SATURDAY MORNINGS FOREVER: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH

The Hundred Acre Wood is the place that young Christopher Robin would frequent to visit his closest friends. Although, they weren’t your typical friends--being that many of them were stuffed. And animals. Chief amongst them was the slow-witted and friendly Winnie the Pooh; a bear whose primary love was all things honey. With him came Piglet, a small neat-freak pig who found a reason to be afraid of anything (particularly Heffalumps, creatures that resembled elephants); Tigger, an energetic tiger that loved to bounce and go on adventures; Kanga, a kangaroo always in the company of her little joey, Roo; Eeyore, a constantly depressed, hard-luck donkey that always lost his pinned-on tail; Rabbit, a real rabbit obsessed with order and keeping crows out of his garden; and Owl, a real owl whose species made him the de-facto wisest of the group (even if he really wasn’t).

The original toys, sans Roo who had long since been lost.

This group of friends came from the imagination of author A.A. Milne, who was inspired by his son, Christopher Robin, and his toys, as well as the animals that lived in the forest around his country home in Ashdown Forest, Sussex, England. Christopher Robin had become enamored with a bear at the London Zoo named Winnipeg; a transplant from Canada that was rescued by Lieutenant Harry Coleburn and donated to the zoo after WWI. Coleburn named the bear after his adopted home of Winnipeg. The young Milne spent a lot of time with Winnie, going so far as to hang out inside the cage. Eventually, his favorite stuffed bear, Edward, was renamed “Winnie the Pooh” after the bear and a swan the Milnes once encountered.

The original books.

Pooh made his literary debut in the poem “Teddy Bear”, published in the February 13, 1924 edition of Punch. However, he would go unnamed until a story commissioned by the London newspaper The Evening News was published on December 24, 1925. In 1926, Milne and Pooh made the leap to book form in Winnie the Pooh. Published by Methuen & Co., Ltd. with illustrations by E.H. Shepard, Winnie the Pooh adapted previously published stories with new content and introduced most of his supporting cast--also based on the rest of Milne’s son’s stuffed animals--as well as the characterization of Christopher Robin. Tigger wouldn’t be introduced until the 1928 sequel, The House at Pooh Corner.

Winnie the Pooh board game produced by Slesinger.

As the original stories and books were very popular, Stephen Slesinger purchased the North American rights to produce merchandise and media based on the characters in 1930. Slesinger managed to turn Pooh and his friends into a $50 million-a-year industry, overseeing the production of toys, records, animation and films under his banner, Telecomics Presents. Slesinger gave Pooh his distinctive red t-shirt in a drawing he did for the cover of the 1932 RCA Victor picture record. It was also the first time the characters appeared in color. Talk about a televised animated adaptation began in 1957, with Jay Ward being suggested by NBC to produce the pilot. An option for 39 episodes were on the table, and some songs and dialogue were recorded, but ultimately The World of Winnie the Pooh was abandoned.

Walt Disney and his daughters.

Counted amongst Pooh’s fans were Diane and Sharon Mae Disney, the daughters of Walt Disney. Disney actively pursued the rights to the characters and eventually acquired certain ones from Slesinger and Milne’s respective widows, Shirley and Daphne, in 1961. Disney planned to adapt the characters into a full-length animated musical feature, but upon realizing that worldwide audiences may not be as familiar with the source material as the British, he decided to split the feature up into a series of theatrical shorts in order to better introduce the characters.

Promotional artwork for The Honey Tree.

The first and only short made during Disney’s lifetime, Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, adapted the first three chapters of Winnie the Pooh. It starred Sterling Holloway as Pooh, Junius Matthews as Rabbit, Hal Smith as Owl, Ralph Wright as Eeyore, Barbara Luddy as Kanga, Clint Howard as Roo, and Bruce Reitherman as Christopher Robin. Although promotional art featured Piglet and Tigger (resembling the Shepard design), neither appeared in the short. Rather, Disney contemplated replacing Piglet entirely and introduced a new character: Gopher (Howard Morris). Gopher, based on the beaver from Lady and the Tramp, constantly dug holes and tunnels around the Wood and often spoke with a whistle when he made an “s” sound. Honey Tree was released on February 4, 1966 and was shown alongside The Ugly Dachshund. The short proved popular, and began the path that would lead to Pooh and his friends becoming a billion-dollar industry for Disney as a company.

