• 1925 Pooh’s first appearance. The London Evening News published a story on Christmas Eve called The Wrong Sort of Bees
• 1926 Winnie-the-Pooh published (to find out about the dashes and other facts, visit HERE)
• 1927 Now We Are Six published (Christopher Robin Milne was six)
• 1928 The House at Pooh Corner published
• 1930 Milne and Stephen Slesinger enter a contract granting Slesinger merchandising rights in exchange for royalties.
• 1961 Walt Disney acquires limited film rights to Winnie-the-Pooh
• 1973 Winnie-the-Pooh with color illustrations by Ernest H. Shepard is published
• 1996 Christopher Robin Milne dies
• 2001 Disney acquires full rights to Winnie the Pooh

Timeline of Disney Movie and Disney Films

• 1966 Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (Short Film) Released theatrically with The Ugly Daschund
• 1968 Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (Short Film) Released theatrically with The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit
• 1974 Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too (Short Film) Released theatrically with The Island at the Top of the World
• 1977 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Film)
• 1981 Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons (Short Film)
• 1983 Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (Short Film) Released theatrically with a reissue of The Sword in the Stone
• 1983-1986 Welcome to Pooh Corner (Television Series)
• 1988-1981 The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Animated Series)
• 1991 Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too (Television Special)
• 1996 Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh (Television Special)
• 1997 Pooh’s Grand Adventures: The Search for Christopher Robin (Direct to Video)
• 1998 A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving (Television Special)
• 1999 A Valentine for You (Television Special)
• 1999 Seasons of Giving (Direct to Video)
• 2000 The Tigger Movie (Film)
• 2001 The Book of Pooh: Stories from the Heart (Direct to Video)
• 2001-2004 The Book of Pooh (Television Series)
• 2002 A Very Merry Pooh Year (Direct to Video)
• 2003 Piglet’s Big Movie (Film)
• 2004 Springtime with Roo (Direct to Video)
• 2005 Pooh’s Heffalump Movie (Film)
• 2005 Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie (Direct to Video)
• 2007 Super Sleuth Christmas Movie (Direct to Video)
• 2007-2010 My Friends Tigger & Pooh (Animated Series)
• 2009 Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too (Direct to Video)
• 2010 Super Duper Super Sleuths (Direct to Video)
• 2011 Winnie the Pooh (Film)
• 2018 Christopher Robin (Film)

Fun Facts:

Did you know that Winnie the Pooh is the third-largest-grossing animated franchise of all time?

Additionally, Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, Kanga and Tigger are on display at The New York Public Library. These stuffed animal characters have been living at the library since 1987. Christopher Robin Milne received a small stuffed bear on his first birthday, August 21, 1921. He was named Edward Bear, but later renamed Winnie-the-Pooh.

Roo is not in the collection because he was lost in an apple orchard in the 1930s.

Winnie-the-Pooh was named after a black bear named Winnie in the London Zoo. Pooh was the name of a swan in When We Were Very Young.

The Hundred Aker Wood or Hundred Acre Wood (no s in Wood) was based on Ashdown Forest in southern England.

A.A. Milne was born on January 18, 1882, in Kilburn, London, United Kingdom. He died on January 31, 1956, in Hartfield, United Kingdom. His full name was Alan Alexander Milne.

Did you know Sterling Holloway was the first Disney voice of Winnie the Pooh? (He was also the voice of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland and Sleep in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs). He voiced Pooh until 1977.

More Fun Facts:

Richard Sherman composed The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers with lyrics by his brother Robert.

In 2021 a theatrical Broadway show as released entitled Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation

There are numerous video games throughout the years.

Piglet is a male (many people believe piglet is a female) pig. Originally voiced by John Fiedler (1968-2005). Fiedler also was the voice of Deacon Owl in The Rescuers, Porcupine in The Fox and the Hound, Rudy, Old Man in The Emperor’s New Groove, and as Rudy in Kronk’s New Groove.

In 2005, Travis Oates took over the great job of the voice of Piglet after the passing of John Fiedler. Additionally, he voiced Rudy in The Emperor’s New School.

It is easy to see that a bear of very little brain, and the delightful stuffed animals that make up the characters of the Winnie the Pooh franchise, are loved around the world. But it really was the children’s literature of A.A. Milne that gave the world these popular characters!

Frequently Asked Questions About Winnie the Pooh?

Which Winnie-the-Pooh character can’t spell his own name?

The Winnie the Pooh character who can’t spell his own name is Owl. He spells it WOL.

Who is the only female character to appear in the Winnie the Pooh series?

Kanga is the only female character to appear in the Winnie the Pooh books.

Does Winnie the Pooh have villains?

The villains in the Winnie the Pooh series include Heffalumps and Woozles.

​Who is the main antagonist in Winnie the Pooh?

The main antagonists are Woozles and Heffalumps.

What is on the sign above Winnie the Pooh’s door?

The sign reads, “Mr. Sanders.” It is believed that Mr. Sanders lived there before Pooh.

For more reading about Winnie the Pooh – Ways to Reduce Stress Pooh Style

Thanks for stopping by,

Patty @ A Mother’s Random Thoughts