Christopher Robin

Christopher Robin is a character created by A. A. Milne, appearing in Milne's poems and in the two books: Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928). In the books he is a young boy who is one of Winnie-the-Pooh's best friends. His other friends are Eeyore, Kanga and Roo, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, and Tigger. In the second book, there are hints that Christopher Robin is growing up; in the final chapter, the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood throw him a farewell party after learning that he must leave them soon, apparently to attend boarding school.

Christopher Robin was based upon the author's own son, Christopher Robin Milne, who – much like Peter Llewelyn Davies – became unhappy with the use of his name. He wrote in one of a series of autobiographical works: "It seemed to me almost that my father had got where he was by climbing on my infant shoulders, that he had filched from me my good name and left me nothing but empty fame." In addition to the two Pooh books the character was immortalized in other works by A. A. Milne, including two books of poems: When We Were Very Young (1924) and Now We Are Six (1927). One of the poems, Vespers – which cloyingly describes little Christopher Robin saying his bedtime prayers – was said by Christopher Milne as "the one work that has brought me over the years more toe-curling, fist-clenching, lip-biting embarrassment than any other".

A musical arrangement of another of the poems, Buckingham Palace, was recorded by Ann Stephens in July 1941. Petula Clark released a recording of it in 1953 to coincide with the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and despite neither making the charts, both versions were popular on BBC radio's Children's Favourites programme. The poem describes Christopher Robin's visit to the palace, with a girl named only as "Alice"... possibly intended to be Alice of Wonderland fame.

The original editions of Milne's books were illustrated by E. H. Shepard, who established the look of Christopher Robin and his friends, as a precious-looking pre-school boy with stuffed toys who at times moved on their own.

Media producer Stephen Slesinger acquired the rights to Winnie-the-Pooh and related characters such as Christopher Robin from A. A. Milne in 1930, and developed the visual look by which the characters are best known today, including Pooh's trademark red shirt and Christopher Robin as a school-age boy. He turned Pooh and friends into a media phenomenon, and his widow licensed the rights to Disney in 1961. Since 1966, Disney has released numerous features starring Winnie-the-Pooh and related characters. Christopher Robin is the only character from the cast not to appear in the Kingdom Hearts video game series; in this continuity, the Winnie-the-Pooh book belongs to Merlin, and Christopher Robin's role is played out mostly by Kingdom Heart's protagonist Sora.

In 2009, the Milne estate – to which had reverted the sequel rights – authorized the publication of Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus, which features Christopher Robin and the rest of the cast in the writing and illustration style of Milne and Shepard's books.