Winnie the Pooh turns 100 this year. A.A. Milne published the original book in October 1926, and the bear with a rumbly tumbly has been a constant presence in pop culture ever since. Disney brought Pooh to life on screen in the 1960s, and the Walt Disney Archives has been keeping that history intact ever since.
Disney Parks Blog got a behind-the-scenes look at the Walt Disney Archives in Burbank, where team members are preserving nearly a century of Pooh-related history, from early 1960s plush toys to a live-action stand-in prop used on the set of the 2018 film Christopher Robin.
Inside the Walt Disney Archives
The Walt Disney Archives was founded in 1970 by Disney Legend Dave Smith at the direction of Roy O. Disney. Its job: collect and preserve the physical history and heritage of the company across theme parks, consumer products, and studio production.
Kevin M. Kern, Senior Manager of Research for the Archives, gave the Disney Parks Blog a tour of the Winnie the Pooh collection. He described the Archives as one of Disney’s “historical brain trust” resources. The team works with internal partners to collect samples of products over time, but in the early days that meant visiting local swap meets and vintage sales to track down early Disney merchandise.
The collection spans books and paper ephemera from the late 1920s and 1930s all the way through apparel, plush toys, board games, and publications. When the items are not in storage or being reviewed, the Archives loans pieces to museums, traveling exhibits, and institutions around the world.
“We want the history to talk and inform people,” said Kern. “And the only way you can do that is by getting it out for people to see it.”
The Collection Up Close
The display at the Archives included vintage plush toys from Gund Manufacturing Co., one of Disney’s earliest Winnie the Pooh licensees. Gund still makes Pooh products today, and seeing an original 1960s Gund Pooh plush next to a current interactive toy makes the timeline of product design tangible.
Also on display: a Winnie the Pooh Whirl-A-Tune Music Maker, a Little Golden Book titled Winnie the Pooh Meets Gopher, and an international storybook from Italy. Kern called out the international comic book collection as one of the most impressive areas of the Archives overall, because it shows the global reach of the Pooh franchise across markets and languages.
The standout piece in the room was the live-action reference stand-in from Christopher Robin. On the 2018 film, actors interacted with a physical Pooh prop on set, which was later replaced by CGI. Seeing it in person makes clear why the character reads as warm and physical on screen even in the digital version.
Keeping Pooh Relevant in 2026
Amanda Dhalluin, VP of Global Brand Commercialization for Disney Consumer Products, explained how the team balances evolving the franchise with staying true to the character’s identity. The core tension: “How can we stretch Winnie the Pooh in an innovative way while keeping to his true essence and storytelling?”
The answer comes through close collaboration with product development teams and carefully selected brand partners. Dhalluin gave the example of adjusting Pooh’s visual style for a Gen-Z audience at a retailer like Primark versus the more traditional Pooh look for the Disney Store Japan Sakura Plush Collection. Same character, different contexts.
Current brand partners for the 100th anniversary include Funko, Spirit Jersey, Loungefly, LEGO, Old Navy, and Vera Bradley, covering everything from beauty products to baby apparel. Each brand brings a distinct look while staying within guardrails that keep the integrity of the Pooh stories intact.
Why This Character Still Works
Disney Legend and animator Mark Henn, who animated Pooh for the 2011 Walt Disney Animation Studios film Winnie the Pooh, described the experience as picking up a baton in a relay race. He did not feel the need to reinvent the character.
“He’s naive, maybe, but he has a real sincere heart,” said Henn. “Which for me as an animator and as an actor is something I’ve always gravitated to in the characters I’ve enjoyed animating.”
Kern credited the character’s longevity to his accidental wisdom: “I think one of the great things about the character is that he’s so steeped in wisdom that he himself does not always realize he’s giving, and that’s so timeless.”
Richard Sherman, one of the Sherman Brothers who wrote the music for the original Pooh films, once put it simply: “Winnie the Pooh is just like all of us. He shows all of the emotions that we show, he sees the things that we see, he struggles like we do.”
The Archives team will continue adding to the Pooh collection as the 100th anniversary year unfolds. If you want to see what the merchandise side of the celebration looks like, check out our full roundup of new Winnie the Pooh products dropping this year.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
