On October 14, 1926, a book called Winnie-the-Pooh by the English writer A. A. Milne came out in London. A hundred years later, Pooh is one of the most famous bears in the world. But many readers do not know that the real Winnie was a Canadian black bear, and that she was named after the city of Winnipeg.

The story begins in 1914, at the start of the First World War. Harry Colebourn, an animal doctor from Winnipeg, was travelling east by train to join the war. When the train stopped in White River, a small town in northern Ontario, a trapper on the platform sold him a tiny bear cub for 20 dollars. Colebourn named her Winnipeg, after his hometown, and she soon became Winnie.

Winnie went with Colebourn and the other soldiers to England, where they trained before going to war. She became the mascot of their group, the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade, and she was always by Colebourn’s side. When he was sent to the front lines, he was afraid for her safety, so he left her at the London Zoo.

At the zoo, Winnie became a favourite with children. One of her biggest fans was Christopher Robin, the young son of A. A. Milne, and the boy was even allowed to play inside the area where she lived. Lindsay Mattick, Colebourn’s great-granddaughter, who has written a children’s book about the real bear, explained why the boy liked Winnie so much: “Christopher Robin fell in love with her as a little black bear because she was extremely friendly.” Christopher Robin’s love for the bear inspired Milne to write his stories about Winnie-the-Pooh.

“It’s a pretty remarkable story,” Mattick said. In Winnipeg, reminders of Winnie are easy to find. In the city’s Assiniboine Park, a statue shows Colebourn with Winnie, and a small museum called the Pooh Gallery has books, toys, and other objects linked to Winnie and Pooh. “People don’t always recognize that little bear has Winnipeg origins,” said Bonnie Tuloch, who works in education at the park.

For the 100th birthday, the Winnipeg Public Library is holding story times, crafts, and special displays around the city. The library has more than 190 Pooh books, including translations into other languages. “It’s kind of part of our history,” said Aileen Clear, a librarian with the City of Winnipeg.

The celebrations reach far beyond Canada, too. In the United States, the New York Public Library has opened a new exhibit for the anniversary. “Those books have become more popular over the years,” Tuloch said.

Sources: CTV News, WBUR

A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh was first published in London on October 14, 1926. A hundred years later, Pooh has grown into a worldwide family of books, animated films, TV series, and toys, but his story begins with a real black bear cub from Canada, named after the city of Winnipeg.

In 1914, as the First World War began, Harry Colebourn, a veterinarian from Winnipeg and a captain in the Canadian army, was heading east by train on his way to the war. When the train stopped in White River, a small town in northern Ontario, a trapper on the platform offered him a bear cub, and Colebourn paid 20 dollars for her. He named her Winnipeg, after his hometown, and the name was soon shortened to Winnie.

Winnie crossed the Atlantic with the troops and lived among them while they trained in England. Colebourn and his fellow soldiers looked after her, and she became the mascot of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade as well as Colebourn’s constant companion. That ended when he was sent to the front lines. Afraid for her safety, he realized he had to give her up, and he took her to the London Zoo.

At the zoo, Winnie became a favourite with children. One of them was Christopher Robin, the young son of A. A. Milne, and the boy was even allowed inside her enclosure to play with her. Lindsay Mattick, Colebourn’s great-granddaughter and the author of Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear, said the attraction was easy to understand: “Christopher Robin fell in love with her as a little black bear because she was extremely friendly.” Christopher Robin’s affection for Winnie inspired Milne to write the Pooh stories, which the artist E. H. Shepard illustrated.

For Mattick, the fact that it all really happened is the best part. “It’s a pretty remarkable story,” she said, adding that “you couldn’t make this up.”

In Winnipeg, that history is on public display. A statue of Colebourn and Winnie has stood in Assiniboine Park since 1992, and the park’s Pooh Gallery, which opened in 2012, holds artifacts, books, and toys connected to the story. “It has an important connection for us,” said Bonnie Tuloch, education co-ordinator at the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, which runs the park. Even so, she said, “People don’t always recognize that little bear has Winnipeg origins.”

The Winnipeg Public Library is marking the centenary with displays, story times, crafts, and activities across the city. Its collection holds more than 190 Pooh-related titles, translations into other languages among them. “It’s kind of part of our history,” said Aileen Clear, a collections librarian with the City of Winnipeg. “So having that in the Winnipeg Public Library is certainly important to preserve that history.”

The anniversary is being celebrated well beyond Canada, too, including with a new exhibit at the New York Public Library. And a century on, Tuloch has noticed something else about Milne’s stories: “Those books have become more popular over the years.”

Sources: CTV News, WBUR