Giuliani, Pataki vow to fight 'repatriation' of Pooh Five

Library says it has received official assurances Britain will not request return of stuffed animals

(CNN) -- New York's mayor and the state's governor weighed in on the flap over the so-called Pooh Five Thursday, pledging to do everything they can to keep the original stuffed animals, models for A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh characters, on display at the New York Public Library.

New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani termed British Parliament member Gwyneth Dunwoody's call for the animals' return "fightin' words," and scheduled a visit to the library to show his support for their continued stay in New York.

"We're not a colony any more," the mayor said. "This is no longer a foreign city. We were freed a long time ago. (The stuffed animals have) been very happy here."

Governor George Pataki fell in line with Giuliani. "There's no better place in the world for this kind of exhibit," he said.

Dunwoody launched the controversy this week when she asked the British government to have the stuffed animals -- the models used by artist Ernest Howard Shepard for his line drawings illustrating the Pooh stories -- returned to England.

"Fair enough," Dunwoody said after hearing Giuliani's response. "I am happy to do battle with the mayor of New York, any day he likes. He says I use fighting words -- well, I do." She suggested the Brits could send back some American imports, starting with "a few of Jackson Pollock's paintings."

The animals look "forlorn" and want to return home, Dunwoody said earlier.

But British Prime Minister Tony Blair, on his first visit to the United States as prime minister, told CNN Thursday that the repatriation of Winnie, Eeyore, Piglet, Kanga and Tigger will not "feature very greatly in my talks with President Clinton."

"I guess they will be happy enough where they are, really," he added.

Blair said he'd only learned that it was "an important issue" since his arrival Wednesday evening.

The whole "bother" -- as Pooh might have called it -- may be moot anyway. Library officials tell CNN the British Information Service has already said that there would be no attempt to reclaim the animals.

The collection, kept in a climate-controlled, bullet-proof case, was donated to the library in 1987 by E.P. Dutton, who first published the adventures of Christopher Robin and his animal friends in 1926. Milne bought the animals at London's Harrods department store more than 70 years ago. He sent them to the United States for a book tour in 1947 and eventually gave them to Dutton as a gift.

Library spokeswoman Nancy Donner said about 750,000 people visit the Pooh display each year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related story:

• Britain assures U.S. library it can keep Pooh characters - February 4, 1998

Related sites:

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• Pooh Corner
• Friends of Pooh Web Ring
• Pooh's Yellow Pages (links)
• United Kingdom Parliament
• New York Public Library

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

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