The best of Pooh and Tigger too

Winnie the Pooh, one of the most lovable and surely the most famous bear in the world today is 75 years old. It was in October, 1925 when A. A. Milne came up with his first set of stories about the childlike Pooh and his friends. These were inspired by a visit to the London Zoo by Milne and his son, who was named Christopher Robin. There they saw a cute black bear named Winnie and Milne, who was already an established poet and playwright, decided to write down the adventures of Winnie, his human, whom Milne named Christopher Robin and their other animal friends, Rabbit, Eyeore, Tigger, Piglet, Owl, Kanga and little Roo.

Milne’s first Winnie the Pooh tale marked the beginning of a worldwide phenomenon. This was followed by stories over the ensuring years. Truth to tell, estimates have it that Pooh has already sold seven million books since his first printing. And as all of us already know, that number does not include all those picture and coloring books, plus games, stuffed toys, and many other items made truly appealing with the image of Winnie and his friends. Of course, because Walt Disney acquired the rights to Pooh in the early ’60s, there are also films, videos and music CDs all inspired by Pooh.

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the birth of Winnie the Pooh, Disney Records recently released The Best of Pooh and Tigger, Too. This is a compilation of songs from various Winnie the Pooh films that Disney has produced since 1963 when the British bear’s new Disney image was introduced. Like Pooh, these are simple tunes about simple joys that very young children can easily relate too. But because of Pooh’s popularity these have also become classics and kids of all generations from everywhere who grew up with Winnie will play these songs for their children, who will do the same for their children, who will do the same for their children, etc., etc., etc

Winnie the Pooh, the now famous theme composed by the brothers Richard and Robert Sherman, who also did the songs in Mary Poppins, opens the album. This tells about the Hundred Acre Wood and the neighborhood where the "willy-nilly silly ole bear" lives and where Christopher Robin plays. To close the set is an utterly charming reading of a bittersweet excerpt from Winnie the Pooh by actor Christopher Plummer. This is about the day when Christopher Robin went off to school and stopped doing "nothing" with Pooh. They said goodbye but wherever they go in an enchanted part of the forest, a little boy and his bear will always be playing.

Other songs in the collection are Little Black Rain Cloud, The Wonderful Thing About Tigger, Up, Down, and Touch the Ground, Rumbly in My Tummy, The Rain, Rain, Rain Came Down, Down, Down, A Rather Blustery Day, Heffalumps and Woozles, Hip, Hip Pooh-Ray, Never Alone (Eyeore’s Lullaby), My Balloon, Wherever You Are, Your Friendship is the Best Ever, I Wanna Scare Myself, The Twelve Days of Christmas, Pooh’s Lullabee, Pooh’s Colorful Present, and another version of Winnie the Pooh.

Another Disney release now in the music stores is Disney’s Greatest. This is a two-volume set containing songs from those enduring Disney movies. Music lovers on a budget will be glad to find out that these albums of 20 cuts each are being sold separately. You can either buy both at the same time or get one now and the second later. Whatever your decision, this collection is a must. Kids will love it and since the contents span the Disney legacy of films from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 to Tarzan of two years ago, I am sure most adults also have plenty of personal memories to go with these songs.

Some of these are Someday My Prince Will Come from Snow White, When You Wish Upon a Star from Pinocchio, The Second Star to the Right from Peter Pan, Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo from Cinderella, Once Upon a Dream from Sleeping Beauty, Under the Sea from Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, from Beauty and the Beast, Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas, A Whole New World from Aladdin, Go the Distance, from Hercules, Reflection from Mulan, You’ll be in My Heart from Tarzan and many others.