Blackpool Grand Theatre celebrated the wonderful world of Winnie the Pooh this Wednesday 18 January by lighting up the town with glorious yellow and red colours for Winnie the Pooh Day!
There was a Grand celebration for Winnie the Pooh Day today (Wednesday 18 January) as Blackpool Grand Theatre brought the magic of Hundred Acre Wood to the seaside to commemorate writer A.A. Milne’s birthday.
There was brightly coloured yellow and red bunting, beautiful balloon displays at Blackpool Grand’s Box Office on Church Street, plus the chance to win a fantastic Winnie the Pooh family ticket and their own Winnie the Pooh, running on the theatre’s Facebook channels until the end of the week.
To light up the town, the Grand Theatre even arranged for Blackpool’s famous Tower to light up in yellow and red to say Happy Birthday and Thank You to the famous author who created everyone’s favourite honey-loving, bright yellow bear with the famous red jumper. Also joining in the celebrations was Blackpool Transport’s own buses featuring animations on the on-board screens as well as lighting up the Promenade along South Promenade on the large outdoor screen at Sandcastle Waterpark.
“‘What day is it?’ asked Pooh.
‘It’s Winnie the Pooh Day,’ squeaked Piglet.
‘My favourite day,’ said Pooh.”
The Winnie the Pooh stories were originally created by author A.A. Milne after he heard his son Christopher Robin talking to his stuffed toy animals. Milne’s lovable central character was inspired by a black bear named Winnie who lived at London Zoo during World War I and was often visited by the author’s son, who then named his own teddy bear after him. Their friendship inspired the now classic collection of books starting with When We Were Young in 1924, with Winnie the Pooh published in 1926, Now We Are Six in 1927 and The House at Pooh Corner in 1928, all beautifully illustrated by E.H. Shepard.
A childhood favorite for many for generations, the enchanting adventures took millions of children through the Hundred Acre Wood to meet Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin and their best friends Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit and Owl and Tigger; with each character playing a unique role in the story. Milne’s books have since been translated into over 50 languages and National Winnie the Pooh Day has been observed on January 18 (the day of A.A. Milne’s birthday) since 1986.
Disney bought the rights to the all the Winnie the Pooh characters in the 1960s and went on to produce a series of much-loved cartoon films and, most recently, the smash-hit live action film Christopher Robin starring Ewan McGregor in 2018.
Winnie the Pooh and friends will now be bringing a sweet new live adventure to Blackpool Grand Theatre from Monday 14 to Wednesday 16 August 2023 with the UK tour of the beautifully crafted new musical stage adaptation Disney’s Winnie the Pooh featuring stunning life-size puppetry. Inspired by the adored books and the classic Disney featurettes, the production was first welcomed in New York in 2021, breaking theatre box office records and receiving rave reviews. This exciting new musical is developed and presented by renowned family entertainment creator Jonathan Rockefeller (whose spectacular puppetry appears in the acclaimed productions of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show and Paddington Gets in a Jam).
A.A. Milne’s beloved characters Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin and their best friends Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit and Owl (and Tigger too!) will be live on stage in an enchanting new tale of Hundred Acre Wood, told through the eyes of the characters we all know and cherish.
An original score by Nate Edmondson also features some of the Grammy award-winning songs written by the Sherman Brothers for the original animated features – including Winnie the Pooh, The Blustery Day, The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers and Whoop-De-Dooper Bounce, plus A.A. Milne’s The More It Snows (featuring music by Carly Simon) and Sing Ho in a new arrangement.
“Sometime the smallest things take up the most room in your heart…” – Winnie the Pooh
Celebrate Winnie the Pooh Day and book your seats now!You can’t ‘bear’ to miss it!
Disney’s Winnie the Pooh is at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Monday 14 August to Wednesday 16 August 2023. Visit BlackpoolGrand.co.uk or call the box office on 01253 290 190 for bookings and further information.
