Winnie the Pooh was not only Canadian, but also a girl
THE real-life Winnie the Pooh was actually a female bear who was purchased for $20 in Canada before she was brought to England, according to a new book.
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BIG news for Winnie the Pooh fans. The real Winnie — the honey-loving bear A.A. Milne based his beloved stories on — was actually a female bear and was bought for $20 by a Canadian veterinarian during World War I.
The incredible true story of everyone’s favourite childhood bear has come to light in a picture book titled Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear.
The book was written by Lindsay Mattick, the great granddaughter of Lieutenant Harry Colebourn, the man who rescued the bear cub when he was on the way to treat battlefield horses in 1914.
He named her Winnie after his hometown Winnipeg.
Colebourn took Winnie with him as he continued his travels — he even brought her with him when he set sail for England. When he was deployed to France, Colebourn decided it would be best to leave Winnie behind, dropping her off at the London Zoo.
The zoo agreed to take care of her until the war was over, Mattick told Historica Canada.
It was at the zoo that author A.A. Milne and his son Christopher Robin discovered her.
And while Christopher Robin was there, I think in his experience with Winnie, and she being this very unique and friendly bear that he had this very personal and intimate connection with, he ended up naming his stuffed bear after Winnie,” says Mattick.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Mattick decided to write the book, which is illustrated by Sophie Blackall, as way to share her incredible family story with her own children.
Originally published as Winnie the Pooh was not only Canadian, but also a girl