Winnie-the-Pooh is known as a very loving and gentle character. Even so, he and his friends got into some hot water in China which didn’t end well.
It turns out China has banned Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore, Sputnik News reports. At least when it comes to the social networks Sina Weibo and WeChat.
The reason? People on the internet have used picture comparisons of Pooh and his friends with China’s political leaders.
The comparisons are clearly light-hearted. Still, Beijing doesn’t find it finny or appropriate. As a result, the use of the characters on social media is banned.
It’s not clear whether this will translate into a ban of Winnie-the-Pooh cartoons and toys. Even the emojis featuring Pooh and his friends have been removed, CNN reports. The use of the name was banned, too and it prompted a pop-up message to say it’s against the rules.
If you send a message via a phone, it will appear as sent, but it won’t be received, the BBC added. So, far it seems that the ban is only for the use of Pooh on online chats. Whether this will lead to a ban for toys or even the Pooh movies, is not yet known. One possibility is that the authorities have nothing against Pooh, but don’t want him to be used for political reasons.
