Even this funny bear cub himself does not know the exact date of birth of the mega-popular children's book hero, who bears the world-famous name Winnie the Pooh. The opinions of researchers, literary scholars and lovers of entertaining family reading differ on this matter. Some consider the hero's birthday to be the date of publication of Milne's first book, that is, October 14, 1926. According to another version, the bear is four years older - on August 21, 1921, the famous writer and playwright Alan Milne gave his son Christopher Robin a funny teddy bear for his birthday, which immediately became a faithful friend and constant companion in games for the boy. Therefore, the reading public around the world has the opportunity to celebrate the birthday of their favorite hero twice a year.
History of the holiday
Alan Milne began writing his book, published by a very respected London publishing house, almost immediately after he gave a teddy bear stuffed with sawdust to his son. The boy’s imagination was fine, and his dad loved to watch his games, simultaneously recording and systematizing his observations. One of the stories was published in the newspaper just before Christmas in 1925 and somehow went unnoticed by readers and critics. The usual pre-holiday bustle had its effect, when people, busy with their own affairs, are not inclined to follow the appearance of various literary novelties, which seems to be a completely natural phenomenon. The complete book, later published, became an all-time bestseller and a favorite family read for many generations of children and their parents. The same applies to the author’s other books, dedicated to the bear cub and his many friends.
The history of the Russian Winnie the Pooh is interesting. This book is not just a translation. It is much more correct to call it a retelling of the topic. Boris Zakhoder, a famous children's writer and translator, was looking through (this was in 1958) the English encyclopedia for children and came across an article about Milne's book with quotes and pictures. The writer liked what he saw so much that he literally rushed in search of the book.
Our young readers liked the translation of Milne's book. The Soyuzmultfilm film studio produced a cartoon that became a cult favorite. Winnie the Bear, his faithful friend Piglet and other heroes quickly became people's favorites in the Soviet Union, and this attitude certainly remained in the Russian Federation.
Photo: British National Portrait Gallery
Streets are named in his honor, one world sports championship is named after him, our hero has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in the Forbes list he ranks second as the most valuable character. Can you guess who it is? Everyone's favorite Winnie the Pooh! On October 14, he will celebrate his 90th birthday. How did the story of his life and world fame begin? One that any creative person would envy.His “parent” is the English writer Alan Milne. At the end of 1925, he came up with the idea of writing a book of stories about a funny little bear. Fortunately, they didn’t have to look far for inspiration: their only little son and his father served them. Yes, yes, the same world-famous boy Christopher Robin and his plush friend Winnie the Pooh.
If everything is clear with the name of the “human” hero (that’s what the boy was called according to the documents), then the bear cub received a complex nickname. His nickname is a fusion of the nickname of the Canadian bear from the London Zoo (Winnipeg), who was loved by his son, and the swan. The latter lived in the lake next door to Milnov's house and responded to "Pooh".
Almost a year later (October 14, 1926), a book about the adventures of a funny little bear was published. What happened next can be guessed. The clumsy bear, in the company of friends, walked confidently around the world. Literally at every step he finds admirers among both children and adults. It's no joke: in a fairly short time, the book is translated into almost three dozen languages of the world, and Winnie the Pooh becomes almost the most recognizable cartoon character.
A dizzying success, isn't it? However, Alexander Milne was not ready for such a turn of events. Few people know that before the birth of the main teddy bear in the world, Milne had already “lit up” as a writer of adult books. He dreamed of the glory of a great serious playwright, but until the end of his days he was never able to escape from the soft, but tenacious, plush paws of Pooh.
Of course, a single bear cub could not achieve popularity if not for the company of friends. Their images were also literary copied from the real favorites of Christopher Robin. Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Roo, Kanga... Need proof? The original toys are still kept in the New York Public Library. Only Owl, Rabbit and Gopher were invented to dilute the usual company of heroes.
