Eeyore

For the Slipknot song, seeSlipknot (album).

Eeyore(/ˈiːɔːr/EE-or) is a fictional character in theWinnie-the-Poohbooks byA. A. Milne.He is an old, greystuffeddonkeyand friend of the title character, Winnie-the-Pooh. Eeyore is generally characterised aspessimistic,depressed,andanhedonic.

Eeyore
Winnie-the-Poohcharacter
Illustration by Ernest Howard Shepard fromWinnie-the-Pooh(1926), by A. A. Milne.
First appearance	Winnie-the-Pooh(1926)
Created by	A. A. Milne
In-universe information
Species	Donkey
Gender	Male

A. A. Milne books

Eeyore appears in chapters 4, 6, 7, and 10 ofWinnie-the-Poohand is mentioned in a few others. He also appears in every chapter ofThe House at Pooh Cornerexcept chapter 7. His name is anonomatopoeicrepresentation of thebrayingsound made by a normal donkey, usually represented as "hee haw" inAmerican English:the spelling with an "r" is explained by the fact that Milne and most of his intended audience spoke anon-rhoticvariety of English in which the "r" in "Eeyore" is not pronounced as /r/.

Physically, Eeyore is described as an "old grey donkey". InErnest H. Shepard'sillustrations, he appears to be about chin-high toPoohand about hip-high toChristopher Robin.He has a long,detachable tailwith a pink bow on the end, of which he is very fond, but which he is also prone to losing (Owlonce mistakes it for a bell-pull). Christopher Robin is able to reattach the tail with adrawing pin.

InThe House at Pooh Corner,Eeyore's level of literacy is unclear. When Christopher Robin shows him the letter "A", Eeyore does not understand its meaning, knowing only that "it means learning", something he desperately wants to be seen as having, but he angrily destroys the letter after finding that Rabbit (who is quite literate) knows about it already. Nevertheless, he spells his own name "eoR" when signing the "rissolution" (resolution) that the animals give Christopher Robin as a farewell present in the final chapter. Eeyore also wrote the awkwardly-rhymed poem called "POEM", which appeared on the "rissolution", making him the only character in the Winnie-the-Pooh books other than Pooh himself who attempts to write poetry (a fact that Eeyore himself notes). When Pooh humbly declares that Eeyore's poetry is better than his own, "really believing it to be true", Eeyore vainly replies that "it was meant to be".

Eeyore has a poor opinion of most of the other animals in the Forest, describing them as having "No brain at all, some of them", "only grey fluff that's blown into their heads by mistake" (from chapter 1 ofThe House at Pooh Corner). Eeyore's favorite food isthistles.He lives in the southeast corner of theHundred Acre Wood,in an area labeled "Eeyore's Gloomy Place: Rather Boggy and Sad" on the map in theWinnie-the-Poohbook. He has a stick house therein called The House at Pooh Corner. Pooh and Piglet built it for him after accidentally mistaking the original house that Eeyore built for a pile of sticks. On Eeyore's birthday, he is given an empty honey jar from Pooh for keeping things in, a popped red balloon from Piglet to keep in the pot, and a note from Owl.

Eeyore is also surprisingly good at the gamePoohsticks,winning more times than anyone else when it is played in the sixth chapter.

Adaptations

Disney adaptations

Eeyore (Disney version)
Eeyore as depicted byDisney
First appearance	Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree(1966)
Created by	A.A. Milne
Voiced by	Ralph Wright(1966–1983) Thurl Ravenscroft(record release) Ron Feinberg(1981) Ron Gans(1983–1986) Peter Cullen(1988–present) Brad Garrett(Disney's Animated Storybook: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree,Ready to Read with Pooh,Christopher Robin,Ralph Breaks the Internet) Gregg Berger(video games; 1998–2006, 2011,ride,Seasons of Giving) Bud Luckey(2011 film) Jim Meskimen(Once Upon a Studio) Dylan Alvarado (Playdate with Winnie the Pooh)
In-universe information
Species	Donkey
Gender	Male

Eeyore appears in theWinnie the Poohcartoonsproduced byThe Walt Disney Company.He is somewhat less caustic and sarcastic in the Disney version than in Milne's original stories. Though often a supporting character,Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyorefocuses on him. He is physically one of the stronger animals and is often treated as apack animalwhenever a plot calls for one. His house is regularly knocked down, but he always rebuilds it. He usually expects misfortune to happen to him, accepts it when it does and rarely even tries to prevent it. His catchphrases are "Thanks for noticin' me" and "Ohhh-kayyy". His pessimistic outlook was also shown in an encounter with Piglet, who cheerfully bade him "Good morning!" Eeyore responded, "Well, I suppose it is...for some."

Despite his depressive nature, Eeyore is capable of great compassion, whereas in the books he is more apathetic. Several episodes ofThe New Adventures of Winnie the Poohexemplify this, including "Donkey for a Day", "Stripes", "Home is Where the Home is" and "Eeyi Eeyi Eeyore". Eeyore is usually one of the core group of animals, along withPooh,Piglet,RabbitandTigger.Of these five, he is the most reluctant to go along with their plans or adventures, but does not oppose them because he believes it to be futile to try.

In the adaptations, Eeyore has developed a close friendship with Tigger. Despite their opposite personalities, Eeyore's passive nature and Tigger's optimism and outgoingness help them to accept each other's flaws and understand each other better. Their closeness begins at the end ofWinnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyoreand continues in later works such asThe New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgivingand theWinnie the Poohfilm.

His tail was not always fixed to him by anail,although Disney has chosen this as part of his permanent image. When Eeyore lost his tail, Owl found it and used it as a bell-pull beside his door before Pooh found it for Eeyore.Christopher Robinthen pinned it back on. According toWinnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree,this was possible because Eeyore is full ofsawdust.In Disney merchandise, Eeyore sometimes has an uncharacteristic smile. In animation, Eeyore is coloured his natural grey, though he is coloured blue with a pink muzzle in merchandising. He appears at theWalt Disney Parks and Resortsfor meet andgreets.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey

In the beginning of the 2023 horror filmWinnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey,Eeyore was killed while the other animals were starving after Christopher Robin left for college. Eeyore's tail was used by Pooh to whip his victims.

Casting history

Eeyore was voiced byRalph Wrightin the original featurettes, althoughRon Feinbergfilled in as his voice in the short filmWinnie the Pooh Discovers the Seasons.Thurl Ravenscroftvoiced him for Disneyland Records.Ron Ganstook over the role forWelcome to Pooh Cornerand was succeeded byPeter CulleninThe New Adventures of Winnie the PoohthroughMy Friends Tigger and Pooh.Although Cullen was still active when the filmWinnie the Poohwas in production, Eeyore was voiced byBud Luckeyfor the film. In reference to this, Cullen re-enacted a scene atBotConto demonstrate a scene where his characterOptimus Primemeets Eeyore; Cullen later returned to the role in the 2017 crossover withDoc McStuffins.Gregg Bergervoiced Eeyore in video games fromMy Interactive PoohtoKinect: Disneyland Adventures,plusThe Many Adventures of Winnie the Poohdark ride.Brad Garrettvoices Eeyore in the 1990s video gamesDisney's Animated Storybook: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey TreeandReady to Read with Pooh.Garrett reprised the role for the 2018 live-action filmChristopher Robinand the animated filmRalph Breaks the Internet.In the 2023 shortOnce Upon a StudioEeyore was voiced byJim Meskimen

See also

• Eeyore's Birthday Party– annual festival held in Austin, Texas, in honour of the character