The Polish Official That Called Winnie the Pooh ‘Disturbing’ Was Maybe Joking

Winnie the Pooh might be the only pants-less character parents happily let around their children, but for one town in Poland, the bear’s unusual wardrobe and his anatomy haven’t gone unnoticed.

Officials in the town of Tuszyn appeared to oppose naming a park after the beloved children’s book character because of his attire, though one has since said that the discussion was in jest, the Associated Press reports.

“The problem with that bear is it doesn’t have a complete wardrobe,” Councillor Ryszard Cichy said in an audio recording of a closed-door meeting that was reportedly leaked to the press, according to the Croatian Times. “It is half naked, which is wholly inappropriate for children.” Another official called Pooh a “hermaphrodite.”

Councillor Hanna Jachimska continued the conversation, suggesting Pooh author Alan Alexander Milne was “disturbing.” “The author was over 60 and cut [Pooh’s] testicles off with a razor blade,” she said, “because he had a problem with his identity.”

Cichy later told a newspaper that he was joking after the official discussion about the playground had gone on too long. At any rate, it’s a good thing the meeting didn’t look too closely at the rest of Pooh’s friends. After all, Eeyore and Tigger are not only pants-less but shirt-free, too.

[AP]