thumb|upright=1.1|Illustration from The House at Pooh Corner showing Pooh, Piglet, Roo and Rabbit playing Poohsticks
Poohsticks is a simple game first described in the 1928 book The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne. It is also written as pooh sticks or pooh-sticks. It is played by dropping sticks from the upstream side of a bridge over running water and watching them emerge downstream; the winner is the player whose stick appears first.
The game was popularised through Milne's stories, which were inspired by play with his son Christopher Robin Milne in Ashdown Forest, England. It has since become a widely recognised pastime and is associated with the real-life Poohsticks Bridge. Since 1984, the World Poohsticks Championships have been held, originally at Day's Lock on the River Thames and, since 2023, at Sandford Lock.
History
Poohsticks was invented by English author A. A. Milne for his son Christopher Robin Milne. The game first came to prominence through Milne's description in his 1928 book The House at Pooh Corner, and later appeared in the 1983 Disney animated featurette Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore. In the original story, protagonist Pooh accidentally drops a pine cone into a river from a bridge and, after observing it emerge on the other side, devises the rules of the game. He later plays it with Christopher Robin, Tigger, and Eeyore.
The game is closely associated with a bridge in Ashdown Forest, near Upper Hartfield, East Sussex. Built in 1907 and originally known as Posingford Bridge, it is widely regarded as the place where Milne and his son played the game. The bridge spans Posingford Brook, a minor stream in Ashdown Forest and a tributary of the River Medway. However, it is uncertain whether the game originated there or was first conceived in the story.
By 1999, heavy visitor use had worn down the wooden bridge to the point that it required replacement, prompting East Sussex County Council to appeal to Disney for support. Although the bridge had already been partly rebuilt in 1979, further contributions from Disney, construction firms, and the public funded a complete reconstruction. The replacement bridge was built to the same design as the earlier one, while incorporating modern improvements, and a commemorative plaque was installed.
Parts of the earlier bridge, supplemented with similarly aged timber, were later incorporated into a reconstructed bridge based on the original and relocated near Penshurst, Kent. In October 2021, this structure was sold at auction for over . The buyer, Lord De La Warr, stated that it would take "pride of place" on his estate at Buckhurst Park, Sussex.
Legacy and popular culture
The traditional game has inspired filmmakers and writers, and has appeared in popular culture, including the 1998 film Into My Heart, the BBC sitcom To the Manor Born, and a Marks & Spencer advertisement featuring models such as Twiggy and Myleene Klass. Its cultural reach was further reflected when it appeared as a question on the quiz show University Challenge.
Rules and strategy
In the traditional version, Poohsticks is played by two or more participants, who drop a stick simultaneously from the upstream side of a bridge and move to the downstream side. The winner is the player whose stick appears first. Sticks must be dropped rather than thrown; a player judged to have thrown their stick is disqualified.
The winners of both the individual and team events receive a trophy or medal, with smaller awards for second and third place. Despite claims that skill is involved, no competitor has won more than once. The individual competition typically involves three qualifying rounds before the final. The competition was originally held in January but moved to March in 1997 due to icy weather.
The event grew in popularity, attracting international participants and media coverage. After Lynn David's retirement, it was organised by the Rotary Club of Sinodun, with proceeds supporting the RNLI and other charitable projects.
