As much as I might be loathe to admit it, I love the Disney version of Winnie-the-Pooh just as much as the real Pooh. I just don't always like what Disney has done with him.I do, however, remember (quite fondly, too) wearing my red footie pajamas with an embroidered Pooh on it as little guy. And when had been the best time to wear it? When Pooh came on television, of course! OH what an anticipated night that had been for my brother and I! Back in the day, you couldn't just watch Disney's The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh whenever you wanted. Nope. You had to wait until they re-played it on TV. And you couldn't record it, either. When it aired, it aired... and the world stopped for it. (Well, MY world, anyway.) How we'd delight in seeing the Ernest Shepard (original illustator of Pooh) inspired Disney hybrid come to life.. all cozy in our pajamas "wif da feet." It had been a true 'event' in the Kid Calendar, like Xmas. But even better, on some level, since there'd been no guarantee that Disney would run it every year. In fact, as far as I recall, they did not. (For more on the "had to wait for it" see this post.)
As with any adaptation that I fall in love with, I am wont to go to the source material. And A.A. Milne's lovable world only served to make Pooh Bear even more wonderful. Well, how could it not?
Winnie-the-Pooh is a true marvel... a great story-based, lovable character that 'translates' extremely well into a huggable toy (but of course! He had been a REAL toy to begin with!) and harboring a silliness that's so appealing. And when you get to be a big kid, he doesn't lose that appeal. In fact, he only grows more wonderful in that one realizes a level of profundity in the silly. If you don't believe me, check out the incredible The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff.Emulating Christopher Robin, I carried a Pooh around with me everywhere. I should not admit this, but I also made him clothes out of felt.
I briefly talk about the wonderful Pooh in this post, too, where I make quite an assessment about him. (I mention Hoff in it, too, but then, that book deserves as much mention as one can give it!)
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