The second short, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, debuted on December 20, 1968 alongside The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit. The short introduced Piglet (John Fiedler) and Tigger (Paul Winchell), as well as replaced Reitherman with Jon Walmsley as Christopher Robin. A third short, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, was released in 1974 before Pooh and friends received their first full-length movie, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The film, released on March 11, 1977, combined the three shorts with new material to bridge them and a new sequence based on the final chapter of Pooh Corner to fill out the running time. An 8-minute educational film, Winnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons, was also made in 1981 with one last short, Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore, released in 1983.

1983 saw the launch of The Disney Channel, and amongst the channel’s initial line-up was the series Welcome to Pooh Corner. The show featured actors in animatronic suits, created in part by Ken Forsse who would go on to create Teddy Ruxpin, acting against bluescreen sets as a narrator read from a book in the opening and closing scenes. The show ran for three years, ending in 1986 after 120 episodes. Pooh’s absence from The Disney Channel was short-lived as the recently-formed Walt Disney Television Animation returned him to animation with his second series: The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Character size comparison model sheet by Ron Campbell.

WDTVA’s Vice President Gary Krisel proposed the show during a Disney retreat to examine company assets and future projects. He felt that the character would not only be perfect for Saturday mornings, but felt that the licensing agreement Disney held with department store chain Sears would be a great promotional tool. Mark Zaslove was hired to write the series bible and pitch for the series; both of which were well-received by Disney and promptly green-lit. Rather than shop the series around, Disney offered it directly to ABC. ABC’s Saturday morning line-up had, by that point, fallen into last place in the ratings and they desperately wanted something from Disney to help correct that; having missed out on Wuzzles and Adventures of the Gummi Bears two years prior. ABC commissioned 25 episodes of Pooh rather than the standard 13 to 17, marking the first time a major Disney character would be seen on Saturday mornings.

Gopher trying to figure out how to do his schtick without dynamite.

The series was developed by Karl Geurs; a self-described Pooh fan. Development took several months as Disney wanted the series to embody the same high standards as their films; hoping to set a new standard on television. Story ideas were pitched to Zaslove, story editor for the first season, when then sent the best ones to ABC executives for approval before entering outline and scripts. The process took about four weeks per episode. While writing, the crew made sure to consult Milne’s works repeatedly to ensure they maintained the characters’ personalities and achieved a balance of action and adventure with moments of whimsy. Further, a consulting company was retained to help advise the crew on how the characters should speak, look and act to better appeal to their target demographic. Additionally, the production had to conform to broadcast standards and keep out dangerous imitable behavior (Zaslove was told that Gopher, who frequently used dynamite for excavation, couldn’t have any gunpowder but could have a thermonuclear device—since apparently the latter was harder for kids to acquire than the former?).

The gang of the Hundred Acre Wood.

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh debuted on January 17, 1988; however, it wasn’t on ABC. An internal debate was going on about whether Disney’s shows should be aired on The Disney Channel, which was viewed as the most important thing by some executives, over being outsourced to other networks. An argument was made that restricting where their programs were seen risked losing a generation of TV viewers who didn’t have cable. A compromise was reached between Disney Channel President John F. Cooke and Krisel that the network would pay the animation division a certain price for first run rights. As a result, the series ran for 13 episodes on the network until it shifted over to ABC for the remainder of its 4-season run.

Jim Cummings took over the role of Pooh and eventually Tigger, too.

Producers wanted to get as many of the surviving original cast as they could. Winchell, Fiedler and Smith all returned to voice their respective characters; however, Holloway’s voice had become unrecognizable as Pooh. Pooh ended up being taken over by Jim Cummings, Rabbit by Ken Sansom, Eeyore by Peter Cullen, Kanga by Patricia Parris, Roo by Nicholas Melody, Gopher by Michael Gough and Christopher Robin by Timothy Hoskins. The series used a similar animation style as the original Disney productions and followed the continuing adventures of Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood; as well as the nearby town and settings created by pure imagination. The series did get a bit of an Americanization as the setting was moved from England to modern America and Christopher Robin was depicted with no trace of an accent. Additionally, the storybook theme and narrator seen in other Pooh productions wasn’t utilized.

