Tigger

**Tigger** is one of the main characters in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and an energetic, anthropomorphic stuffed tiger belonging to Christopher Robin. He is one of the best friends of Pooh, with an affinity for bouncing.

## Background

Tigger is a resident of the Hundred Acre Wood, residing in a literal treehouse. When Tigger introduces himself, he often says the proper way to spell his name is: "T-I-double-guh-err."

Along with his comedic personality and love of bouncing and pouncing, Tigger is known for his theme song, "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers", in during which he boasts that he is the only tigger in existence. Practically speaking, Tigger's "I'm the only one" statement comes from being the only "tigger" ever made, if one takes into consideration the fact that Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and such are all stuffed animals, and homemade ones at that, Tigger is, in fact, the only tigger.

Like other Pooh characters, Tigger is based on one of Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed animals, with distinctive orange and black stripes, beady eyes, a long chin, springy tail, and (the one detail originating from A. A. Milne) his love of bouncing.

Tigger is arguably the most eccentric member of the Hundred Acre Wood. Overly energetic, reckless, and fairly thoughtless, Tigger is somewhat of a troublemaker and causes a fair share of mishaps for both himself and his friends. To his core, however, Tigger is extremely loving and friendly; he means well and tries his best to be of support toward his friends, even if his efforts end in some form of misfortune. He can also be considered the most social of the animals and is exceptionally eager to have his friends join in on his personal joy.

Tigger notably prides himself on being the only "tigger" in existence. This title has given him quite an ego, and he considers himself significantly handsome, debonair, and the "greatest bouncer" in the Hundred Acre Wood. Such egotism is never meant to be malicious, but it often drives Tigger to act without much consideration toward others and it often frustrates people.

Tigger's rambunctiousness is also directly linked to his relationship with Rabbit, who openly dislikes Tigger's various quirks and even works to knock the latter's ego's down a few times. Rabbit's aggression is often expressed without much notice, but in some cases, Tigger has taken note and this leads to mild contention.

With his fun-loving nature and general innocence, Tigger is about as optimistic and carefree as Pooh himself. Rarely ever upset or depressed, Tigger tends to look on the brighter side of a situation; so much so, that he is somewhat obvious to the problems surrounding him. Nevertheless, he is not incapable of falling into a heavy state of vulnerability. His only significant phobia is that of heights—a crippling fear, and one that renders him incapable of even bouncing. He can also be rather insecure at times, with the confidence in his various assets simultaneously acting as his greatest weakness; when he's unable to perform his usual antics with a usual (if not greater) amount of ease, he instantly becomes emotional and openly self-loathing.

For all of his shortcomings, Tigger is very much the heart of the Hundred Acre Woods' social circle. While exuberant and boisterous, he gives levity to the fearfulness of Piglet, or the gloominess of Eeyore, by providing a sense of confidence, joy, and optimism.

## In the series

Tigger features as the main character in the animated series, The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. In this series, Tigger is shown to live in his own home, a treehouse. He has many episodes that revolve around him. Several episodes show that he has two alter egos: **The Masked Offender** (a mispronunciation of "The Masked Defender)", and **Tigger, Private Ear**, who was based on a detective story Tigger had heard.

In the episode "King of the Beasties", Christopher Robin is showing everyone their different relations (i.e. the animals they are based on). When Christopher Robin reveals that he is uncertain what Tigger is related to, Tigger assumes that he is related to a lion, and thus is the King of Beasts. "All's Well That Ends Wishing Well" reveals that Tigger has never had a birthday party. The friends decide to give him one, but Tigger becomes disappointed when his birthday wishes don't come true. Tigger and friends are later transported to a world where Tigger's birthday wishes can all come true. However, when he starts making non-stop wishes, his own greediness nearly got himself and his friends trapped in the wishing well forever. In the end, Tigger learns that his close friends are far more important than having all of his wishes come true.

A different side of Tigger is shown in "Stripes". Tigger becomes unsure of his identity when his stripes are washed off after a bath, as Tiggers are recognized by them. During the episode, Tigger tries being a rabbit, a bear, and a Christmas tree, but in the end, Eeyore tells Tigger that he is always the same person on the inside. In the episode "Tigger is the Mother of Invention", he invented a bulldozer-like contraption intended to provide convenience for Pooh, Piglet, and Rabbit, but the invention proved to have disastrous results, and Rabbit insisted that Tigger shut it down; however, in the winter, a depressed Tigger accidentally started the machine up, and it proved to be useful by plowing snow around Piglet's house before malfunctioning. On another occasion, Tigger attempted to mimic a superhero, "The Masked Offender", bringing mayhem to the Hundred-Acre Wood. In response, Pooh, Rabbit, Gopher, and Owl (unaware that the Masked Offender was actually Tigger) staged a hoax in which they made an inanimate monster from a sticky glue-like material. The plan worked, revealing Tigger as the Masked Offender, but the fake monster (which was on wheels) turned on its makers, ultimately resulting in Pooh, Rabbit, Gopher, and Owl hanging by the glue from a rickety bridge. Subsequently, Tigger resumed his role as the Masked Offender, and saved his friends.

## Trivia

* Tigger is the only main character to change voice actors during the series. He was voiced by Paul Winchell in seasons 1 and 2 (except in the King of the Beasties episode in season 1), 3 episodes of Season 3 and later returns in the Christmas special, and later Jim Cummings in the episode King of the Beasties in seasons 1, 3, (except in Oh, Bottle, What's the Score, Pooh? and Eeyi Eeyi Eeyore episodes in season 3) and 4 (except in the Christmas special)
* There's a Friendship volume that centers around Tigger. It was Tigger-ific Tales.