Alan Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh has acquired a new status

Since January 1, 2022, the tales of Alan Milne about Winnie-the-Pooh have passed into the public domain. Thus, the stories can now be legally used without anyone’s consent, including for the purpose of film adaptation. In this case, the inviolability of the work itself must be respected, as well as the preservation of authorship.

The English writer Alan Milne was born in London in 1882. In 1920 he had a son, Christopher Robin. Children’s books about Winnie the Pooh bear, which Alan composed for his child, brought him worldwide fame and became one of the best-selling literary works. The first book about Winnie-the-Pooh went on sale on October 14, 1926. The prototype for the little bear was a black bear named Winnipeg, which Alan Milne and his son, Christopher Robin, saw in 1924 in London’s zoo. Seeing how his son liked the bear, Milne made her a character in the nightly tales. Some of the other heroes in the book also came out of Milne’s baby’s room. Piglet was given by neighbors, Ia the tailless donkey, Tigger, Kanga, and Tiny Roo were bought by Christopher’s parents.

A 1996 poll conducted by English radio showed that the book about Winnie-the-Pooh ranked 17th on the list of the most brilliant and significant works published in the twentieth century.