Winnie the Pooh banned by Polish city due to 'dubious sexuality'

Someone forgot to tell officials in Tuszyn, Poland that Winnie the Pooh is an animated stuffed animal, not an anatomically correct bear. Since they missed the memo, they decided to ban the beloved character due to his “dubious sexuality.”

The character, created by author A.A. Milne and popularized in Disney cartoons, was suggested as a mascot for a new play area for children in the small town. That sounds like an innocent idea, after all, children around the world have loved the character for a century.

However, some more conservative members of the local council didn’t like the idea. As the U.K.’s Independent notes, one member cited Pooh’s “inappropriate” dress.

“The problem with that bear is it doesn’t have a complete wardrobe,” Ryszard Cichy reportedly said during the debate. “It is half naked which is wholly inappropriate for children. [Poland’s fictional bear] is dressed from head to toe, unlike Pooh who is only dressed from the waist up.”

There were some supporters for Pooh, though. The Croatian Times reports that one official noted that Pooh doesn’t have pants because “it doesn’t have a sex,” adding, “It’s a hermaphrodite.”

Hanna Jachmiska made this a personal battle with Milne, who can’t defend himself because he died in 1956. “This is very disturbing but can you imagine!” she said. “The author was over 60 and cut his [Pooh's] testicles off with a razor blade because he had a problem with his identity."

While a formal decision wasn’t reached by the end of the meeting, Pooh is officially out of contention. Donald Duck and Porky Pig probably won’t be considered either.