The Real Winnie-the-Pooh Lives at the New York Public Library. When Queen Camilla Visited the Bear, She Reunited Him With a Dear Friend

On a state visit to the United States this week, the queen of the United Kingdom became the first British royal to visit the library as she fulfilled a mission to complete the set of toys that Christopher Robin once owned

Mary Randolph | Correspondent

May 1, 2026

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Winnie-the-Pooh’s entourage just got a little bit larger. In a visit to the New York Public Library Wednesday, the queen of the United Kingdom, Camilla, returned a long-lost friend to the bear: Roo, a baby kangaroo toy missing since the 1930s.

Already at home at the library are the rest of the original toys that inspired A.A. Milne’s iconic books about a honey-loving bear, his animal friends and Christopher Robin. Milne gave his son, the real-life Christopher Robin, a stuffed bear from Harrods in 1921, and the rest of the toys were additional gifts as the boy grew up.

The toys—Pooh, Kanga, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger—toured the United States in the 1940s and were eventually donated to the New York Public Library in 1987. But somewhere along the way, Roo, Kanga’s baby, was lost. (According to the library, the scene of the crime was an apple orchard in the 1930s.)

During a state visit to the U.S. this week by the British king and queen that also included a speech to Congress and celebrations of the 250th birthday of the U.S., Camilla extended another cultural olive branch by returning a replica of Roo to his friends. Merrythought, England’s oldest surviving teddy bear manufacturer, created the new Roo.

The new toy is “probably looking a little smarter than the original Roo might,” says Sarah Holmes, Merrythought’s managing director, to BBC News’ Danny Pike and Chloe Hughes.

“We were very lucky in the fact that we actually had what we believe is the original Kanga and Roo, or the same product, in our archives—so we could refer to that to create a really accurate re-creation of Roo,” she says.

Although Milne published only a few Winnie-the-Pooh books, they’ve inspired a century of bedtime stories, toy replications and films. Unlike some original stories that are eclipsed by the Disney franchises they inspired, such as the “The Snow Queen” tale that influenced the movie Frozen, Pooh’s literary legacy still looms large, reported Patrick Sauer for Smithsonian magazine in 2017.

“I grew up with the books, Milne’s words and [E.H.] Shepard’s illustrations are the fabric of British life,” Simon Vaughan, who co-wrote the film Goodbye Christopher Robin, told Sauer.

As important as the bear and his friends are to British literature, some have argued that the toys should be returned to their home country. But Camilla’s gift seems to cement their place at the New York Public Library.

Camilla’s visit was also part of her campaign to support reading and literacy, and the reception included attendees such as actress Sarah Jessica Parker, author Amor Towles and former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, reports Sarah Lyall for the New York Times.

“On behalf of the library and our millions of visitors, we thank Her Majesty Queen Camilla—and we welcome Roo to New York City,” Anthony W. Marx, president and CEO of the New York Public Library, says in a statement. “Roo will help us continue to share the wonder and magic of this timeless story with readers of all ages for generations to come.”

Mary Randolph | Read More

Mary Randolph is a former editorial intern with Smithsonian magazine.