Wednesday Word of the Day: Anthropomorphic

I love Winnie the Pooh. When my four were all little we spent HOURS watching the Pooh videos. Last Friday I took my two "littles" to see the new movie. Seventeen and nineteen are not too old to enjoy all that Winnie the Pooh has to offer. We laughed and learned. The voices were almost identical to the originals and the adventure was new. Of course the story began with a rumbly tummy…

What is a rumbly tummy and what is a Pooh? Well, Winnie the Pooh was created by A.A. Milne back in 1926 and the boy in the stories, Christopher Robin, was his son’s name. Pooh is a lovable teddy bear whose tummy is always rumbly and hungry for honey. The stories are classics and the videos that Disney produced are delightful. Pooh has lots of friends in the Hundred Acre Wood where he “lives”. The forest is modeled after a real one in England called Ashland Forest. I love the British accent that Christopher has in the movie.

When I taught first grade we did a Pooh dance in the spring musical so I know all the words to the song. I can also tell you the T-I-G-G-E-R cheer. Did I mention I have a cat named Tigger?

I was hunting down some Pooh facts when I came across a word I wasn’t familiar with; anthropomorphic. The Encarta Dictionary defines it as "attribution of human characteristics to nonhumans". Well that explains why I love Pooh and his friends so much-they really are like people!

I asked my husband which Pooh character he was like. I stumped him. I guess no one had ever asked him such a deep question.

I am a blend of ALL the Pooh characters.
Pooh: I’m silly and often hungry,I love honey, I like wearing red and I love my friends
Rabbit: Although I’m not a great gardener I do like order and can be short-tempered
Piglet: I like pink, I worry too much and often get scared
Kanga: I too am a mother who tries to be patient
Roo: I'm easily excitable
Eeyorre: Yep, I have my gloomy days and sometimes see the glass half-empty
Owl: I love books and need glasses but I don’t pretend to be wise
Tigger: Give me my morning coffee and I’m cheerful and bouncy (and I’m the only me!)
Christopher Robin: I always played pretend as a child and loved my stuffies and dolls
(Gopher wasn’t in the new movie and I can’t really think of how I compare to him…)

My youngest has all the stuffed animals, the books and even a hand-painted Pooh toy box. I have the feeling that when she becomes a Momma, her little one will have a delightful Pooh-themed nursery.

I don’t want to spoil the movie for you by telling you everything that happens, but let’s just say the anthropomorphic animals reminded me once again, about compassion and friendship.
“If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” Ecclesiastes 4:10 (This also applies to losing your tail…)

Lesson Learned: Friends are even more important than a rumbly tummy and you’re never too old to enjoy Winnie the Pooh.

Which Pooh character are you most like?

In His Grip, Jane