Long Before the Honey Pot
A.A. Milne’s first book of stories about the beloved character Winnie-the-Pooh turned 100 on October 14. That’s a respectable age for a silly old bear! But before the stories, the familiar illustrations, and the recognizable cartoon voices, there was a real bear whose path to children’s literature included a soldier, an ocean voyage, and a little boy visiting a zoo.
Today’s Trivia Question
The real bear who helped give Winnie-the-Pooh his name had what unusual role before becoming a favorite at London Zoo?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
Bonus if you know what city inspired the famous bear’s name.
| A Few More for Fun… |
The live bear provided Milne’s title character with a name, but it was his son’s toy collection that helped provide other cast members.
Where did the original stuffed Pooh, Piglet, Kanga, Tigger, and Eeyore eventually make their permanent home?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
The toy Roo, the baby kangaroo, is not among the library’s collection. What happened to the original?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
| A Few More Trivia Questions Before You Go… |
A live bear, a collection of treasured childhood toys, and a lot of imagination brought Winnie-the-Pooh to life. Interestingly, the story weaves through English woodlands, a language you didn’t know Pooh might speak, and even an American president’s adventures.
History
Many have heard that the “teddy bear” gets its name from Theodore Roosevelt. But what event helped turn his nickname into a toy-shop favorite?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
Geography
Pooh’s home, the Hundred Acre Wood, was inspired by a real woodland with what name?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
Language
A translation called Winnie Ille Pu became a New York Times bestseller. What language had Pooh learned in the book?
(pick one to reveal the answer)
Answers
| TODAY’S QUESTIONAnswer: C. A Canadian military regiment’s mascot. Lt. Harry Colebourn purchased a female black bear cub in Ontario in 1914. He brought her to England with his regiment, and Winnie stayed at London Zoo when the regiment shipped off to France. Among her many admirers were A.A. Milne and his young son, Christopher Robin. So, a bear heading off to war ended up in a zoo and came to represent a remarkably peaceful corner of children’s literature. Bonus points if you knew the city was Winnipeg in Canada. Lt. Colebourn named her after his own hometown. | |
| 01 | Answer: A. The New York Public Library. In 1987, the toys joined the library’s collection. They are Christopher Robin Milne’s actual childhood toys, and they have the wear and tear to prove it. |
| 02 | Answer: C. He was lost in an apple orchard. The little kangaroo was lost in an apple orchard in the 1930s and never recovered. |
| 03 | Answer: C. A cartoon showed his refusal to shoot a captured bear. On a 1902 hunting trip, Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear that had been captured and tied up. A cartoonist named Clifford Berryman decided to illustrate the incident. Two shopkeepers were inspired by the cartoon and decided to sell stuffed bears associated with the president’s nickname “Teddy.” |
| 04 | Answer: C. Five Hundred Acre Wood. The Milne family spent time in East Sussex, England. Nearby was Ashdown Forest, and the Five Hundred Acre Wood lay in the surrounding landscape. The stories often borrowed from real places, and Pooh’s version managed with four hundred fewer acres. |
| 05 | Answer: C. Latin. Alexander Lenard translated Milne’s stories into Latin as a small private edition. It eventually made it to the bestseller list. For a bear who so often was described as having little brain, he did pretty well when he made it to the Classics! A century after arriving in print, Pooh still reminds us to make plenty of room for friends, wandering, and, of course, eating something. |
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How did you do?
Score 1 point for each correct answer and 1 point for the bonus if you knew it. Perfect score: 7.
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