The skull of the bear that inspired AA Milne to write Winnie the Pooh has gone on public display for the first time.
The cuddly fictional bear was named after a Canadian black bear
called Winnie that son Christopher Robin enjoyed visiting and feeding
honey in London Zoo during the Twenties.
Winnie died in 1934 but her skull was preserved by the Royal College
of Surgeons and is now being exhibited in its Hunterian Museum in
London. So many children fed her sweet treats that she lost many teeth
in old age.
Yes, I know it's not Winnie
the Pooh's skull, but I prefer this title. And Winnie the Pooh also ate lots of "hunny," so may also have become edentulous.
I had no idea that Winnie the Pooh was inspired by a real bear! I knew about the son, but not the bear.
ReplyDeleteIs there any information as to why the original Winnie had no teeth?
ReplyDeleteI thought the boldfaced sentence was the explanation.
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