Authentic Christopher Robin toys: (from bottom, clockwise) Tigger, Kanga, Pooh, Eeyore and Piglet. New York Public Library
In our country, Winnie the Pooh is so adored that it seems like he has always been here. However, it became “ours” only in 1960 with the light hand of the writer Boris Zakhoder. The fateful acquaintance with the English bear cub might not have happened if not for the play of chance. Boris Vladimirovich, studying the English children's encyclopedia in the library, involuntarily drew attention to the picture of a touching animal. If it weren’t for his first impression of Vinny and the desire to learn more about the bear cub, he would forever remain “foreign” for us.
But, fortunately, already in July 1960, a translation of the book into Russian was ready for publication. By the way, our version is somewhat different from Milne’s original. Zakhoder himself has repeatedly admitted that he created a “domestic” version of the translation, preserving the idea, but interpreting it in Russian. Have we lost anything from this? Not a bit, and they even purchased it. It was thanks to Zakhoder that the adventures of the bear cub and his friends were filled with unique Nozzles, Shouters, Puffers and Screamers.
Adored by both children and adults, our Pooh cartoon also differs from the original Disney version. In particular, Christopher Robin, Kanga, baby Roo, Tigger, and Gopher are missing. Our bear is more like a real animal that does not accept clothes, while according to the foreign version, Winnie is a toy in a red blouse.
I couldn’t help but see the light, because the adventures of the funny little bear and his friends had already become part of Soviet families. In total, director Fyodor Khitruk released three episodes about Winnie the Pooh: in 1969, 1971 and 1972. Unfortunately, the difficult relationship between Khitruk and Zakhoder, the co-author of the cartoon, made their further cooperation impossible. Although it was originally planned to release series on all chapters of the book. There's nothing you can do about it: wayward creative intelligentsia!
The image of Winnie the Pooh, created by artist E. Nazarov and animator F. Khitruk
And, of course, who in our country is not familiar with the voice of Evgeny Leonov, who voiced the funny little bear. Few people know, but the voice of their favorite artist had to be sped up using equipment by about a third to make Pooh funnier.
Alexander Milne came up with his main character at the age of 44. Whatever feelings he may have for his hero, the fact remains: it is unlikely that Milne would be known and remembered now if it were not for the bear cub with sawdust in his head. Every year the world celebrates Winnie the Pooh Day (January 18), which coincides with the birthday of his “dad”. Probably, a better reward for a writer cannot be imagined.
Dear friends! On October 14, Winnie the Pooh bear celebrates his birthday. So let's find out the story of this beloved teddy bear.
The teddy bear Winnie the Pooh was born as a character in the works of Alan Alexander Milne. He became one of the most famous heroes of children's literature of the 20th century. Winnie the bear got his name from one of the real toys of the son of the writer Christopher Robin.
In 1921, Alan Milne gave his son a teddy bear purchased from a department store for his birthday. After meeting his owner Christopher Robin, he received the name Winnie the Pooh. Later, the bear cub became Christopher’s “inseparable companion.”
It was the boy’s friendship with his favorite teddy bear that became the reason for the creation of works about the adventures of Winnie the Pooh. On December 24, 1925, the first chapter of Milne's book was published in the London Evening News. The first book was published as a separate edition on October 14, 1926 in London. The second book about Winnie the Pooh, entitled “The House at Pooh Edge,” was published in 1928.
The writer also published two more collections of children's poems. In 1924 - “When We Were Very Little” and in 1927 - “Now We Are Six,” which contain several poems about Winnie the Pooh.
Alan Milne's prose about Winnie the Pooh is a duology. However, of the two published books, each is divided into 10 independent stories with their own plot. Therefore, all these stories can be read independently of each other.
Although the teddy bear was given to Christopher Robin on August 21, 1921, his actual birthday is considered October 14, 1926, when the first Winnie the Pooh book was published, despite the fact that some of its fragments were published earlier.
The adventures of Winnie the Pooh have become a favorite read for many generations of children; they have been translated into 25 languages (including Latin) and published in tens of millions of copies.
Christopher Robin's teddy bear Winnie the Pooh was named after a female bear named Winnipeg (Winnie), who was kept at London Zoo in the 1920s.
