[J] Hey, brother!
Winnie the Pooh...
*sigh*
How did they get away with calling a children's character...
...Pooh?
[Ben] Ha! You said "Pooh."
[J] How long have you been down there?
[Ben] *chuckle*
(Theme music)
[J and Ben] Hey, brother!
[J] Honestly, I'm not sure if I have more questions about
"Winnie," or "Pooh," or "the,—"
Winnie. "Winnie" is a girl's name, right? Like—like Winnie Cooper from "The Wonder Years?"
Ah, man. Winnie Cooper. Phew, raise your hand if she was your first crush, right?
Yeah, no. No, that's not what I'm talking about.
But Pooh is a boy though, right? So... why "Winnie?"
And to that end, is his name Winnie or Pooh?
Because nobody ever calls him Winnie, like ever.
It's always just "Pooh," or "Pooh Bear."
*chuckle* And I'm sorry, but what is a—a Pooh, and why, "the Pooh?"
Is he like the—the "The Pooh?" Is he like one specific species of... Pooh?
Ugh, his name makes no sense!
But fortunately, I have been researching the topic.
So, to answer these questions, we have to head back all the way to 1914 Canada,
where veterinarian Harry Colburn gets drafted into the Canadian Army and sent to fight in World War I.
The classic beginning to any children's story, right?
And whilst travelling, his train stopped at a town called, White River, and
on the platform there, was a man with a bear cub.
As you do.
Which, for trains, not—not something you see every day.
Or honestly, anywhere, for that matter.
The man was a trapper who had killed the bear's mother,
and now had the cub for...
...reasons.
Well, presumably, to sell it, which is exactly what he did, because
Harry the vet decided that he needed to rescue this bear
and bought it from the man on the spot for a cool $20.
Which if you ask me, sounds like a great deal for a bear, until you adjust for inflation and realize that
$20 back then was worth about $485-or-so today.
This is like the most bizarre impulse buy ever. I mean, can you imagine getting off a train and just,
on a whim, deciding to spend $500 on a bear,
while you're on your way to war?
But that is indeed what happened. And to my surprise in particular,
no one on the train was like, "WHOA, Whoa, whoa! Hey, can we not bring like, a—a—a—a bear on the train with us?"
On the contrary, the entire regiment was like, "Oh awesome, You bought the bear!
He should be our mascot!"
She, she.
I guess they were a little braver than some other Canadians we know about. Eh, Wolverine? Hmm?
Click the card if you didn't understand that joke.
So, along came the bear, which Harry decided to name after his hometown, Winnipeg,
so he and the boys would never be far from home.
But it turns out that "Winnipeg" is a bit of a mouthful, so, they shortened it to, say it with me...
Franklin.
No, obviously not. Winnipeg became "Winnie."
And Winnie was actually a particularly smart bear. They basically trained her like a dog, so that she could
track things, find things, and eat, eat lots and lots of things. So many things.
Did you know that brown bears can eat up to 90 lbs. of food a day?
Phew, better not be skipping leg day on that diet, Winnie.
So, Winnie made her way across the sea and stayed with the regiment, until...
Harry and the boys were sent to the front lines in France, and Harry decided that
France is no place for a bear.
Or probably the front lines, the front lines is no place for a bear, which is a big mistake if you ask me.
I mean, he definitely didn't read "Game of Thrones." I mean, having a bear on your side could be a huge asset in a fight, right?
But whatever. Harry made the "smart" decision, and decided to donate Winnie to the London Zoo.
And in London, a one A. A. Milne brought his son to the London Zoo.
His son, who happened to need a name for his very own stuffed bear.
And do you know the name of his son? Say it with me...
Franklin.
No, I'm just kidding. Of course, A. A. Milne's son was none other...
...than Christopher Robin.
And Christopher Robin LOVED Winnie to the point where the zoo would actually let him in the pen to play with the bear.
Which I'm going to go ahead and repeat that. They let him IN THE PEN to play with a bear!
I mean, I know this story has a happy ending, but I have to say,
this is a very questionable decision on the part of the London Zoo.
Like, I know 90 lbs. of food a day is got to be expensive, but come on, guys.
But against all odds, Christopher Robin did survive his trips into the pen,
and went on to name his own stuffed bear, "Winnie," and then had a lot of imaginary adventures with him
in their backyard, which his father, A. A. Milne, then turned into "Winnie the Pooh."
Which brings me back to "Pooh."
[Ben] Ha!
You said "Pooh" again.
[J] Well, I've researched that, too, and I'd have to say,
Sadly, that story is not quite as interesting. Are you ready for it? OK,
Pooh was the name of a swan they met on holiday. End of story.
Or is it?
Actually, in the first chapter of "Winnie the Pooh," A. A. Milne describes the reason they call him Pooh.
And apparently, Pooh Bear's arms used to get stuck and stiff up in the air, like this, for like, weeks at a time.
So, anytime a fly landed on his nose, he would have to go, "Pff," to blow it off.
Get it? Pff, Pooh, Pff, Pff...
Pooh, Pff... *silent chuckle* Totally a word.
And I actually love that explanation, although, I'd have to say that's possible that it is made up because
he, A. A. Milne, the creator, also says he thinks that's how they got the name, "Pooh," so...
Also, side note; Pooh the swan actually does appear in another "Winnie the Pooh" book that came later called, "When We Were Very Young."
And there, you go, Ben. That's why Winnie the Pooh is called "Winnie the Pooh."
My question for you and everybody else is, who is your favorite "Winnie the Pooh" character?
Personally, I have always liked Tigger.
Also, if you'd like to hear a little bit more about the story, I would totally recommend the children's book, "Finding Winnie."
It is super, super, super adorable. I read it, it gave me all of the feels, it was super great.
You can check— I'll put a link to it down in the description if you want to buy it.
These socks are amazing!
Also, quick announcement; if you aren't following us on Patreon, we recommend you go check it out.
Ben and I are going to be doing another live hangout next Monday, March 20th,
for people if you want to like, ask us questions and hang out with us live, you can check that information on the Patreon. Link in the description.
But thanks for watching, as always. Please remember to like this video if you haven't already,
and subscribe so you don't miss any future Disney videos from us.
If you want to find the mouse that saved Disney, I would recommend checking out this video, right here,
and if you want to find out why Mickey Mouse is actually Kevin from "Up,"
I would check out this video, right here.
But Ben, that's all I've got for you today, man. I will see you in another life, brother.