In 2008, the event was close to ending due to organisational pressures, but the Rotary Club of Oxford Spires took over its running, ensuring its continuation.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Individual champions
|-
! Year
! Month
! Series
! Individual Champion
! Venue
|-
| 1984
| January
| 1st
| Chloe Wilson
| Day's Lock, Little Wittenham
|-
| 1985
| January
| 2nd
|
| Day's Lock
|-
| 1986
| January
| 3rd
| Vera Lazarus
| Day's Lock
|-
| 1988
| January
| 5th
| Kate Warburton
| Day's Lock
|-
| 1989
| January
| 6th
| Susie Fisher
| Day's Lock
|-
| 1990
| January
| 7th
| Sue Young
| Day's Lock
|-
| 1991
| January
| 8th
| Ben Salter
| Day's Lock
|-
| 1992
| January
| 9th
| Mike Holley
| Day's Lock
|-
| 1993
| January
| 10th
|
| Day's Lock
|-
| 1994
| January
| 11th
| Sue Rayner
| Day's Lock
|-
| 1995
| January
| 12th
|
| Day's Lock
|-
| 1996
| January
| 13th
| Théo Welch-King
| Day's Lock
|-
| 1997
| March
| 14th
|
| Day's Lock
|-
| 1998
| March
| 15th
| Marlene Akrigg
| Day's Lock
|-
| 1999
| March
| 16th
| Daisy
| Day's Lock
|-
| 2000
| March
| 17th
| Blair DeBart
| Day's Lock
|-
! 2001
! colspan="4" | Event cancelled (frozen river)
|-
| 2002
| March
| 19th
| Rachel Banham
| Day's Lock
|-
| 2003
| March
| 20th
| Becky Aran
| Day's Lock
|-
| 2004
| March
| 21st
| Susan Young
| Day's Lock
|-
| 2005
| March
| 22nd
| Callum Alexander
| Day's Lock
|-
| 2006
| March
| 23rd
| Harry Norton Shaw
| Day's Lock
|-
| 2007
| March
| 24th
| Bob Jones
| Day's Lock
|-
| 2008
| March
| 25th
| Lydia Leece
| Day's Lock
|-
| 2009
| March
| 26th
| Phil Davies
| Day's Lock
|-
! 2010
! colspan="4" | Event cancelled (high river levels)
|-
| 2011
| March
| 28th
| Saffron Sollitt
| Day's Lock
|-
| 2012
| March
| 29th
| Aiden Eltham
| Day's Lock
|-
| 2013
| October
| 30th
| Alex Marshall
| Day's Lock
|-
| 2014
| March
| 31st
| Simon Critchley
| Day's Lock
|-
| 2015
| June
| 32nd
| James Smith
| Langel Common, Witney
|-
| 2016
| June
| 33rd
| Charlie Roman
| Langel Common
|-
| 2017
| June
| 34th
| Daniel Gooding
| Langel Common
|-
| 2018
| June
| 35th
| Innes Turnbull
| Langel Common
|-
! 2019
! colspan="4" | Event cancelled (resourcing issues)
|-
! 2020
! colspan="4" | Event cancelled (COVID-19)
|-
! 2021
! colspan="4" | Event cancelled (COVID-19)
|-
! 2022
! colspan="4" | Event cancelled (COVID-19)
|-
| 2023
| May
| 40th
| Bertie S
| Sandford Lock, Sandford-on-Thames
|-
| 2024
| May
| 41st
| Bradley Mee
| Sandford Lock
|-
| 2025
| May
| 42nd
| Amanda McCann
| Sandford Lock
|-
| 2026
| May
| 43rd
| Daniel Scholes
| Sandford Lock
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Team champions
|-
! Year
! Series
! Team Champion
|-
| 2002
| 19th
| Wales
|-
| 2003
| 20th
| Australia
|-
| 2004
| 21st
| Czech Republic
|-
| 2005
| 22nd
| Japan
|-
| 2006
| 23rd
| Team Natural Colour Cotton
|-
| 2007
| 24th
| Bears for Life
|-
| 2008
| 25th
| Sticking to the Prize
|-
| 2009
| 26th
| Cytoarchitechno
|-
| 2011
| 28th
| Team Kelly
|-
| 2012
| 29th
| The Tiglets
|-
| 2013
| 30th
| We don't spell love we feel it
|-
| 2014
| 31st
| Blantz Family
|-
| 2015
| 32nd
| -
|-
| 2016
| 33rd
| Hundred Acre Edwards
|-
| 2017
| 34th
| Kanga Roo Pooh
|-
| 2018
| 35th
| Kids 4 Us
|}
<small>† Series numbering is continuous from the inaugural 1984 championship and includes years in which the event was cancelled or not held.</small>
Organisations and societies
thumbnail|right|The logo of the MCPSS, circa 2013
Although not itself a Poohsticks society, the Rotary Club of Abingdon organises the World Pooh Sticks Championships and raises money for charity through the event.
Several university societies have been established to celebrate and play Poohsticks.
The Magdalen College Pooh Sticks Society (MCPSS), founded in April 2013 at Magdalen College, Oxford, was created as a revival of the earlier Oxford University Pooh Sticks Society. It combines traditional games of Poohsticks with humorous commentary and rules inspired by the radio programme I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. The society has since become well known within the university and is no longer restricted solely to members of Magdalen College.
The Pembroke College Winnie the Pooh Society at Pembroke College, Cambridge, founded in 1993, promotes the works of A. A. Milne through activities including games of Poohsticks and visits to locations associated with the stories, such as the 'real-life' Hundred Acre Wood.
References
External links
- World Pooh Sticks Championships Home Page
- The Rotary Club of Sinodun
- The Rotary Club of Oxford Spires
- Map and aerial photo sources for grid reference:
- — Poohsticks Bridge near Hartfield — marked on the Ordnance Survey "25k" map
- — Day's Lock and the Sinodun Hills
- Bruce Hemming's page about the Poohsticks Bridge with QuickTime panorama — note that the coordinates given are in error by 25 km