Reta's Bear 1921

"But that bear ~ the one on the [right,] has a very special look about him:  the sort of Bear who might not necessarily have been Born Great, but who will either Achieve Greatness or have Greatness Thrust Upon Him!" ~ Brian Sibley.

"It was just such a bear, a handsome fellow in golden mohair, that, in August 1921, was purchased from the toy department of Harrods in London by Mrs Daphne Milne as a first birthday present for her son, named Christopher Robin, but known to the family as 'Billy Moon'.
"...Mr. Milne may not have immediately recognised the furry newcomer's literary potential (and it was to be some years before he became known as Winnie-the-Pooh), but one-year-old Billy loved his Bear from the very first.  'Every only-child has his favourite toy,' he was to write many years after, 'and every only-child has a special need of one.  Pooh was mine.'"

~ Three Cheers for Pooh, A Celebration of the Best Bear in All the World, by Brian Sibley, Egmont Children's Books Limited.  2001.

Photo:  My Mother, Reta Melick's beloved bear.  Reta was born on Sept., 28, 1921.  (Reta's bear ~ although mended ~ looks similar to and was purchased around the same time as Christopher Robin's.)

Original Winnie-the-Pooh Toys ~ Wikipedia

Winnie-the-Pooh and Friends ~ the original toys ~ reside at The New York Library on 42nd Street.  Every year thousands of children and their parents some to see them.