Heff Heffalump and Stan Woozle.

New characters not seen in the earlier shorts included Stan Woozle (Sansom) and Heff Heffalump (Chuck McCann), two recurring villains who always sought to steal from the main characters; Kessie (Laura Mooney), a little bluebird Rabbit rescued and adopted as his daughter; and Christopher Robin’s mother (Parris), whose face was never shown. Frank Welker would provide the voices for a variety of animal characters in several episodes, including bees and rats.

Causing mischief in Christopher Robin's house.

Writers for the show included Geurs, Zaslove Larry Bernard, Mark Cassutt, Marley Clark, Terrie Collins, Carter Crocker, Jimmy Danelli, Lynn Feinerman, Rich Fogel , Evelyn Gabai, Libby Hinson, Doug Hutchinson, Ken Kessel, Eric Lewald, Julia Lewald, Jymn Magon, Richard Merwin, Michelle Rifkin, Cliff Roberts, Dev Ross, Bruce Reid Schaefer, Paula Sigman, David Silverman, Stephen Sustarsic, Bruce Talkington, and Len Uhley. The animation was handled by TMS Entertainment, Hanho Heung-Up Company, Walt Disney Animation U.K., Walt Disney Television Animation Australia, and Wang Film Productions Company. Steve Nelson wrote the series’ theme, “Pooh Bear”, performed by Steve Wood, as well as several songs for the early episodes Two different versions were used over two slightly different openings. A third version, performed by Cummings, was used for reruns on Disney’s channels. A fourth version with Nelson performing the vocals himself exists on his album, Listen What the Katmandu. The series’ score was composed by Thom Sharp and performed by a full orchestra.

ABC aggressively advertised the series during prime-time; partially to fill airtime that the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike had caused gaps in, and partially to remind adults about their own childhood love of the characters that they could now share with their kids. The series was also one of the headliners of ABC’s Saturday Morning Preview Special aired the Friday night before its network debut, along with The New Adventures of Beany and Cecil and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. Sears and Honey Nut Cheerios partnered to host a nationwide premiere party, with breakfast being served to more than 40,000 children in over 300 stores and the first episode shown on in-store video displays. The event doubled as a fundraiser to benefit homeless shelters. Sears’ Christmas catalog that year dedicated 8 pages to the show, while Honey Nut Cheerios featured a Pooh premium and an opportunity to get a free plush from Sears.

Title card for the Gummi Bears/Winnie the Pooh Hour.

New Adventures was shown in an hour-long block during the first season. For the second season, it was shortened to a half-hour and paired up with Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears when it moved from NBC to form the Gummi Bears-Winnie the Pooh Hour. For the third season, Gummi Bears was moved to the syndicated Disney Afternoon programming block and New Adventures finished its run on its own. The third season also saw the departure of Winchell, who had been recording separately from the rest of the cast to reduce stress, as advised by his cardiologist. He was replaced by Cummings, who had been understudying him and filled in for him periodically during the first two seasons. During its original run, New Adventures won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animation Program in both 1989 and 1990 (where it tied with Beetlejuice).

The show ended on October 26, 1991 but was quickly followed in December by the special Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too. Winchell returned to voice Tigger and Edan Gross assumed the role of Christopher Robin. The special was introduced with a skit featuring Disney head Michael Eisner and the Disneyland walk-around Pooh characters, and was accompanied by the Donald Duck shorts The Hockey Champ an Bearly Asleep. The special was later edited into part of the 2002 direct-to-video feature A Very Merry Pooh Year with Christopher Robin’s lines re-dubbed by William Green and Rabbit’s fur recolored into the traditional yellow, as opposed to the greenish hue it had on the show. Additional specials included 1996’s Boo to You Too! Winnie the Pooh, 1998’s A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving, and 1999’s Winnie the Pooh: A Valentine for You.