The Winnipeg Bear (American black bear) came to the UK as the live mascot of the Canadian Army Veterinary Corps from Canada, specifically from the outskirts of the city of Winnipeg. She ended up in the Fort Harry Horse cavalry regiment on August 24, 1914, while still a cub (she was bought from a Canadian hunter for twenty dollars by the 27-year-old regimental veterinarian, Lieutenant Harry Colborne, who took care of her in the future). Already in October of the same year, the bear cub was brought along with the troops to Britain, and since the regiment was supposed to be transported to France during the First World War, in December it was decided to leave the animal until the end of the war in the London Zoo. Londoners fell in love with the bear, and the military did not object to not taking her from the zoo even after the war. Until the end of her days (she died on May 12, 1934), the bear was on the payroll of the veterinary corps, about which a corresponding inscription was made on her cage in 1919.
In 1924, Alan Milne first came to the zoo with his four-year-old son, who truly became friends with Winnie. After Christopher met Winnie the bear, the teddy bear was named in her honor. Subsequently, the bear was Christopher’s “inseparable companion”: “every child has a favorite toy, and every child who is alone in the family especially needs it.”
In September 1981, 61-year-old Christopher Robin Milne unveiled a life-size monument to Winnie the Bear at London Zoo.
Teddy bear Winnie the Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh) was born as a character in the works of Alan Alexander Milne. He became one of the most famous heroes of children's literature of the 20th century. Winnie the bear got his name from one of the real toys of the son of the writer Christopher Robin.
In 1921, Alan Milne gave his son a teddy bear purchased from a department store for his birthday. After meeting his owner Christopher Robin, he received the name Winnie the Pooh. Later, the bear cub became Christopher’s “inseparable companion.”
It was the boy’s friendship with his favorite teddy bear that became the reason for the creation of works about the adventures of Winnie the Pooh. On December 24, 1925, the first chapter of Milne's book Winnie-the-Pooh was published in the London Evening News. The first book was published as a separate edition on October 14, 1926 in London. The second book about Winnie the Pooh, entitled The House at Pooh Corner, was published in 1928.
The writer also published two more collections of children's poems. In 1924 - “When We Were Very Little” and in 1927 - “Now We Are Six,” which contain several poems about Winnie the Pooh.
Alan Milne's prose about Winnie the Pooh is a duology. However, of the two published books, each is divided into 10 independent stories with their own plot. Therefore, all these stories can be read independently of each other.
Although the teddy bear was given to Christopher Robin on August 21, 1921, his actual birthday is considered October 14, 1926, when the first Winnie the Pooh book was published, despite the fact that some of its fragments were published earlier.
The adventures of Winnie the Pooh have become a favorite read for many generations of children; they have been translated into 25 languages (including Latin) and published in tens of millions of copies.
Origin of the character
Christopher Robin's teddy bear Winnie the Pooh was named after a female bear named Winnipeg (Winnie), who was kept at London Zoo in the 1920s.
The Winnipeg Bear (American black bear) came to the UK as the live mascot of the Canadian Army Veterinary Corps from Canada, specifically from the outskirts of the city of Winnipeg. She ended up in the Fort Harry Horse cavalry regiment on August 24, 1914, while still a cub (she was bought from a Canadian hunter for twenty dollars by the 27-year-old regimental veterinarian, Lieutenant Harry Colborne, who took care of her in the future). Already in October of the same year, the bear cub was brought along with the troops to Britain, and since the regiment was supposed to be transported to France during the First World War, in December it was decided to leave the animal until the end of the war in the London Zoo. Londoners fell in love with the bear, and the military did not object to not taking her from the zoo even after the war. Until the end of her days (she died on May 12, 1934), the bear was on the payroll of the veterinary corps, about which a corresponding inscription was made on her cage in 1919.
In 1924, Alan Milne first came to the zoo with his four-year-old son, who truly became friends with Winnie. After Christopher met Winnie the bear, the teddy bear was named in her honor. Subsequently, the bear was Christopher’s “inseparable companion”: “every child has a favorite toy, and every child who is alone in the family especially needs it.”
