Winnie and Christopher Robin, London, 1925

Philatelists of all ages may remember this song- "Deep in the 100 Acre Wood where Christopher Robin plays, you'll find the enchanted neighborhood of Christopher's childhood days...". And who was to be found in that enchanted neighborhood? Why Winnie the Pooh of course, that wisest and most foolish of bears! When International Stamp Month will be celebrated in October 1996, Winnie's familiar face was featured as a part of a commemorative booklet and souvenir sheet on a set of domestic-rate stamps. In this release, Pooh is looking sharp in his most contemporary form designed by the animation wizards at Disney Studios. Some will remember his earlier guises drawn by Ernest Howard Shepard for A.A. Milne's "Winnie-the-Pooh." But did you know that the real Winnie was a Canadian? One of Winnie's most delightful charms was her uncanny ability to remember an admirer. She would always greet a recognized, friendly face in the same fashion - by rubbing her flanks against their legs - and this is how she said hello to a regular young visitor named Christopher Robin. Christopher was the son of A.A. Milne, World War I veteran, author, and one-time assistant editor of "Punch" Magazine. Both father and son were quite taken by Winnie. In 1926 A.A. Milne published "Winnie-the-Pooh," and two years later followed with the sequel "The House At Pooh Corner." Milne's Winnie, the Winnie-the-Pooh we know today, was perhaps not as well behaved as the original, but is every bit as irresistible. It is possible that Milne did not know how the zoo's Winnie got her name. But in his introduction to Winnie-the-Pooh, Milne described for us his link to the White River bruin: ...Christopher Robin... once had a swan that he used to call Pooh. Well, when Edward Bear said that he would like an exciting name all to himself, Christopher Robin said at once, without stopping to think, that he was Winnie the Pooh. And he was. So, as I have explained the Pooh part, I will now explain the rest of it. When Christopher Robin goes to the Zoo, he goes to where the Polar Bears are, and he whispers something to the third keeper from the left, and the doors are unlocked, and we wander through dark passages and upkeep stairs, until at last we come to the special cage, and the cage is opened, and out trots something brown and furry, and with a happy cry of 'Oh Bear!' Christopher Robin rushes into his arms. Now this bear's name is Winnie, which shows what a good name for bears it is. The four stamps making up the Winnie the Pooh set were designed in animation-style in collaboration with Walt Disney Company (Canada) Limited. They will be the subject of very special unveilings.