Gopher getting ready to blow stuff up.

Even though the network didn’t order any further episodes after the 4^th season’s conclusion, New Adventures continued to air on ABC until 1993 when executives felt the show could make more money in syndicated reruns than through a network deal. The series returned to The Disney Channel on October 3, 1994 and remained there until September 1, 2006. It also returned to ABC in 1995 as a replacement for The New Adventures of Madeline and stayed—with a half-season break in 1996—until September 7, 2002; getting renewed popularity as part of the Disney’s One Saturday Morning programming block. The show was also seen on Playhouse Disney, Toon Disney and Disney Junior, and on international versions of The Disney Afternoon programming block. After leaving Toon Disney on October 19, 2007, New Adventures hasn’t been seen on American television since, although it did continue on in other countries.

Pooh and Eeyore protecting the old west.

Internationally, several strips with the show’s branding were published in various magazines, such as Finnish Nalle Puh, Italian Mega Almanacco, and Norwegian Ole Brumm. Some of those strips were included in the 2023 collection Disney One Saturday Morning Adventures from Fantagraphics. Beginning in 1989, Walt Disney Home Video released collections on VHS and Laserdisc containing two to four episodes each. 10 VHS volumes and 15 Laserdisc volumes were released in the United States and the United Kingdom, however the international versions often featured fewer or different episodes and VHS names. Beginning in 1994, the collections were released under various titles: Winnie the Pooh: Learning, Winnie the Pooh: Playtime and Winnie the Pooh: Friendship. Holiday-themed collections, featuring both the specials and related episodes, were released between 1994 and 2000.

Piglet gives Gopher a new jackhammer.

Various episodes were released on six compilation DVDs, four of them under the Growing Up with Winnie the Pooh banner, between 2002 and 2010. “Magic Earmuffs” and “The Wishing Bear” were included on the 10^th anniversary re-release of Seasons of Giving. In addition to five of the North American releases, eight DVDs were released in the United Kingdom under The Magical World of Winnie the Pooh banner featuring four episodes each. In 2019, it became one of the launch titles for the streaming service Disney+.

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“Pooh Oughta Be in Pictures” (1/17/88) – After seeing a scary movie, the gang tries to convince Piglet that the monsters in it aren’t real.

“Friend, in Deed / Donkey for a Day” (1/24/88) – Pooh and his friends try to get honey from a beehive in order to pay back Rabbit for all the honey Pooh’s taken from him. / Piglet convinces the other to spend the day cheering up Eeyore.

“There’s No Camp Like Home / Balloonatics” (1/31/88) – Campfire scary stories leads Piglet to come face-to-face with is greatest fear: Heffalumps. / The gang panics when the balloon he borrowed from Christopher Robin gets deflated by Rabbit.

“Find Her, Keep Her” (2/7/88) – Rabbit tries to raise the little bird he rescued.

“The Piglet Who Would Be King” (2/14/88) – When Pooh gives Piglet a gift, Piglet heads out to find the Land of Milk and Honey to get some honey in reciprocation.

“Cleanliness is Next to Impossible” (2/21/88) – Helping Christopher Robin clean his room leads the gang to encounter the evil Crud and Smudge/.

“The Great Honey Pot Robbery” (2/28/88) – A Heffalump and a Woozle have stolen all the honey in the Hundred-Acre Wood.

“Stripes / Monkey See, Monkey Do Better” (3/6/88) – Rabbit forces Tigger to take a bath, resulting in his stripes being washed off. / The gang becomes upset when Christopher Robin’s new toy declares himself the best toy ever.

“Babysitter Blues” (3/13/88) – Christopher Robin and the gang get into mischief while being watched by a babysitter.

“How Much is That Rabbit in the Window?” (3/20/88) – Rabbit runs away and ends up picked up by a junk dealer who tries to sell him.

“Nothing But the Tooth / Gone With the Wind” (3/27/88) – When pack rats steal Pooh’s sweet tooth, he believes he can no longer enjoy honey. / Piglet becomes afraid of going outside since he’s light enough to be blown about by the wind.

