Winnie the Pooh has been at Walt Disney World since it opened in 1971. The first version of Pooh that people could meet at the Parks was "Honey Pot Hat Winnie the Pooh." It was basically a big puppet, with the performer looking out of the honey pot and controlling the wiggling nose, ears, and puppet arms with their hands. This Pooh could also be found at Disneyland (where it debuted in 1966), as well as in Sears stores and at Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. This version of Pooh was retired from the Parks by 1990, but lives on in YouTube videos. I made Winnie and his pesky bee companion using shells, rocks, and shark teeth from the beaches in Venice, Florida.
Pooh was a big part of my first visit to Walt Disney World in 1981, which ended up ending before it started. Because my brother got very sick, we only got to visit the Disney Village Marketplace, which at the time had a Winnie the Pooh themed character shop. The shop had an animated Pooh with a balloon that drifted through the store. I have never been able to find any pictures of that store online. Maybe someone who reads this will remember it, too.
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