Winnie The Pooh has reportedly been blacklisted on social media by the Chinese Government.

The online crackdown has seen authorities deleting social media comments that reference “Little Bear Winnie”, the Chinese name for the iconic Disney character, with users instead receiving the message “This content is illegal.”

It’s also claimed that GIFs featuring the Hundred Acre Wood bear have also been removed from WeChat, a messaging service used by 889 million people in the country.


An official explanation is yet to be given for the unexpected crackdown, but it comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping was previously compared to the rotund honey-lover.

https://twitter.com/NancyYunTang/status/531832425341403136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fuk.finance.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2Fwinnie-pooh-just-got-blacklisted-033600140.html

A previous ban was similarly issued in 2013, after President Xi’s meeting with then-US President Barack Obama was compared to Winnie The Pooh’s relationship with Tigger.

In 2015, a photo of Xi standing through the roof of a parade car was pictured next to a photo of Winnie the Pooh in a toy car, before it quickly became the most censored image of 2015.

#Chinese government blocks meme that compares Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh and #Obama to #Tiger! pic.twitter.com/HsP0RQ03DA — Alfredo Medellín (@AlfredoMedelln) June 16, 2013

Meanwhile, it’s been a huge weekend for Disney fans – with the D23 expo offering tantalising glimpses of what to expect from some of the House of Mouse’s most anticipated projects.


Among the highlights were the first look at Tim Burton’s live action reboot of Dumbo, alongside a major casting announcement for Guy Ritchie’s live action take on Aladdin.