“Paw and Order” (4/3/88) – The gang puts on a play that takes place in the Wild West.

“Honey for a Bunny / Trap as Trap Can” (4/10/88) – A bookend Rabbit throws away finds its way into everyone’s possession. / Pooh and Piglet help a young heffalump learn how to trap.

“The Masked Offender / Things That Go Piglet in the Night” (11/12/88) – Tigger becomes a superhero to help people, but ends up causing problems. / The gang believes they’re being haunted by a ghost.

“Luck Amok / Magic Earmuffs” (12/3/88) – Rabbit believes he has bad luck when Tigger breaks his mirror. / Christopher Robin gives Piglet “magic” earmuffs to help him gain confidence in ice skating.

“The Wishing Bear” (12/10/88) – When a wishing star blinks out after Pooh makes a wish, he tries to ensure the others’ wishes all come true.

“King of the Beasties / The Rats Who Came to Dinner” (1/7/89) – Tigger believes his great uncle is a lion and declares himself “King of the Beasties.” / A flood brings on an onslaught of pack rats.

“My Hero / Owl Feathers” (1/14/89) – Tigger becomes Piglet’s servant after he saves his life. / A trail of feathers leads the gang to believe Owl has gone bald.

“A Very, Very Large Animal / Fish Out of Water” (1/21/89) – Piglet moves away when he feels he’s too small. / Gopher becomes Rabbit’s roommate and drives him crazy.

“Lights Out / Tigger’s Shoes” (2/4/89) – Rabbit borrows Gopher’s flashlight without asking and he looks for it in a panic. / To keep Tigger busy, Rabbit gives him weighted shoes and challenges him to jump the highest rock.

“The ‘New’ Eeyore / Tigger, Private Ear” (2/25/89) – Eeyore dresses like Tigger to be more popular. / Tigger causes crimes so that he can solve them like a detective.

“Party Poohper / The Old Switcheroo” (3/4/89) – Pooh is enlisted to keep Rabbit’s parents busy while he plans a surprise party. / Too avoid a bath, Roo has Piglet take his place.

Season 2:

“Me and My Shadow / To Catch a Hiccup” (9/9/89) – Piglet brings home a new shadow friend. / The gang helps Piglet try to cure his hiccups.

“Rabbit Marks the Spot / Good-bye, Mr. Pooh” (9/16/89) – Rabbit creates a treasure map to keep the gang out of his garden as they play pirate. / Tigger spreads a rumor that Pooh is leaving and the gang throws him a going away party.

“Bubble Trouble / Ground Piglet Day” (9/23/89) – Pooh ends up trapped in a bubble. / Rabbit makes Piglet a groundhog for Groundhog Day.

“All’s Well that Ends Wishing Well” (9/30/89) – Tigger is disappointed with his first birthday, and Pooh tries to cheer him up by getting him the moon from the wishing well.

“Un-Valentine’s Day” (10/7/89) – Rabbit makes Valentine’s Day illegal.

“No Rabbit’s a Fortress / The Monster Frankenpooh” (10/14/89) – Rabbit builds a fortress to protect his garden. / On a dark and stormy night, Tigger spins a yarn about mad scientist Piglet and his monster.

“Where Oh Where Has My Piglet Gone? / Up, Up and Awry” (10/21/89) – Pooh believes he misplaced Piglet and searches for him. / The gang arrests Pooh for breaking the law of gravity when he tries to fly.

“Eeyore’s Tail Tale / Three Little Piglets” (10/28/89) – Eeyore abandons his tail but soon wants it back. / Pooh relates the story of the three little pigs.

“Prize Piglet / Fast Friends” (11/18/89) – The gang holds a race for a trophy. / Piglet gets stuck in the tree house while Gopher tries to help Pooh become more punctual.

“Pooh Moon / Caws and Effect” (12/2/89) – Tigger tells the gang a story about the “Grabme-Gotcha.” / The crows trick Rabbit into leaving dim-witted Pooh to watch over his garden while he and the others hunt for them.

Season 3:

“Oh, Bottle / Owl in the Family” (8/18/90) – The pack rats steal the treasure map in a bottle Christopher Robin created for their game. / Pooh and Piglet organize a family reunion for Owl.

