Winnie-the-Pooh, a beloved childhood stuffed bear, celebrated his 100th birthday on Oct. 14, marking a century since A.A. Milne published the iconic children’s story.
However, as anniversary celebrations were underway, rumors of Britain calling for the original stuffed animals to be returned emerged, sparking controversy.
The original stuffed animals were purchased by Milne for his son, Christopher Robin, in 1921 at the Harrods department store in London and served as an inspiration for the characters later depicted in his books.
In 1987, the stuffed animals were donated to the New York Public Library, where they remain on display in the Polonsky Exhibition of the New York Library’s Treasures.
The Washington Post first reported that Gyles Brandreth, a friend of Robin, traveled to New York in 2024 as an emissary of Queen Camilla to arrange the temporary return of the stuffed animals to Buckingham Palace for the anniversary.
However, Brandreth said the library would not agree to the return due to how old the toys are and the fact that thousands of visitors visit the library every year just to see them.
“It would be wonderful if it happens, but I can’t see it happening anytime soon,” he said. “The ball is now really in the court of the New York Public Library.”
These reports soon stirred rumors of the existence of a larger campaign for Britain to reclaim the toys. In response, the British embassy took to their social media to dismiss these rumors.
“Reports of a campaign to return Winnie-the-Pooh to the UK are unfounded,” the British Embassy in Washington said in a statement on X.
“There’s an open invite if Pooh ever wants to make a temporary visit to the UK, but we have no doubt that Pooh and his pals are in excellent hands with the New York Public Library.”
Melissa Grace, the director of communications at the NYPL, expressed her excitement surrounding the bear’s anniversary when asked about the embassy’s statement by the Associated Press.
“Christopher Robin’s childhood toys are a cornerstone of our renowned children’s literature collection,” Grace said.
Queen Camila visited New York in April 2026 and gifted a new stuffed animal replica depicting character Roo, a stuffed kangaroo joey, to the library, as the original was lost in an apple orchard in the 1930s.
The Roo plush was an addition to the library’s collection that includes Piglet the pig, Tigger the ti ger, Eeyore the donkey and Kanga the kangaroo alongside Pooh.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary, the library created the “Silly Old Bear! Winnie-the-Pooh at 100” pop-up display.
The installation showcases the original stuffed animals, the first edition of the “Winnie-the-Pooh” book, multiple translations of this edition, original illustrations and more. Visitors were also able to stop by any of the library’s branches to dedicate birthday cards to Pooh to drop into special mailboxes.
The library has also hosted themed events throughout the summer and into the fall, where they will give out a total of 3,000 free copies of the “Winnie-the Pooh” book that were donated by Penguin Random House.
Visitors can visit the display at the library’s Schwarzman Building located in Midtown Manhattan and enjoy partaking in birthday festivities for the beloved stuffed bear until Nov. 30.
