Winnie the Pooh is 100 years old. This week, the county that provided his animated voice held a birthday party at Cedartown Library.
Children and their families came to celebrate the “Silly Old Bear” with crafts, games, storytime and a big-screen projector provided by the library, assisted by the Cedartown High School Key Club, and supplemented with an archival display by the Polk County Historical Society.
Kids colored the Pooh’s familiar form, listened to his timeless tales being told, participated in Pooh-themed BINGO, and even enjoyed some undoubtedly Pooh-approved Honeycomb cereal.
Before they watched Pooh’s animated adventures, attendees learned the voice they would be hearing was that of a fellow Polk County native. The role was played to perfection by Cedartown’s own Sterling Holloway, whose first performance occurred in the 1966 short Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. He continued portraying the Pooh through 1977, and was subsequently named a Disney Legend in 1991 – the first person to receive that award in the voice category.
Those familiar with Disney classics may recognize Holloway’s distinctive tones in other characters, including adult Flower (Bambi, 1942), the Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland, 1951), Kaa (The Jungle Book, 1967) and the stork/narrator in several shorter Disney films.
