The first ever images and written introduction to Pooh appeared in Punch magazine in the early 1900s. The drawings were created by a man called E. H. Shepard who.d always dreamed of working for the publication. After having had lots of his sketches rejected by the editors, he finally got lucky in 1907 when at last he had two drawings published.

More and more of his work was gradually accepted, and eventually he was invited to join the Punch Editorial Table. Here he was recommended to A. A. Milne as a suitable candidate to illustrate the very first Children.s verses published in Punch. (Funny though, because despite the success of the E. H. Shepherd & A.A. Milne partnership, the two men didn.t really get on. They only ever had a working relationship and never became close friends).

E. H Shepard donated 300 of his initial sketches of the Pooh drawings to the Victoria and Albert Museum, where they were exhibited in 1969. These drawings have since been exhibited at galleries throughout Britain, Holland and Australia, and have now been published as 'The Pooh Sketch Book'.

The original Edward Bear was sold to an anonymous buyer at Bonham's London auction in April, 1995 for £4,600.

And What of Pooh's famous Friends?

Pooh, first named ‘Edward Bear’, was bought at Harrods for Christopher Robin's very first birthday in 1921. Piglet was a gift from a neighbour in the same year. Eyeore was a Christmas gift. A.A. Milne invented Owl and Rabbit. Kanga and Roo were both purchased from Harrods in 1926 as inspiration for the seventh story in "Winnie-the-Pooh." Tigger was acquired a year or so later just in time for Milne to write about him in, "The House at Pooh Corner." Christopher Robin wasn’t the only one who idolised the toys. The family dog appeared to be pretty fond of them as well. This apparently accounts for their rather well-worn appearance. In fact, the dog reportedly chewed the original Piglet to pieces! Christopher Robin was devastated and the Milnes had to find a fitting replacement. (We bet he was never quite the same though!) And the tragedy continues as Baby Roo was lost in an apple orchard during the 1930s! The surviving toys range in height from Piglet who was 4 ½” to 25” Eyeore. They can be seen at the New York Public Library's Donnell Library Center, 20 W. 53rd St., New York,

And one final little gem...

Milne described Winnie-the-Pooh's daily 'Little Something' as honey, which was a much more 'singy' food! However, the original Winnie was regularly fed condensed milk as she apparently couldn't stand honey! Thesedays, Pooh is Disney's No. 1 character. He out sells the likes of Mickey Mouse the world over.

The images of and characters Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, Roo and Christopher Robin are based on the works of A.A. Milne and Ernest H. Shepard. The characters and their names are registered trademarks of the trustees of the Pooh Properties, Dutton Children's books, and the Disney corporation.