CENTURY: This year has a very important anniversary for the kid inside all of us.

It’s the 100th anniversary of “Winnie The Pooh!” The first book by A.A. Milne, which introduced us to the Hundred Acre Wood, was published in October 1926.

The “tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff” has been making children smile since he was first introduced in a newspaper story on Christmas Eve in 1925.

The stories celebrated the imaginary tales of Milne’s son, Christopher Robin, and his toy bear.

Pooh and his friends, the energetic Tigger, the timid Piglet, gloomy Eeyore, wise Owl, anxious Rabbit, motherly Kanga, and young Roo along with Christopher Robin.

The woods was actually Ashdown Forest, East Sussex, where Milne had a country home. Pooh Corner is in Hartfield, East Sussex. It’s a shop and tea room that celebrates the birthplace of the stories. Pooh Trek Tours organizes guided walks around the forest.

One can even play Poohsticks, like Christopher Robin, on the rebuilt Poohsticks Bridge in Sussex. For those who don’t remember the game, “Participants choose a stick, stand on the upstream side of a bridge, drop their sticks simultaneously, and race to the other side to see the winner.” 

Disney acquired rights to the stories in 1961, skyrocketing the unassuming friends to international fame. Events and plenty of merchandise are planned around the 100th anniversary.

Over the years, mental health professionals have taken a closer look at the characters in the stories. Unofficially, of course, Pooh was thought to have inattentive-type ADHD and was impulsive due to his forgetfulness. Piglet had generalized anxiety disorder, Eeyore had major depressive disorder, Tigger had ADHD with an inability to sit still, impulsive behavior and excessive energy. 

Or just cute characters that make kids happy.