Winnie the Pooh 'Scrubbed' From Social Media in China for the Most Ridiculous Reason

Winnie the Pooh, rebel, has apparently been met with censorship on Chinese social media.

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Reluctant punk rock icon Winnie the Pooh is at it again. Pooh Bear, perhaps best known for consuming remarkable amounts of "hunny" while promoting an existence unbound by the trappings of modern life, has reportedly been "scrubbed" from Chinese social media. 

Though an official explanation for the scrubbing hasn't been provided, NBC Newsreported Monday that a popular meme comparing Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pooh has been widely blamed among social media users as the reason for this shockingly anti-Pooh act.

For example, here's a Pooh meme featuring the jovial presence of Tigger:

And here's one including noted emo aficionado Eeyore:

"I think this is ridiculous," a Chinese college student said Monday. "The Chinese government is being overly sensitive." The Winnie the Pooh x Xi Jinping memes first appeared in 2013 following a meeting with President Barack Obama, then grew in popularity following a a photographed handshake with Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe.

According to a lengthy report on the Pooh developments from the Financial Times, the removal of Pooh content from WeChat, Sina Weibo, and other social media platforms is the latest act of online censoring ahead of this fall's Communist party congress.

BBC News reporter Stephen McDonell outlined a censorship test Monday for anyone who has "anything to do with China." When using WeChat, McDonell said, an attempt at sending a friend a message including the name Liu Xiaobo—a human rights activist who died last week—would give the sender the impression of the message having been sent, while the recipient would receive nothing.

In related news, Saturday marked the sixth anniversary of the release of the 2011 film Winnie the Pooh. The film was rated G for Goddamn Great.

Reps for Disney did not immediately respond to Complex's request for comment.

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