Almost exactly 100 years ago, on October 14, 1926, US publisher E. P. Dutton published a collection of short stories about a “Bear of Very Little Brain,” his friends Christopher Robin, Piglet, Owl, Eeyore, Rabbit, and Roo, and their adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood. “Winnie-the-Pooh” was an instant bestseller, selling more than 150,000 copies by the end of 1926. The Winnie-the-Pooh stories by British author Alan Alexander Milne have remained in print ever since.
The weekend before last, Dutton Children’s Books, part of Penguin Random House U.S., and the New York Public Library (NYPL) celebrated this milestone with a special reading by legendary Winnie-the-Pooh voice actor Jim Cummings, along with Pooh-themed activities and giveaways. The New York Public Library is now home to the original stuffed toys that belonged to Milne’s son Christopher Robin and inspired the Pooh stories.
Original stuffed toys at the NYPL since 1987
Also attending the event was Sara Gould, who, at the age of six, symbolically accepted Winnie-the-Pooh on behalf of the children of New York and was the last child to hug the original Winnie when Dutton donated the stuffed toys to the NYPL in 1987. To mark the anniversary, Penguin Young Readers also donated 3,000 copies of “Winnie-the-Pooh,” which were distributed at every open branch of the New York Public Library. The branches also collected birthday messages for the beloved bear.
Birthday celebrations across the US
The NYPL event was followed that same weekend by a standing-room-only panel discussion about “Winnie-the-Pooh” at New York Comic Con. Julie Strauss-Gabel, President and Publisher of Dutton Children’s Books, Brent Reidy, Director of the Research Libraries at the NYPL, Kevan Chandler and Joe Sutphin, authors of “Winnie-the-Pooh: The Graphic Novel” (Ten Speed Press), and moderator Julia Edelstein of New York Magazine discussed the history and impact of Winnie-the-Pooh. Bookstores and libraries across the country also joined the celebrations with special Winnie-the-Pooh birthday parties, storytimes, and birthday card activities.
