Eeyore (
ˈiː.jɔː(r) (help·info)) is a character in the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A.A. Milne. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, melancholic, depressed, old grey stuffed ass who is a friend of the title character, Winnie-the-Pooh.
His name is an representation of the onomatopoeic phrase "hee-haw," which refers to the braying sound made by a donkey, written in the Cockney dialect, in which the silent 'h' are dropped and supplanted by an intrusive 'r'. [1] [2]
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Original works
Eeyore appears in the works Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner where he is the focus of stories such as Eeyore Loses a Tail, Eeyore Has a Birthday and Eeyore Finds the Wolery. In the first story, Eeyore is found characterically moping:[3]
| “ | The old grey donkey, Eeyore, stood by himself in a corner of the forest, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he did not quite know what he was thinking about.
So when Winnie-the-Pooh, the bear, came stumping along, Eeyore was very glad to stop thinking for a little, in order to say "How do you do?" in a gloomy manner to him. |
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Disney cartoon version
Eeyore also appears in the Winnie the Pooh cartoons popularized by Disney studios. He was originally voiced by Ralph Wright, was based on Michael Liston, and his current voice actor is Peter Cullen.
He was ridden by Rabbit in his search for train "borrowers" in The Tigger Without A Name and The Pooh With A Name. Nearly all of Eeyore's houses in the cartoons have been bounced down. Eeyore is not good at rebuilding the houses; woozles bounce on them. Yet he soldiers on and rebuilds them time after time. Despite his depressive nature, Eeyore is capable of great compassion, which is shown when he grows a plant that Rabbit, a master gardener, was unable to grow, just by showing the plant a little love.
Eeyore has also been featured in a number of movies: Piglet's Big Movie, The Tigger Movie and Pooh's Heffalump Movie. He appears at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts for meet and greets. His catchphrases are "Thanks for noticin' me" and "Ohhh-kayyy".
In merchandise by The Walt Disney Company, Eeyore sometimes has an uncharacteristic smile. Also, he is somewhat less caustic and sarcastic in the Disney version than in Alan Milne's original stories. His tail was not always fixed to him by a nail, although Disney has chosen this as part of his permanent image. Eeyore lost his tail in the Hundred Acre Wood. Owl found it and used it as a bell-pull beside his door, before Winnie-the-Pooh found it for Eeyore. Christopher Robin then pinned it back on. According to Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, this was possible because Eeyore is full of sawdust. Also, when Eeyore appears in animation he is colored his natural grey, though he is coloured blue with a pink muzzle in merchandising.
Influence on popular culture
- Eeyore is also the subject of a long-standing celebration in Austin, Texas called Eeyore's Birthday Party.[4]
See also
References
- ^ Pyles, Thomas. The Origins and Development of the English Language. 2nd Edition. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich; New York. (1971).
- ^ http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2008/10/some-onomatopoeia.html
- ^ New Connect For Communication, ISBN 9788125024255, http://books.google.com/books?id=H9igTWaSN_QC&pg=PA90
- ^ Sexton, Scott. Eeyore's Birthday Party. Retrieved March 4, 2006.
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