An Invitation to Play: The MFA Winnie-the-Pooh Exhibition

“Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic” opened its doors on Sept. 22, inviting the public to engage with almost 200 artifacts and sketches of author-illustrator pair A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard. The gallery tells the story of their partnership and inspirations, particularly Milne’s son Christopher Robin Milne and his teddy bear named Pooh. As an interactive and exceptionally child-friendly space, it urges adults and kids alike to immerse in their surroundings.

The exhibit opens with a space reminiscent of a nursery. The walls are white with light blue stripes, displaying photos of the Milne family. “We Are Introduced,” reads the wall plaque, which details Christopher Robin Milne’s life in Chelsea, London, and their weekend trips to Ashdown Forest — the inspiration for Pooh’s make-believe home, the Hundred Acre Wood. In an adjacent “nursery” room sits a little bed, a reproduction of Christopher Robin Milne’s, with his favorite toys nearby: Eeyore, Pooh, Piglet, Kanga, and Tigger. Hanging on the wall beside them is a glass-plated letter from A. A. Milne to Shepard. It reads, “I think you must come here on Thursday, if only to get Pooh’s and Piglet’s likeness.” The viewer is steeped in this little boy’s world, which his father so fostered and expanded by way of bedtime stories and the books they inspired.

Then the gallery takes a turn. Without being overtly educational, the environment encourages kids to interact. In the next room, viewers are invited to crawl through a short door, over which a sign reads “MR. SANDERS.” Suddenly, it’s Pooh’s home! All at once, the room becomes a highly interactive space filled with games and activities directed at a young audience. The sound of rain plays through the speakers, reminiscent of the film clip “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.” Kids thunder, skipping across a Poohsticks bridge. There is a slide, and a Hunny dining table where kids can sit and sketch.

It’s loud, exciting, and stimulating, and this emphasis on interplay — and play itself — is no accident. Wall text abounds with descriptions of collaboration between the Milne-Shepard families, as well as the subtlety of “Winnie-the-Pooh’s” educational agenda.

“Milne reveals the characters rather than describing them,” one wall reads. “We come to know them gradually through their conversations and adventures.”

The gallery’s thematic focus on interplay results in a provocative, exciting experience, as viewers are encouraged not to glide through galleries passively, but rather to make some noise, draw some connections, learn something new by tapping into their inner child. No matter what age, visitors to the gallery won’t help but walk over the Poohsticks bridge.