Disney winnie the pooh

Disney winnie the pooh

Disney winnie the pooh

For a 'Bear with very little brain', Winnie the Pooh has done very nicely lately and has been getting a lot of attention from collectors.

First edition books featuring the bear ,whose hands are always in the honey jar, sell for several thousands of pounds when they become available and last year three previously unknown, original drawings by E.H. Shepard, were sold at Sotheby's London.

Exceeding their estimated price by nearly £20,000, they were sold for £49,450.

Others since have fetched between £6,000 and £31,000, so Pooh's popularity shows no sign of abating.

It was in 1912 that the Farnell bear was bought from Harrods for the one year old Christopher Robin Milne. 

The delightful stories, by A.A. Milne about Christopher Robin and his bear Winnie the Pooh, and soft toy friends Eeyore the donkey, Tigger and others, were published in 1926 with illustrations by E.H. Shepard.

That original Pooh bear and friends, Christopher Robin's own nursery toys, are now displayed in the New York Public Library.

Two years after 'Winnie the Pooh' was published, 'The House at Pooh Corner' recounted more adventures and public enthusiasm was great enough for two companies, The Teddy Toy Company and Chad Valley, to produce traditional Pooh bears in the thirties, along with Christopher Robin dolls and their soft toy companions. Since then, the range of merchandise has been continuous and varied.

It was Disney who gave the bear a little red T-shirt in the late sixties and the first ceramic figures produced by Beswick in 1968 until 1990 were in the Disney style.

'Winnie the Pooh and the blustery day' was followed by a series of eight figures which are now offered by collectors for around £50-60 each rising to £120 for one including Christopher Robin. Contemporary ceramic Winnie the Pooh collectables are in great demand with prices on the secondary market increasing rapidly.

Disney winnie the pooh

Royal Doulton's collection of figures is their most popular issue, reverting to the original Shepard style.

The first series produced, featured the 70th anniversary backstamp but current items are manufactured without the special backstamp. The latest is 'The more it snows tiddlypom'.

Figures already discontinued include: 'Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh', 'Pooh and the paw marks',, ' Winnie the Pooh in the armchair', Kanga and Roo', 'Pooh lights the candle'. These generally more than double their original £20 price on the second hand market.

In the summer of 1997, the first in a limited series of tableau, 'Eeyore loses a tail', was so oversubscribed that the price immediately rose from £100 to £350 before settling at around £160 to £250. Last year's issue 'A Summer's Picnic' was launched at the opening of the newly refurbished Royal Doulton flagship store in Regent's Street, London.

Disney winnie the pooh

 Although the edition is of 5,000, it was once again oversubscribed and a piece auctioned for charity realised £350 .This is currently being offered for between £150-£200.

The Walt Disney Classic Collection which features sculptures and ornaments of characters from Disney films, include Winnie the Pooh and friends in their range. The huge following that this range has, ensures that pieces soon become collectable. 

The 1996 gift for members of the club, originally sold for £33 is now valued at £75. In the same year an ornament offered only to members 'Time for something sweet' originally valued at £15 is now valued at £75 too, as is the Open House ornament retired in June 1997 'Up the honey tree'. Clearly, membership of the club which costs around £30 seems like a good investment for its restricted pieces and special prices.

For a different slant on sculptures, Limoges miniature boxes have Pooh alone or with friends, in the Disney style, perched on top. Whilst Halcyon Days enamel boxes feature E.H. Shepard illustrations with an interior quote from the books.

If you like china but are not keen on figures, Royal Doulton produce a range of Winnie the Pooh nurseryware which includes plates, mugs, clocks and money boxes. A number of these were retired at the end of '98 including some mugs and tea cups and saucers, which if the current Doulton secondary prices are anything to go by, will be worth watching out for.

It's hard to know whether to classify Cardew tea pots as either tableware or sculptures, but collectable they certainly are. The latest in the Disney Character Collection, launched in 1998 features Pooh. The Pooh Tree Stump has Winnie, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore having a hunny picnic and the smaller Pooh dresser/hutch shows Piglet and Winnie sharing some hunny. Retailing at £130 and £65 these are in a limited edition of 5,000. 

Cardew can be contacted on 01626 832172

But to get back to the cuddly nature of Winnie the Pooh, collectors would do well to buy Gabrielle Winnie the Pooh bears, for the firm went into liquidation in February 1998 and according to Teddy bears of Witney, stocks are selling out fast. 

The limited edition Gabrielle, cotton boucle Pooh has already sold out. However, the company also sells a range of Gund Winnie the Pooh bears from £20 to £38. One of these is a musical Pooh bear which plays the Disney tune when wound up.

Disney winnie the pooh

Pooh bears from the 50s and 60s are currently worth between £20 and £40.

In 1967 Merrythought took a different slant on the cuddly bear theme with a Winnie the Pooh night-dress case of a bear in bed with a Walt Disney Winnie the Pooh tag.

Bean Bag Toys, collectable because of their popularity, probably give best value for money on the cuddle stakes. 

For just £4.99 each, The Disney Stores offer Winnie and all six friends. However, last Halloween there were queues to buy the two seasonal pumpkin versions and Honey bee Pooh is covetous because it wasn't available in America and so has been known to change hands for £40 .

Disney winnie the pooh

Disney stores also sell limited edition Sericels with scenes from the film.

For something different, collectors can opt for stamps or phonecards.

Regular readers of this magazine will have read about the set of four Disney phonecards featuring quotes from the books alongside Disney illustrations which were issued in New Zealand. The issue of 2,500 is now valued at around £75 the set.