When is Poohs birthday?
The most common answer to this question is October 14. This is based on the fact that WtP was first published by Methuen on October 14, 1926. This is generally accepted to be the “official” birthday for Pooh. However, a few things complicate that date. Pooh, or Edward Bear at the time, was a gift to Christopher Milne for his first birthday. That would mean that Pooh was received on August 21, 1921. This particular date is supported in the Pooh stories themselves. In the last chapter of HaPC, Pooh asks Christopher Robin how old he’ll be when CR is 100, and CR replies with 99. So you’ve got two dates right there. But there’s even more to confuse the issue. The argument for October 14 is that it was the first day Pooh was published. But that’s not quite true. The first chapter of WtP was published in the Dec. 24, 1925, edition of the London Evening News. And what would become the sixth chapter of WtP, “In Which Eeyore has a Birthday and Gets Two Presents”, appeared in the August 1926 edit
