The original Winnie the Pooh character was created by A.A. Milne, and this lovable bear has appeared in numerous children's books during the 1920s. A four volume set of Winnie the Pooh books was published by E.H. Shepard, and the stories were set in the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex in England. The name Winnie arose in homage to a pet bear which was owned by a Canadian soldier, and the name Winnie the Pooh is now synonymous with the lovable cartoon bear.



These original Winnie the Pooh stories were eventually turned into a series of productions by Walt Disney, and the Winnie the Pooh character has since become one of the Walt Disney Company's most successful and profitable franchises.

Most of the characters who were part of the Winnie the Pooh stories were named in honor of A.A. Milne's son, most notably Christopher Robin, who was named after Milne's son Christopher Robin Milne. Most of the other characters in the world of Winnie the Pooh were named after Christopher's toys, except for Owl and Rabbit, who appear to have been inspired by real world animals.

Even thought the Winnie the Pooh character was originally created by A.A. Milne, it is the Walt Disney Company's version of Winnie the Pooh that is most well known to many people. The Disney animated feature film entitled The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was released in 1977, and it was an instant hit with children around the world.

The Winnie the Pooh franchise has been one of the most successful and most profitable literary franchises in the world of literature, and today there are Winnie the Pooh teddy bears, Winnie the Pooh videos, Winnie the Pooh backpacks, Winnie the Pooh lunchboxes and a number of other popular Winnie the Pooh items. The market for the many Winnie the Pooh products consists not only of children but also of adults who have fond memories of the beloved Winnie the Pooh character. The Winnie the Pooh character is one of those rare instances in which the character is loved as much by adults as by their children.