[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
New Royal Mail Stamps Celebrate 100 Years of Disney Winnie the Pooh

Issue Date: 14 October

• The main set of six stamps features designs of Disney Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Owl, Eeyore, Tigger, and a touching scene of Pooh alongside Christopher Robin
• A further four stamps, presented in a miniature sheet, show designs of Disney Winnie the Pooh and friends at a birthday picnic in the Hundred Acre Wood
• The stamps and a range of collectible products are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/winniethepooh and by telephone on 03457 641641

Royal Mail is marking the 100th anniversary of one of children’s literature’s most cherished characters, Disney Winnie the Pooh, with a new set of Special Stamps.

The stamps mark a century since the publication of A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, on 14 October 1926. Featuring the much-loved illustrations of E.H. Shepard, the main set of stamps capture Pooh and his friends before the bear adopted his now-iconic red shirt.

The stamp issue comprises 10 stamps, six featuring designs of Disney Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Owl, Eeyore, Tigger and a touching scene of Pooh alongside Christopher Robin. Each character appears in full colour alongside their idiosyncratic signatures.A further four stamps are presented in a miniature sheet and show Disney Winnie the Pooh and friends at a birthday picnic in the Hundred Acre Wood. Drawing on existing Disney artwork as inspiration, a brand-new composite illustration was commissioned by Royal Mail, bringing Disney Winnie the Pooh and his friends together in a specially created scene.

Since first appearing in print in 1926, Disney Winnie The Pooh has become one of the world’s most enduring fictional characters. The gentle stories of friendship, adventure and imagination have captivated generations of children and adults alike, securing the silly old bear’s place as a beloved literary icon.

David Gold, Director of External Affairs and Policy, Royal Mail, said: “For 100 years, Winnie the Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood have captured the hearts and imaginations of readers around the world. This delightful stamp collection celebrates A. A. Milne’s timeless stories and the iconic illustrations of E.H. Shepard that have introduced generations to the adventures of the world’s most famous bear. These stamps will evoke fond memories for many and, we hope, inspire new readers to discover the enduring charm of Winnie the Pooh.”

Disney Winnie the Pooh:
Disney Winnie the Pooh’s many adventures with his animal friends in the Hundred Acre Wood – Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga and Roo – were the creation of writer A.A Milne, with illustrations by E.H. Shepard.

Winnie-the-Pooh was first published in 1926, and two years later, more stories followed in The House at Pooh Corner.
The books’ instant popularity soon inspired toys and board games, garden ornaments, bookends and nursery china.

The stories were retold on gramophone records and radio and were adapted for television and the stage. Then, in 1966, four decades after his initial appearance in print, Pooh made his debut on the cinema screen in a short, animated film by Walt Disney that was the first of many films to bring the exploits of Pooh and friends to an ever-wider and devoted audience.

Disney Winnie the Pooh, according to his good friend Christopher Robin, is the “best bear in all the world”, and as he reaches the grand age of one hundred, that is how the world thinks of him, too!

The stamps, and a range of collectible products, are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/winniethepooh and by telephone on 03457 641 641. A Presentation Pack including all 10 stamps is priced at £18.90. The stamps go on gener9.3al sale from 14 October.

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Related collectibles include Mounted Gold Ingot stamps (£29.99), Gold Ingot stamp (£49.99), various coin covers (gold, shown below, £2,150; silver, £80; brilliant uncirculated, £39.99), a Prestige Booklet (£27.76), regular first day covers (Tallents House and Bearwood, Leominster postmark, addressed at £13.60 and unaddressed at £9.30), and a FDC for the Prestige Booklet (£6.05).