Eeyore

File:The original Winnie the Pooh toys.jpg

The original stuffed toys owned by Christopher Robin Milne and featured in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, with Eeyore on the right

Eeyore () is a character in the Winnie-the-Pooh book series by A.A. Milne and the Walt Disney Company franchise of its cartoon adaptation. He is generally characterized as a pessimistic, melancholic, depressed, old grey stuffed donkey who is a friend of the title character, Winnie-the-Pooh. Eeyore's best friend is Tigger.

His name comes from the sound donkeys make, which is rendered in British English as "eeyore."

Disney cartoon version

File:Eeyore.gif

Eeyore as depicted by Disney

Eeyore also appears in the Winnie the Pooh cartoons popularized by Disney studios. He was originally voiced by Ralph Wright, was based on Michael Liston, and his current voice actor is Peter Cullen.

Eeyore is most notable when he was ridden by Rabbit in his search for train "borrowers" in The Tigger Without A Name and The Pooh With A Name. Nearly all of Eeyore's houses in the cartoons have been bounced down. Eeyore is not good at rebuilding the houses; woozles bounce on them. Yet he soldiers on and rebuilds them time after time. Despite his depressive nature, Eeyore is capable of great compassion, which is shown when he grows a plant that Rabbit, a master gardener, was unable to grow, just by showing the plant a little love.

Eeyore has also been featured in a number of movies: Piglet's Big Movie, The Tigger Movie and Pooh's Heffalump Movie. He appears at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts for meet and greets. His catchphrases are "Thanks for noticin' me" and "Ohhh-kayyy".

In merchandise by The Walt Disney Company, Eeyore sometimes has an uncharacteristic smile. Also, he is somewhat less caustic and sarcastic in the Disney version than in Alan Milne's original stories. His tail was not always fixed to him by a nail, although Disney has chosen this as part of his permanent image. Eeyore lost his tail in the Hundred Acre Wood. Owl found it and used it as a bell-pull beside his door, before Winnie-the-Pooh found it for Eeyore. Christopher Robin then pinned it back on. According to Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, this was possible because Eeyore is full of sawdust. Also, when Eeyore appears in animation he is colored his natural grey, though he is coloured blue with a pink muzzle in merchandising.

Influence on popular culture

• Eeyore is also the subject of a long-standing celebration in Austin, Texas called Eeyore's Birthday Party.
• In the political comedy series The Thick of It, out of touch minister Hugh Abbot is referred to by one of his aides as "Eeyore in the lion's den".
• Eeyore is also mentioned in the solo album by Roger Waters (formerly with Pink Floyd) in The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking. In the track titled: "4:50 am [Go Fishing]", Waters sees himself in a negative light and the cause of the breakup of his relationship. He is reading an excerpt of Winnie-the-Pooh to his children, while smoking marijuana, and suddenly realizes or associates himself with a passage concerning Eeyore the Old Grey Donkey. "Chapter six. In which Eeyore has a birthday and gets two presents...Eeyore the old grey donkey stood by the side of the stream, and looked at himself in the water. Pathetic he said, that's what it is."
• "Eeyore" is a song by American alternative metal band Slipknot which is included as a hidden track on their debut self-titled album. The band also refers to the goat shown on the cover of their second album Iowa as "Eeyore".
• Many people who suffer from depression, and groups dedicated to help people with depression, choose Eeyore as a sort of mascot, since he often appears depressed, but always manages to keep going, and shows great concern and compassion for his friends.