Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too
Encyclopedia
Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too is a Christmas television special based on the Disney
television series The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
, originally broadcast on Saturday December 14, 1991, on ABC
.
TV Guide
ranked the special number 6 on its 10 Best Family Holiday Specials list.
, Christopher Robin
writes out a letter to Santa Claus
for him and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood
, asking for the following presents:
He sends the letter off into the wind, but the next day (Christmas Eve), Winnie the Pooh realizes, after Piglet
informs him, that he did not ask for anything himself, so they go find the letter, which has not gotten very far. Afterwards, they, along with Tigger and Eeyore, go to Rabbit's house and rewrite the letter to include what Pooh wants (a pot of honey, of course). Along the way, though, they become greedy and start upgrading their desires (Rabbit wants a bug sprayer, for instance).
Following this, Tigger, Eeyore, and Rabbit go off to get a tree big enough for "the stuff we're gettin'", with help from a reluctant Gopher
(he is supposed to be hibernating). In the meantime, Pooh and Piglet go back to the point where Christopher Robin sent the letter and cast it off into the wind again. But the wind shifts southward, and the letter follows Pooh all the way to his house. Knowing that the rest of the gang will not get their presents as a result of this, Pooh takes it into his (and Piglet's) hand to make sure the gifts are delivered.
Disguised as Santa, Pooh sneaks out and delivers Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore a super-bouncer barrel, a bug sprayer, and a mobile home, respectively - or rather, handmade versions of said items that break apart upon use. Demanding to know what is going on, the three of them corner "Santa", who insists that he is who he claims to be. But then, Piglet (disguised as a "sorry-lookin' reindeer") slips and makes his sled fall downhill, thus loosening Pooh's disguise.
After explaining what happened, Pooh decides to try to deliver the letter to Santa by himself, leaving the rest of the gang behind to wait up for him. He does not get far, though, as the wind suddenly takes the letter, so he gives up and goes back to the gang. Even after he tells them that he failed in bringing the letter, though, they are happy to have him back, because they have realized what Christmas is really about. Afterwards, Christopher Robin shows up on his new sled and brings them the gifts they had originally asked for. Everyone is happy except Pooh. But then giving Christopher Robin a hug he gets very happy.
and the Disneyland walk-around versions of the Winnie the Pooh characters. The special was then accompanied by the Donald Duck
cartoons The Hockey Champ and Bearly Asleep, as well as a promo for Beauty and the Beast
. According to TVTango.com, the first airing of the special ranked 53rd out of 92 shows that week, averaging a 10.8 rating.
Subsequent broadcasts of the special, as well as the 1994 VHS
release, followed it up with the New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh episode "The Magic Earmuffs". The VHS release also contained a short Spot
cartoon. The VHS was re-released in 1997, with a sneak peek at Recess
before the special. Also, it was later partnered with Mickey's Christmas Carol. It was originally broadcast on ABC
. The special was broadcast on CBS
in 1995. After Disney's purchase of ABC, that network once again became the home of all subsequent broadcasts. It re-aired on ABC in 1996 and kept on air until 1999. It came back on air on December 11, 2007, albeit edited down, after not airing on ABC since then. On December 10, 2008, the edited 2007 version was shown on ABC Family
(along with Mickey's Christmas Carol
) part of their "25 Days of Christmas".
Currently, the only DVD
release available is the direct-to-video
release Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year
, where it is edited into the main feature. However, Christoper Robin's lines are re-dubbed by his voice actor in the film's main story, and Rabbit's animation is recolored to have him in his usual yellow-furred appearance (as opposed to his greenish fur in the New Adventures series).
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
television series The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television that ran from 1988 to 1991, inspired by A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories.-Overview:...
, originally broadcast on Saturday December 14, 1991, on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
.
TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
ranked the special number 6 on its 10 Best Family Holiday Specials list.
Plot
Two days before ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, Christopher Robin
Christopher Robin
Christopher Robin is a character created by A. A. Milne, appearing in his popular books of poetry and stories about Winnie-the-Pooh. He has subsequently appeared in Disney cartoons....
writes out a letter to Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
for him and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood
Hundred Acre Wood
The Hundred Acre Wood is the fictional land inhabited by Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in the Winnie-the-Pooh series of children's stories by author A. A. Milne...
, asking for the following presents:
- RabbitRabbit (Winnie the Pooh)In the fictional world of the book series and cartoons Winnie-the-Pooh, Rabbit is a responsible rabbit who happens to be a good friend of Winnie-the-Pooh. He is always practical and keeps his friends on their toes, although they sometimes raise his ire unintentionally.-Role in the books:The first...
wants a new fly swatter to use against the bugs who constantly invade his garden - EeyoreEeyoreEeyore is a character in the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, anhedonic, old grey stuffed donkey who is a friend of the title character, Winnie-the-Pooh....
wants an umbrella to prevent snow from falling on his house - TiggerTiggerTigger is a fictional tiger-like character originally introduced in A. A. Milne's book The House at Pooh Corner. Like other Pooh characters, Tigger is based on one of Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed animals...
wants a snowshoe so he can bounce in the snow - Christopher Robin wants a sled "big enough for me and maybe a friend or two"
- PigletPiglet (Winnie the Pooh)Piglet is a fictional character from A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books. Piglet is Winnie-the-Pooh's closest friend amongst all the toys/animals featured in the stories...
said Santa Claus could bring whatever he wanted.
