Beat it, Christopher Robin. It's time Winnie the Pooh had a girl friend.
The Walt Disney Co is planning a new Winnie the Pooh television series for 2007, and feature an as-yet-unnamed six-year-old girl, a company spokesperson said.
But she cautioned the new character is not a replacement for Christopher Robin'' and added the role, based on author AA Milne's son, is still to be determined, although it will not be central.
The girl will move next door to the beloved characters created by the English author about 80 years ago - Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga and Roo plus a new character, Lumpy, introduced in a recent Pooh movie.
Disney spokesperson Patti McTeague said a 22-minute pilot was tested worldwide in focus groups of preschoolers and parents, to positive feedback.
The new character introduced in the series was crafted because the focus of the series is on interactive learning, and she will have a specific role in advancing the curriculum and will break the fourth wall' to speak directly to the preschool age viewer,'' McTeague said. - Reuters