Polish town bans Winnie the Pooh mascot from playground for being hermaphrodite
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(AP)
Winnie the Pooh has been banned from a local playground in Poland after outraged councilors declared his state of undress and “dubious sexuality” inappropriate for children.
During a local council meeting in the small town of Tuszyn, the beloved bear’s attire and lack of genitalia were hotly debated by several councilors, who insisted Winnie the Pooh was an inappropriate role model for young children because he was a hermaphrodite.
A leaked tape of the council meeting showed one councilor, a woman, saying: “Anyone who knows Winnie the Pooh knows he has no sex [genitalia]”.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The counsellor was adamant that her peers should also be educated about the origins of poor hermaphrodite Pooh and his creator, AA Milne.
Councilor Ryszard Cichy compared Winnie the Pooh to a much-loved Polish bear, Misio Uszatek, who he said was a better choice as representative of the playground because he was fully dressed.
“Looking at both of these bears [Misio Uszatek and Winnie the Pooh] one is completely dressed while the other is only dressed from the top up,” Mr Ciszy said during the meeting.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It is half-naked, which means it is completely inappropriate for children”.
But a survey of local residents by Polish news program TTV revealed that not everyone considered the state of Pooh’s undress a problem.
“It is ridiculous that law officials are wasting their time on such issues,” one woman said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Another man compared Pooh’s “low intellect” to that of the councilors, saying: “Winnie the Pooh was a bear with low intellect, and unfortunately, this is also evident in those who are concerned with this topic”.
“I’ve even written a poem that represents this discussion — ‘Winnie the Pooh is an alcoholic and a liar. He walks with no underwear and has cut off his testicles’. [This rhymes in Polish].
Seeking answers from the unnamed female counsellor, a Polish journalist was told she was too “argumentative” and that she did not “understand anything” before having the door shut in her face.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}As for poor old Winnie the Pooh, his (Polish) fate — and dress code — is now in the hands of local council.