“Sham Pooh / Rock-a-Bye Pooh Bear” (8/25/90) – Pooh losing his appetite causes everyone to believe everyone else is an imposter. / Piglet has a nightmare about losing his friends in a storm.

“What’s the Score, Pooh? / Tigger’s Houseguest” (9/1/90) – Gopher will only rejoin their game if the others help him work. / Tigger befriends a termite that has been destroying things in the Wood.

“Rabbit Takes a Holiday / Eeyi Eeyi Eeyore” (9/8/90) – All his chores done, Rabbit takes a vacation and leaves the others to watch over his place. / Trying to make Eeyore feel good about a seed he planted leads Rabbit to believe he’s the better gardener and give Eeyore his property.

“Pooh Skies” (10/6/90) – A fallen eggshell leaves the gang to believe the sky is falling.

“April Pooh / To Bee or Not to Bee” (10/13/90) – Christopher Robin sets the gang to search for the April Fool. /

“A Knight to Remember” (10/20/90) – On a stormy night, Piglet imagines he’s a brave knight.

“Tigger is the Mother of Invention / The Bug Stops Here” (10/27/90) – Tigger’s inventions cause troubles for his friends. / The gang checks out Christopher Robin’s science project and end up losing the bug that is part of it.

“Easy Come, Easy Gopher / Invasion of the Pooh Snatcher” (11/3/90) – Rabbit becomes annoyed when his house ends up part of Gopher’s ultimate tunnel. / Piglet asks Pooh to help defend his house against Jagulars, which leads Tigger to believe Pooh has been snatched by one.

“Tigger Got Your Tongue? / A Bird in the Hand” (11/10/90) – The gang tries to help find who stole Tigger’s voice. / An adult Kessie returns for a visit, but Rabbit has a hard time seeing her as anything but a baby.

Season 4:

“Sorry, Wrong Slusher” (9/7/91) – Strange things follow the gang and Christopher Robin watching a slusher film.

“Grown, But Not Forgotten” (9/14/91) – The gang becomes worried that Christopher Robin will grow up and forget all about them.

“A Pooh Day Afternoon” (9/21/91) – The gang looks after a dog.

“The Good, the Bad and the Tigger” (9/28/91) – Losing control of Christopher Robin’s toy train has Tigger and Pooh put on trial as train robbers.

“Home Is Where the Home Is” (10/5/91) – The gang takes turns putting up Christopher Robin after he runs away from home because he accidentally broke a statue.

“Shovel, Shovel, Toil and Trouble / The Wise Have It” (10/12/91) – A large shovel puts Gopher on an uncontrollable home improvement kick. / The number of candles on Pooh’s birthday cake makes the gang believe he’s old and, therefore, wise.

“Cloud, Cloud Go Away / To Dream the Impossible Scheme” (10/19/91) – Tigger befriends a very sad cloud. / A visit from his Grandpappy inspires Gopher to finish his Grandpappy’s dream of an above-ground underground city.

“Piglet’s Poohetry / Owl’s Well That Ends Well” (10/26/91) – Tigger disrupts Piglet’s poetry. / Rabbit finds Owl’s singing horrible, but is torn when it keeps the crows out of his garden.

Specials:

“Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too” (12/14/91) – Christopher Robin sends off a letter to Santa with the gang’s desires, but soon they become greedy and keep asking for more.

“Boo To You! Winnie the Pooh” (10/25/96) – Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore search for Piglet after he runs off in fright, but their own fears begin to get the best of them.

“A Wnnie the Pooh Thanksgiving” (11/22/98) – The gang learns about the true meaning of Thanksgiving.

“A Valentine For You” (2/13/99) – When Owl explains to the gang that Christopher Robin is smitten by a girl, the gang decides to find another smitten to cure him.

“A Very Merry Pooh Year” (11/12/02) – It’s time for the holidays and the usual chaos abounds in the Wood, along with Pooh forgetting where he hid Piglet’s present.

Originally posted in 2017. Updated in 2024.

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July 01, 2017

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH

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