[Milne, A.A.]

Pooh bear, 290 by 140mm., yellow brown velour, thread-knot eyes, red cloth clothing, one thread eye unknotted, small split to seam of left leg; Piglet, 270 by 70mm., light brown velour, plastic eyes, red brown silk ribbon tied around neck, lacking one arm, repairs to feet, metal support slightly protruding from back of one foot

 



Piglet carries an ink inscription from A.A. Milne to Barbara Seligman, “To Babs” (right foot) and “from A.A. Milne” (left foot).

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

One of the earliest products of one of the first and most successful licensing deals ever made.

Milne signed a deal on 6 January 1930 with the American literary agent and marketer Stephen Slesinger to sell merchandising rights to the Winnie-the-Pooh works. He was not the first to turn a literary creation into a stuffed toy (Beatrix Potter had gone before him in that respect), but his deal took merchandising to a new level. By November 1931, according to Fortune magazine, Pooh was a $50 million-a-year business. Slesinger retained the sole rights for more than 30 years, until he sold part of them to Disney in 1961.

Slesinger granted manufacturing rights to the Pooh doll to the American toy manufacturer Agnes Brush, who is credited with first putting Pooh into his signature red shirt. These dolls have the appearance of being early prototypes, preceding the manufactured versions. Pooh here wears a full body suit, rather than a shirt, and the resemblance to Shepard’s illustrations is more remote than in Brush’s earliest manufactured version.

The recipient Barbara Seligman was a personal friend of Milne's. She was married to Vincent Julian Seligman, descendant of a German Jewish mercantile family that emigrated to the USA and London in the 19th century. Vincent’s father ran the London bank Seligman Brothers; his mother came from an artistic and musical family, and had an affair with Puccini. Seligman had dedicated his 1923 book, Oxford Oddities, to Milne. In return he was recipient of a specially inscribed copy of one of the twenty deluxe copies of The House at Pooh Corner in 1928 (see previous lot), as well as the manuscript of Milne's play Michael and Mary, inscribed and specially bound as a joint wedding present, in 1930.