"Winnie-the-Pooh, commonly shortened to Pooh Bear and once referred to as Edward Bear, is a fictional bear created by A. A. Milne. The character first appeared in book form in Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928). ......Milne named the character Winnie-the-Pooh after a teddy bear owned by his son, Christopher Robin Milne......Christopher Milne had named his teddy after Winnipeg, a bear which he and his father often saw at London Zoo, and "Pooh", a swan they had met while on holiday." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnie_the_Pooh