Colorized

Before The Publication Of The Books

In this colorized image, the real Christopher Robin is posing with the real Winnie the Pooh. His father, A.A. Milne, drew on his son’s imagination to create characters for his best selling books.

Source: (Pinterest/Colorized).

Prior to the publication of Winnie the Pooh, Milne published a poem about Edward Bear, “Teddy Bear,” in the February 13, 1924 edition of Punch; the poem was also included in Milne’s book of children’s verse, When We Were Very Young, also published in 1924. Then, Winnie the Pooh made his debut in a short story, “The Wrong Sort of Bees” commissioned and published by the London Evening News on Christmas Eve, 1925. In the story, Christopher Robin brings his renamed bear down the stairs and asks his father to tell a story about Pooh. And thus the world was introduced to Christopher Robin Milne and his beloved stuffed animals.

A Character Is Born

Source: (Pinterest).

Christopher Robin was born on August 21, 1920. His parents called him Billy Moon at home, which was derived from his father’s original desire to call him Billy and his own early mispronunciation of “Milne.” Christopher Robin received a bear from Harrods on August 21, 1921, which he named Edward Bear. Edward would become Winnie in the book. Winnie was also inspired by a real black bear in the London Zoo; this bear was named Winnipeg. Winnie’s “surname” came from a swan named Pooh. Several other characters in the books were based on Christopher Robin’s other stuffed animals: Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Kanga, and Roo. Two characters, Owl and Rabbit, did not have stuffed counterparts. A.A. Milne bought Cotchford Farm, a mile north of Ashdown Forest in 1925, which would also provide inspiration for the places in his works. Unfortunately, A.A. Milne suffered from the effects of fighting in World War I, and was quite distant from the son who helped to provide inspiration for his best-selling works. While he was in his office working, Christopher Robin’s mother, Agnes, and his nanny were the ones to play with the boy. As Christopher Robin has said, “It was my mother who used to come and play in the nursery with me and tell him about the things I thought and did. It was she who provided most of the material for my father’s books.”

The Cost Of Fame

Source: (Wikipedia/colorized).

Nearly a year after the publication of the short story, on October 14, 1926, A.A. Milne published Winnie the Pooh. Being associated with his father’s beloved books brought Christopher Robin fame, which he initially liked. However, when he was sent to boarding school at eight or nine, he was bullied. Later, he felt that “It seemed to me, almost, that my father had got to where he was by climbing upon my infant shoulders, that he had filched from me my good name and had left me with nothing but the empty fame of being his son.”

The Dissolution Of The Family

Source: (Wikipedia).

With the outbreak of World War II, Christopher Robin tried to enlist, but when he failed the medical examination, his father got him a position as a sapper with the second training battalion of the Royal Engineers. He was wounded as a platoon commander, after being posted in the Middle East and Italy. Once he returned to Cambridge, he got a degree in English literature. He married Lesley de Sélincourt, a cousin on his mother’s side. After moving to Dartmouth, they opened the Harbour Bookshop on August 25, 1951. When Christopher Robin’s father died in 1956, he never returned to Cotchford Farm. His mother sold the farm and disposed of Milne’s possessions. Christopher Robin then wrote a book about his childhood, The Enchanted Places, which he has said "combined to lift me from under the shadow of my father and of Christopher Robin, and to my surprise and pleasure I found myself standing beside them in the sunshine able to look them both in the eye."

Although Christopher Robin’s mother deserves much of the credit for creating the world of Pooh, their relationship was far from ideal. After Milne’s death, Daphne, Christopher Robin’s mother, did not see him during the last 15 years of her life; she refused to see him when she was dying.

The Fate Of Winnie The Pooh

Source: (New York Public Library).

Christopher Robin had one daughter, Clare, who was born with severe cerebral palsy a few months after his father’s death. Christopher Robin died in his sleep on April 20, 1996. He gave the stuffed animals which inspired the books to the books’ editor. The editor then donated them to the New York Public Library.

Christopher Robin: Story Of The Inspiration For Winnie The Pooh

Before The Publication Of The Books

A Character Is Born

The Cost Of Fame

The Dissolution Of The Family

The Fate Of Winnie The Pooh