He sends the letter off into the wind, but the next day (Christmas Eve), Winnie the Pooh realizes, after Piglet
Piglet (Winnie the Pooh)
Piglet is a fictional character from A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh books. Piglet is Winnie-the-Pooh's closest friend amongst all the toys/animals featured in the stories...
informs him, that he did not ask for anything himself, so they go find the letter, which has not gotten very far. Afterwards, they, along with Tigger and Eeyore, go to Rabbit's house and rewrite the letter to include what Pooh wants (a pot of honey, of course). Along the way, though, they become greedy and start upgrading their desires (Rabbit wants a bug sprayer, for instance).
Following this, Tigger, Eeyore, and Rabbit go off to get a tree big enough for "the stuff we're gettin'", with help from a reluctant Gopher
Gopher (Winnie the Pooh)
Gopher is a fictional grey anthropomorphic gopher character who first appeared in the 1966 Disney animated film Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, introducing himself as Samuel J. Gopher. He has a habit of whistling out his sibilant consonants, one of various traits he has in common with the...
(he is supposed to be hibernating). In the meantime, Pooh and Piglet go back to the point where Christopher Robin sent the letter and cast it off into the wind again. But the wind shifts southward, and the letter follows Pooh all the way to his house. Knowing that the rest of the gang will not get their presents as a result of this, Pooh takes it into his (and Piglet's) hand to make sure the gifts are delivered.
Disguised as Santa, Pooh sneaks out and delivers Tigger, Rabbit, and Eeyore a super-bouncer barrel, a bug sprayer, and a mobile home, respectively - or rather, handmade versions of said items that break apart upon use. Demanding to know what is going on, the three of them corner "Santa", who insists that he is who he claims to be. But then, Piglet (disguised as a "sorry-lookin' reindeer") slips and makes his sled fall downhill, thus loosening Pooh's disguise.
After explaining what happened, Pooh decides to try to deliver the letter to Santa by himself, leaving the rest of the gang behind to wait up for him. He does not get far, though, as the wind suddenly takes the letter, so he gives up and goes back to the gang. Even after he tells them that he failed in bringing the letter, though, they are happy to have him back, because they have realized what Christmas is really about. Afterwards, Christopher Robin shows up on his new sled and brings them the gifts they had originally asked for. Everyone is happy except Pooh. But then giving Christopher Robin a hug he gets very happy.
Broadcast history
When Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too originally aired, it was introduced by way of a short introductory skit featuring Michael EisnerMichael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner is an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until 2005.-Early life:...
and the Disneyland walk-around versions of the Winnie the Pooh characters. The special was then accompanied by the Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
cartoons The Hockey Champ and Bearly Asleep, as well as a promo for Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirtieth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and the third film of the Disney Renaissance period...
. According to TVTango.com, the first airing of the special ranked 53rd out of 92 shows that week, averaging a 10.8 rating.
Subsequent broadcasts of the special, as well as the 1994 VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
release, followed it up with the New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh episode "The Magic Earmuffs". The VHS release also contained a short Spot
Spot the Dog
Spot the Dog is a series of children's books by Eric Hill, which were later made into a popular children's animation series, known as Spot, for BBC television by David McKee's King Rollo Films....
cartoon. The VHS was re-released in 1997, with a sneak peek at Recess
Recess
Recess is a general term for a period of time in which a group of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties. Inparliamentary procedure, a recess is initiated by a motion to recess...
before the special. Also, it was later partnered with Mickey's Christmas Carol. It was originally broadcast on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. The special was broadcast on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in 1995. After Disney's purchase of ABC, that network once again became the home of all subsequent broadcasts. It re-aired on ABC in 1996 and kept on air until 1999. It came back on air on December 11, 2007, albeit edited down, after not airing on ABC since then. On December 10, 2008, the edited 2007 version was shown on ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
(along with Mickey's Christmas Carol
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Mickey's Christmas Carol is a 1983 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution Company. It was directed and produced by Burny Mattinson...
) part of their "25 Days of Christmas".
Currently, the only DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release available is the direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
release Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year
Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year
A Very Merry Pooh Year is a direct to video Winnie the Pooh film released in 2002 which featured the 1991 Christmas TV special Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too, as well as the new film, Happy Pooh Year....
, where it is edited into the main feature. However, Christoper Robin's lines are re-dubbed by his voice actor in the film's main story, and Rabbit's animation is recolored to have him in his usual yellow-furred appearance (as opposed to his greenish fur in the New Adventures series).