The world is losing its damn mind over the revelation that Winnie-the-Pooh is not only a girl, but a Canadian girl.
What do you mean Winnie the Pooh is a girl and Canadian? I feel like someone lied to me about my childhood https://t.co/ythOSfJZ4G
This is, apparently, news to many people. Even our colleagues in the U.S. Where have y'all been?
But up here in Canada, we're all like, "Duh, of course Winnie is Canadian."
That's because, as Canadians know, the original Winnie was a little female black bear bought by Canadian Lt. Harry Colebourn during the First World War. He brought Winnie — named for Winnipeg — over to England and left her in the care of London Zoo.
A little boy named Christopher Robin Milne was quite fond of Winnie and named his own teddy bear after her. The boy's father, A.A. Milne, went on to name the cherished children's book character after that bear.
So, there you have it: Winnie-the-Pooh is most definitely based on a real-life bear who was both female and Canadian.
Of course, about 99% of the reason Canadians are even aware of Winnie's origins is this Heritage Minutes short about it.
View this video on YouTube
Exactly.
Wait, do a lot of people not know that Winnie the Pooh was based on a Canadian bear? Did Heritage Minutes teach you nothing??
But wait, you're thinking. Winnie the Pooh, the character, seems awful boy-like.
So let's break this down for you. Winnie, the real, historical bear = female (also Canadian).
Winnie the Pooh, the cartoon character based on the book series = male (also fictional).
Just never forget, he was ours first. Look at that friendly face. The face of a bear who is always so earnest, so thoughtful, so politely bothered. What could be more Canadian?
