Not many people care and fewer people remember that the fictional Winnie the Pooh’s best friend, Christopher Robin, was fashioned after a flesh-and-blood child, the only son of the author of the famous Pooh stories.
During the real Christopher Robin’s life, the famous bear was both a blessing and a curse. When he was young, Christopher Robin loved the stories written just for him and based on his stuffed animals. (They are now on display at the Donnell Library Center Central Children’s Room in New York City.) But there were periods in his life where he resented the relationship.
Imagine, for instance, going off to boarding school and being taunted by your classmates. Imagine trying to make your own way in the world in the shadow of your father’s fictional characters. Yes, imagine.
Christopher Robin’s life can’t be condensed into this blog, but I urge anyone who has the slightest attachment to Winnie the Pooh to visit the following website: http://www.pooh-corner.org/christopher.shtml. It reveals so much about the life of the real Christopher Robin and, at the same time, makes the stories even more touching.
Why do I bother with all this today? It’s because Christopher Robin Milne died on this date in 1996. He was seventy-six years old.
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