In September 1981, 61-year-old Christopher Robin Milne unveiled a life-size monument to Winnie the Bear at London Zoo.
Cartoons
Naturally, such a popular hero as Winnie the Pooh could not go unnoticed by the directors. And after 1961, the Disney studio first released short cartoons, and then many different cartoons about Winnie the Pooh on plots no longer related to the work of writer Alan Milne.
Later, on the theme of these incredible stories and adventures of friends in the Wonderful Forest, even a musical for children was released. Some literary critics even claim that "Pooh has become the most famous and beloved bear in literature."
In our country, a cycle of three cartoons by Fyodor Khitruk, co-authored with Boris Zakhoder (1969-1972), has become especially popular. While working on the film, the director did not know about the existence of Disney cartoons about Winnie the Pooh. Later, according to Khitruk, Disney director Wolfgang Reiterman liked his version. At the same time, the fact that Soviet cartoons were created without taking into account the exclusive film rights owned by the Disney studio made it impossible for them to be shown abroad and participate in international film festivals.
Winnie the Pooh in our country
In the magazine “Murzilka” for 1939, the first two chapters of Milne’s fairy tale were published - “About Winnie Poo the Bear and the Bees” (No. 1) and “About how Winnie Poo went to visit and got into trouble” (No. 9) in translation A. Koltynina and O. Galanina. The author's name was not indicated; the subtitle was "English Fairy Tale". This translation uses the names Winnie Poo, Piglet and Christopher Robin
The first complete translation of “Winnie the Pooh” in the USSR was published in 1958 in Lithuania, it was carried out by 20-year-old Lithuanian writer Virgilius Chepaitis, who used the Polish translation by Irena Tuwim. Subsequently, Chepaitis, having become acquainted with the English original, significantly revised his translation, which was republished in Lithuania several times.
In 1958, Boris Zakhoder looked through the English children's encyclopedia. “It was love at first sight: I saw a picture of a cute bear cub, read several poetic quotes - and rushed to look for the book.”
Zakhoder always emphasized that his book was not a translation, but a retelling, the fruit of Milne’s co-creation and “re-creation” in Russian, and insisted on his (co)authorship of it. Indeed, his text does not always literally follow the original. A number of discoveries not found in Milne (for example, the various titles of Pooh's songs - Noisemakers, Screamers, Vopilki, Sopelki, Pyhtelki - or Piglet's famous question: “Does the Heffalump love piglets? And how does he love them?”), fits well into the context of the work . Milne also does not have a complete parallel in the widespread use of capital letters (Unknown Who, Rabbit's Relatives and Friends), frequent personification of inanimate objects (Pooh approaches a “familiar puddle”), a larger amount of “fairy-tale” vocabulary, not to mention the few hidden references to Soviet reality
Authentic Christopher Robin toys:
Thanks to Boris Zakhoder’s retelling of “Winnie the Pooh and Everything, Everything, Everything,” and then the films of the Soyuzmultfilm studio, where the bear was voiced by Evgeniy Leonov, Winnie the Pooh became very popular in our country.
The place of Winnie the Pooh in Milne's work
The series about Winnie the Pooh eclipsed all of Milne’s quite diverse and popular adult work at the time: “he cut off his path back to “adult” literature. All his attempts to escape from the clutches of the toy bear were unsuccessful.” Milne himself had a hard time with this set of circumstances, did not consider himself a children's writer and argued that he writes for children with the same responsibility as for adults.
Continuation
In 2009, a sequel to the Winnie the Pooh books, Return to the Enchanted Forest, was released in the UK, approved by the Pooh Properties Trust. The author of the book was David Benedictus, who strives to closely imitate the style and composition of Milnov's prose. The book's illustrations also focus on maintaining Shepard's style. Return to the Enchanted Forest has been translated into several languages.
