Winnie-the-Pooh is turning 100 this month, and the New York Public Library is throwing a borough-wide party to mark it. On Staten Island, branches have spent October hosting free storytimes, birthday celebrations and craft sessions tied to the beloved bear, with one standout event Thursday letting kids build and decorate their very own stuffed bears to take home.
A Month of Honey-Pot Festivities Across the Island
The celebration kicked off on October 1 with a Winnie-the-Pooh themed infant storytime at the Richmondtown Library, followed by a birthday party there on October 6, according to silive.com. The same report notes that Staten Island branches have been running a full slate of free programs throughout the month, pairing the Pooh festivities with Halloween-themed activities for families. Penguin Random House is also chipping in, providing free book giveaways at participating events while supplies last, per the outlet.
Port Richmond Library held its own double feature, with a Young Artists program on October 1 followed by a Mini Makers session the next day, where children crafted paper-plate versions of Winnie the Pooh, the report states. That hands-on spirit continues Thursday at the Tottenville Library, where kids can create and decorate their own stuffed bears to take home on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 3:30 p.m., according to the same account.
Manhattan's Centennial Bash and a Real-Life Pooh Bear
The celebration moves to Manhattan on Friday, when the library's Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library hosts a centennial event at 2 p.m., according to pooh100.com. The site describes giveaways, photo opportunities and activity sheets among the planned surprises, and notes that select birthday cards mailed in as part of the centennial campaign will be displayed at the library alongside participating bookstores and libraries elsewhere.
These festivities sit alongside a quieter, more permanent tribute inside the library's walls. The actual Winnie-the-Pooh toy, along with the other stuffed animals that inspired author A.A. Milne, resides in a climate-controlled case as part of the Polonsky Exhibition of New York Public Library's Treasures, according to the New York Times. The toy was purchased from Harrods department store in the 1920s and given by Milne to his son, Christopher Robin Milne, the paper reports.
A Birthday a Century in the Making
The anniversary itself traces back to October 14, 1926, when Winnie-the-Pooh was first published by E.P. Dutton, according to Publishers Weekly. The trade publication's coverage also points to a centennial festival in Abilene, Texas, running June 11 through 14, anchored by an exhibition that includes original illustrations by E.H. Shepard alongside Pooh-inspired artwork, showing the celebration has stretched well beyond New York this year.
Back home, the scale of the library's commitment is considerable. NYPL is hosting Pooh-related events at all 88 of its local branches throughout September and October, per pooh100.com, with Gothamist describing programming spanning three boroughs that includes movies, readings, bingo and crafts. As CBS News reports, the library's special events and displays feature both original illustrations and the childhood toys that inspired the author, tying the month's parties directly back to the century-old story that started it all.
