One of the most beloved Disney characters may no longer be around at Shanghai Disneyland and it all has to do with a joke gone wrong. A report has come out that Winnie the Pooh and virtually all references to the "silly old bear" may be taken out of the park in Shanghai. That would include removing all merchandise, having no character meet-and-greet, and even giving two attractions brand new themes.
If this were to happen, the re-theming of the two attractions would be very costly, but there may be no choice. One of the attractions is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh dark ride and the other is a spinning teacup ride called Pooh's Hunny Pot Spin, but they may soon see different characters and themes.
According to a report from Theme Park University, this could very well end up happening and it would all be at the command of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The president is not a huge fan of Winnie the Pooh and it is because of comparisons that have been made between the political leader and famous Disney character.
For many years, the people of China have mocked Xi by comparing him to Winnie the Pooh. It's happened all over social media and it stems from a picture that first hit the net back in 2013 and it featured President Barack Obama taking a walk with Xi in China.