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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Hallie Golden

British Embassy quashes Winnie-the-Pooh return rumors, keeping the famed bear in New York

Winnie The Pooh - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

It turns out Winnie-the-Pooh and his fluffy friends aren't getting bear-napped from their longtime home at the New York Public Library.

The British Embassy in Washington dispelled rumors Thursday about a campaign to return the collection of stuffed animals including the “willy nilly silly old bear" to the United Kingdom. The toys were owned by English author A.A. Milne's son — the real-life Christopher Robin — in the 1920s and served as the inspiration for the characters in the writer's beloved children’s books.

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