Literary Toons: The New Adventures of Winnie The Pooh (1988)

A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh had starred in a series of primetime specials from the 60's through the early 80's. Some of the earliest ones had been narrated by actor Sebastian Cabot (Checkmate, Family Affair). In the late 80's, Disney decided it was time for Pooh to branch out, shall we say, and into a weekly series.

The New Adventures of Winnie The Pooh bowed on Disney Channel in January 1988, and was picked up for broadcast television by ABC later that same year. The series' initial run lasted three years on ABC (1988-91), but the show was later brought back to fill some space and stuck around until 2002, largely because Winnie was still a marketable brand. Cable reruns continued until the last decade, and now the series rests in Disney's vaults. There was a separate series, Welcome to Pooh Corner, aimed squarely at preschoolers, that aired on Disney Channel as well, as recently as a few years ago.

Jim Cummings inherited the title role of Pooh, after Sterling Holloway had essayed the part in the primetime specials, and would later succeed the inestimable Paul Winchell as Tigger, though Winchell would later return for a couple of specials.

Here's the intro:



Rating; A.