Winnie-the-Pooh collectable coins to mark bear's 95th anniversary - BBC News
The Royal Mint commemorate the world's favourite fictional bear's 95th birthday with nine-piece set.
Winnie-the-Pooh is one of a few animated characters with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in Los Angeles

You've probably heard of Poohsticks, now here come the Pooh coins.

Forget the stick game made up by Winnie-the-Pooh for a minute (although it is a classic) because the Royal Mint has marked the famous bear's 95th birthday with collectable coins.

Mint designers have said the nine commemorative coins are inspired by E H Shepard's original drawings in A A Milne's classic children's book.

The Winnie-the-Pooh and Friends set will be released later this year.

Pooh is well-known for words of wisdom and the Hundred Acre Wood's most famous resident once said "sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart".

But the coins which will bear images of Pooh and friends will take up most room in your moneybox as they will be 50p pieces - available in gold, silver and a special-edition colour.

The bear first appeared in print in 1926 and follows Peter Rabbit, Harry Potter, Paddington Bear and Alice in Wonderland in being immortalised on UK currency.

The Royal Mint unveiled its latest coin collection on Thursday and one of the pieces features a group shot of Pooh, Piglet, Owl, Eeyore, Rabbit, Tigger, Kanga and Roo.

The Winnie the Pooh and Friends collectable coins set will be available later in 2021

The coins feature an original watercolour effect and were created at The Royal Mint's south Wales headquarters by designer Daniel Thorne who said he wanted to "stay true to the iconic E H Shepard decorations".

"Using inspiration from the original decorations of E H Shepard has been a fantastic experience but one that has also tested me," he said.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The real inspiration for the illustrations of Winnie the Pooh has been revealed

"With each design, so much care and attention has been given to remastering the iconic decorations for the canvas of a coin while staying true to the texts people know and love.

"I also wanted to add something extra special for collectors, with the bee motif.

The Royal Mint designer Daniel Thorne has helped design nine Winnie-the-Pooh and Friends coins

"Inspired by the original decorations, the buzzy bee from the storybooks features on each of the nine coins in the collection. I hope collectors can appreciate the beauty in each design in the range and enjoy the special colour editions."

Pooh and friends, now part of the Disney brand, have been family favourites for almost 100 years and the Royal Mint, based in Llantristant, Rhondda Cynon Taf, said its design was a "fitting tribute to the much-loved adventures".

"Winnie-the-Pooh is a treasured children's classic which, much like the popular hobby of coin collecting, has been passed down through generations," said Clare Maclennan, of the Royal Mint's commemorative coin division.

"As we celebrate 95 years of Winnie-the-Pooh, the latest design featuring Pooh and friends is a fitting tribute to the much-loved adventures.

"Fans of Winnie-the-Pooh can enjoy the coins individually, or as part of the nine-coin collection released over three years. We are buzzing with excitement to bring these wonderful characters and memories to life on a collectable 50p coin series."