Today is the birthday of a little guy who is fresh in the public domain. Winnie-the-Pooh is a funny little teddy bear from some stories by A. A. Milne. Pooh bear's earliest appearance was published in 1926, so now it's in the public domain. That being said, The Disney Corporation still owns copyright and trademarks on their version of the character, and likewise for that Soviet version of Pooh. Just because the little bear in the original books is in the public domain doesn't mean you can pull from the adaptations without a potential legal headache. Also, Pooh was nakey in the original book, so if you want to work with him, you have to decide how to dress him yourself.
That being said, my favorite Winnie the Pooh character, Tigger, is not in the public domain yet. He first showed up in The House at Pooh Corner, which was published two years after the original book, unlike the rest of the books main cast. We'll just all have to wait for 2024 for him to be able to join his friends in the public domain.
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