With a new year comes new content entering the public domain. While many are currently preoccupied with the original version of Mickey Mouse entering the public domain (technically) there is one other character that Disney no longer has the exclusive rights to, that being Tigger from the Winnie the Pooh series.
Winnie the Pooh officially entered the public domain in 2022. The character’s first appearance was in the 1926 book of the same name and he and all of his friends came along. Well, almost everyone. The popular character of Tigger, a high jumping, fast talking tiger, first appeared in the sequel book The House at Pooh Corner in 1928.
Now, with all 1928 works being considered public domain, Tigger is now free. Now all works by author A. A. Milne associated with the iconic characters are available to anyone, with a catch, of course.
Disney still owns the rights to their version of the character, which first appeared in the 1974 short Winnie the Pooh & Tigger Too, which was later compiled into the 1977 anthology film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. All traits that were exclusive to this version of the character are property of the Walt Disney Company.
In addition to that, other Pooh characters such as Gopher, Lumpy, and Kessie are all originally created under Disney, thus, they won’t be available to the public for many more decades.
One project that is already underway is the sequel to the poorly received yet financially successful horror film Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, which will feature a version of Tigger that looks like he came from The Island of Dr. Moreau. It is currently set for a theatrical release on February 14th, 2024.
Are you excited to see Tigger bouncing his way to freedom to join his friends? Do you plan on using Tigger in a personal project? Let us know.
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