Britain Pooh-Poohs Tiff Over Toy Bear Blair Says Pooh, Pals Just Fine In N.Y. Home

After a morning of breast-beating over the proper home for Winnie-the-Pooh and four other British-made dolls - including a press release issued by City Hall quoting Pooh himself - the British government gave in on Thursday and said it would not seek the return of the ragged stuffed animals.

“The government position is that we admire the president and the United States and we believe that they will look after and care for these animals sufficient for them to rest here, with the British people happy that they are well looked after,” a spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair told reporters at the White House.

he spokesman’s comments followed a working lunch between Blair and President Clinton.

Officials assured the public that the discussion between the two heads of state had centered on matters more pressing than the fate of dolls named Pooh, Kanga, Eeyore, Tigger and Piglet - all of whom reside in a bulletproof display case at the Donnell Library Center on West 53rd Street in Manhattan.

Given as presents a decade ago to the New York Public Library, the dolls lived in climate-controlled peace until Gwyneth Dunwoody, a member of the British Parliament, detected sadness in the inanimate objects and issued a call this week for their return to England.

Her cri de coeur was honey for both politicians and members of the news media, who for a second day in a row could not resist its sticky appeal. Dunwoody, a Labor Party member, renewed her plea for the dolls’ liberation.

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani visited the library to embrace the Pooh doll and to offer permanent safe haven, while his aides leaked parts of an off-the-record conversation he supposedly had with the stuffed animal.

And in Washington, Rep. Nita Lowey issued a resolution in Congress to keep the stuffed animals at the New York Public Library. “The Brits have their head in a honey jar if they think they are taking Pooh out of New York City,” said Lowey, who represents parts of the city and Westchester County.

Even Blair could not avoid questions about Pooh and his posse. Appearing on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Blair chose a diplomatic tack - “I’m sure they’re perfectly well looked after where they are” - that was seconded by his government’s announcement later in the day.