The management company The Pooh Properties Trust was formed under the will of A. A. Milne. In 1961, the trustees of the foundation, Mrs. Milne and Spencer Curtis Brown, assigned exclusive rights to produce films about Winnie the Pooh to Walt Disney. A. A. Milne's son, Christopher Robin Milne, sold his rights to other owners to raise money for the treatment of his daughter Claire, who had cerebral palsy.
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Methodological development for the senior group “Happy Birthday, Winnie the Pooh!”
The summary is intended for teachers, parents, preschool children aged 5-6 years. This methodological development presents a methodology for organizing and conducting game classes in the senior group.
The purpose of methodological developmentis the development in children of a sense of love and respect for friends, kindness and responsiveness; the ability to congratulate the birthday person, create a festive atmosphere, create an emotionally positive mood, the ability to create a gift with your own hands.
Integration of educational areas:“Speech development” (reading fiction), “Visual activities” (drawing), “Physical education”.
Preliminary work:
1. Conversations about birthdays.
2. Reading fiction.
3. Consideration of illustrations for A. Milne’s book “Winnie the Pooh and His Friends.”
4. Creating greeting cards for the holidays.
Handout:sheets of A4 paper of different colors, paints, brushes, cups of water, napkins.
Materials: parcel box, letter, “Winnie the Pooh Land” map, 4 envelopes with tasks, image of Eeyore, Velcro tail, scarf, short cartoon “Winnie the Pooh and His Friends”.
Progress of the lesson
Educator: Guys, a package has arrived from the magical forest! Who do you think it's from? (Children's answers).
Educator: Let's open it together and see what's there? (The teacher, together with the children, opens the parcel and takes out a letter, a map of “Winnie the Pooh’s Land” and 4 envelopes with tasks. The teacher reads the contents of the letter to the children).
Letter:
“Dear children! I, Winnie the Pooh, invite you to a party! It's my birthday today! I look forward to seeing you in the fairytale forest near the largest oak tree. I am sending you tasks, only by completing them you will be able to get into the fairytale forest. With love, Winnie the Pooh."
Educator: Guys, do you want to go to Winnie the Pooh's birthday party? (Children's answers).
Educator: Then open the first task: “Name all of Winnie the Pooh’s friends.” (Children call).
Educator: Well done! We haven't forgotten anyone. Let's move on to the second task: “Answer the questions”:
What color ball did Winnie the Pooh take for honey?
(With a blue ball).
What did Pooh and Piglet give Eeyore for his birthday?
(Pooh is a honey pot, and Piglet is a burst balloon).
Under what circumstances did Winnie the Pooh find himself in a desperate situation? What did his friends do to entertain him while he was in this position?
(While visiting the Rabbit, he ate too much and got stuck trying to crawl out of the rabbit hole. His friends read a book to him).
The name of a very small creature (Piglet)
Pooh's favorite treat. (Honey)
One of Winnie the Pooh's friends, old and gray. (Eeyore)
Body part lost by a donkey. (Tail)
Educator: How smart you all are! How quickly and easily we completed this task! The next task is “Play a game about a bear.” Well, we can do it! One of our favorite games is called “The Bear and the Bees.” (They play).
Educator: Well, we’ve reached the last task, “Tie the Tail.” There is a picture of Eeyore on the board. You need to attach it correctly with your eyes closed.
Educator: So we easily completed all the tasks from Winnie the Pooh. But we didn't take a gift for Vinnie. Maybe we can make it ourselves? (Children prepare a greeting card).
(Winnie the Pooh comes in).
Winnie the Pooh: Hello guys! I am glad to welcome you to our fairy forest on my birthday! (Children say hello).
Educator : Vinny, we came to congratulate you, not empty-handed, but with cards that the guys made with their own hands. (The children congratulate Vinny and give him cards.)
Winnie the Pooh: Thank you, my friends! Guys, I have a surprise for you - we are watching the short cartoon “Winnie the Pooh and His Friends”. (They look).
Educator: Thank you Winnie the Pooh for such a surprise, it’s time for us to go back to kindergarten.
Winnie the Pooh: Thank you, my dear friends, for the wonderful cards that you made for me, for the wonderful wishes. See you soon!