(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Of the various celebrated days of the year, one of the cuddliest has got to be Winnie the Pooh Day, tomorrow , which commemorates the birthday of author A A Milne.
Marked with events ranging from teddy bears' picnics to delicacies dripping with honey, Winnie the Pooh the adorable bear first appeared on the printed page in 1926, together with friends Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore gets a warm reception by fans including a throng of kids every year. A day before the occasion, Community caught up with British expat Sarah Tavola, who is as much of a Winnie the Pooh lover as her six children.
Why is Winnie the Pooh special to you and your family?
Winnie the Pooh has cross-generational appeal that endears him to everyone in our family. He's featured in many of our happy family memories and events, so he'll always hold a special place in our hearts. I have six children and they have all been through a stage of being more than a little obsessed with the little yellow bear and his gang of friends! Personally, I never grew out of my love for Winnie the Pooh. As you get older you tend to reflect on life's main messages and become increasingly sentimental. That's why many of Winnie the Pooh's quotes strike an emotional chord. There are two that I particularly love: 'If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart. I'll stay there forever, and, 'Sometimes, said Pooh, 'the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.
Tell us more about why you have continued to adore Pooh and friends.
As an adult, you look beyond Pooh Bear's cuteness and his appealing world of innocent escapades to realise that he is a character that loves deeply and is constantly making honest declarations of his feelings. He certainly knows how to tug on your heartstrings! He also shows an appealing resilience to hardship. He may fall down stairs and get his head stuck in honeypots and trees, but he always responds to adversity with a heart-warming, positive attitude, so in that way he's a good role model to everyone, adults and children alike! His quotes are also full of good advice and timeless life lessons. A simple, endlessly relevant one I particularly like is, 'A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference. I especially love how Eeyore, the lovable grey donkey, is constantly gloomy but, nevertheless, his friends always involve him in everything they do. They accept him just as he is. They never ask him to pretend to be happy, leave him behind or ask him to change… There's a lesson in there for us all.
What about Winnie do your kids love the most, and why?
The children's bedrooms are full of stuffed Winnie the Pooh characters and they never seem to stop loving him. They're endlessly charmed by his fun adventures and how much innocent trouble he tends to find himself in. They adore his charming lack of complexity, 'I am a bear of very little brain, and long words bother me, and love how delightfully flawed he is, 'A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise. His frequent indulgence in simple pleasures, like helping himself to big pawfuls of honey throughout the day, are adorably relatable and I think all children feel that they could be good friends with Pooh!
What are your favourite memories of your kids enjoying Winnie the Pooh stories or, say, theme parties?
My daughter, Mia, is 11 now, but on her third birthday, in 2008, she insisted that all her gifts were Pooh-themed. Her new cuddly Pooh Bear and giant Eeyore took pride of place on her bed and are still amongst her most treasured toys! Earlier that same year, we'd been to Disneyland in California, and Mia was so excited to see Tigger she totally skipped the long queue and ran right up to him and gave him a big hug. It still makes me smile when I think about it. Fast forward five years to my twin boys' second birthday, in 2013, and they were also huge Pooh Bear fans, so everything at the party was Pooh-themed once again. The balloons, the cake, even the wrapping paper, all bore images of their favourite bear. Best of all, we had a visit from Winnie the Pooh himself, which was the highlight of the day! He delighted all our children with lots of cuddles and dancing, before waving goodbye and making his way back to the Hundred Acre Wood. Of course, thinking about Winnie the Pooh books will always remind me of cosy bedtime stories, relishing in my children's fascinated, wide-eyed responses to Pooh's latest shenanigans and fostering their love of literature.
What about A A Milne's stories of Winnie do you think make them and the character timeless?
Pooh is the original, loveable, huggable bear. He has been a source of value, relatability, and pleasure for recurring generations. His captivating exploits hark back to a time of playful innocence and wonder, offering timeless appeal to both young and old. A A Milne's characters seem to dominantly express one single trait: Pooh and his constant hunger, Piglet and his anxiety, Eeyore and his gloominess. We quickly feel that we know them well and become gloriously captivated by their interactions. Their never-changing personalities make for everlasting characters whose stories can be endlessly adapted. Milne also has a unique writing style that adds humour at the expense of the characters, who often have no idea what's really going on, which further adds to the appeal. Pooh seems to have followed trends in media so that he continues to have fans of all ages. In fact, Winnie the Pooh is Disney's most profitable franchise, bringing joy and value to a wider audience than ever before.
Do you plan to hold any celebrations with the kids on Winnie the Pooh Day tomorrow?
Yes. We will certainly dig out our Pooh DVDs and read some of our favourite stories in honour of the occasion.
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