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![]() Thursday, February 5, 1998 Published at 21:08 GMT ![]() ![]() ![]() UK ![]() NY holding on to the 'Winnie the Pooh Five' ![]() Winnie, Tigger, Kanga, Eeyore and Piglet: "guests" of the New York library service
"The wonderful thing about Tiggers ... Is I'm the only one!"
The toys are the original animals, bought by AA Milne from Harrods in London more than
70 years ago. They formed the basis for his hugely popular Christopher Robin stories.
The New York Post, in a front-page story on Thursday, bluntly told Mrs Dunwoody:
"That's New York's response to Brits who want to yank Winnie the Pooh and his
four plush friends from the comfort of their home at the New York Public Library
and drag them back home to England."
He declared: "This is no longer a foreign city. We were freed a long time
ago." He described Mrs Dunwoody's campaign as "fightin' words", vowing to visit the stuffed animals to show his support.
However, Mrs Dunwoody, has insisted said that the figures are part of Britain's heritage and that they want to come home.
She said the first publisher of the books took the stuffed animals over to New York and donated them to the library.
"Just like the Greeks want their Elgin marbles back so we want our Winnie the Pooh back, along with all his splendid friends and it is about time we got them back. This is where they belong. They plainly want to come home after 70 wasted years exile."
However, Mrs Dunwoody's hopes that Mr Blair will take a tough line with the Americans appear to be evaporating.
In his interview with the American TV network ABC, the Prime Minister said the issue would not be high on the agenda of his meeting with President Clinton.
He played down suggestions that the ex-pat. toys looked glum in their current home. "I'm sure they are perfectly well looked after where they are," he said.
"I seem to remember they always did look a bit unhappy."
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