3845. Owl

Owl is the stuffy and talkative eldest main character who acts as a mentor and teacher to the others. He was not based on a stuffed toy, so in the illustrations, he looks more like a live animal. This is supported by Rabbit's comment, "You and I have brains. The others have fluff." Owl and most of his friends believe that he is the most intelligent animal in the wood, but he is really quite scatterbrained. He often rambles on into long-winded speeches and uses words that his friends do not understand. He is always happy to offer his opinions, advice and anecdotes, whether or not they are actually wanted. Owl is literate, but he does not spell very well—he even spells his own name "Wol". He likes to read for pleasure, but his poor reading comprehension skills of messages sometimes lead the others into trouble. In the books, Owl is often cross and easily annoyed. He sometimes wears reading glasses and he uses his talons for hands, not his wings like in the Disney version. He lives in a tree known as The Chestnuts, described as an "old world residence of great charm". That house is blown down by a storm in the eighth chapter of The House at Pooh Corner. Eeyore eventually discovers what he believes is the perfect new house for Owl, apparently without noticing that it is actually Piglet house. Nonetheless, Piglet offers the house to Owl. Owl calls his new home "The Wolery". In the Disney adaptations, Owl is much more jovial and friendly. He enjoys telling stories about his relatives whenever something reminds him of one, but many of his stories are pointless or absurd. His house blows down and he moving into Piglet's house in Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, but these events are disregarded from Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore onward. In Return to Pooh Corner, Owl always wears glasses and loves to cook. He does not appear in My Friends Tigger and Pooh. Voiced by Hal Smith, Andre Stojka and most recently Craig Ferguson.