A monster living in the universe of Winnie the Pooh, Backson is a kidnapping villain that our Hundred Acre Wood gang fears. But this giant colorful creature isn’t as scary as we think.
Winnie The Pooh and his friends love going on adventures and oftentimes, they get into a spot of trouble. One adventure in particular involves them plotting to catch a scary monster lurking in their woods called the Backson.
Who is the Backson? What did he do to scare Winnie the Pooh and his friends? Is he really bad? There are so many questions about the Backson. Many Disney fans want to know the answers.
Don’t worry! We will let you in on the 411 about the Backson and share his Back-story! (See what I did there?)
By the way, do you love playing board games? Check out our article about Disney games you can play with friends right now.
Who Is The Backson?
The Backson is a monster that lurks in the Hundred Acre Wood where Winnie the Pooh and his friends live. Their gang believes that he is a villain after a mix-up.
We will share with you the entire story later so better keep reading.
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Disney first introduced the Backson in The House at Pooh Corner, the second volume of children’s stories published about Winnie the Pooh. He appears in the story In Which Rabbit has a Busy Day and We Learn What Christopher Robin Does in the Mornings.
We later meet Backson again in the 2011 film Winnie the Pooh (a personal favorite of mine). This time, the movie gives us a fun adventure where Winnie the Pooh and his friends try to catch him.
Winnie The Pooh: Backson’s Appearance
The folks at Hundred Acre Wood say that the Backson is a scary monster. This sparks curiosity on how he looks.
We see in the movie Winnie the Pooh that the Backson is a giant creature with a big build and towering height. With two horns on his head and what looks like a nose ring, he resembles a bull.
He is purple in color with red stripes on his body. Just like his stripes, his hair is red and long enough to cover his eyes. He wears a blue furry coat.
Why Is Winnie The Pooh Scared Of The Backson?
The Backson’s appearance as described by Pooh’s friends is already scary. However, this is not the only reason why the group cowers in fear when they hear his name.
Owl describes the Backson as a mean and vicious monster who creates chaos. In Owl’s mind, the Backson is out to get them. They even consider him the sole reason for their misfortunes.
Much to our surprise, the truth is that the Backson is quite the opposite of what Winnie the Pooh, Owl, and their other friends think.
Winnie The Pooh: Backson in the Books
As mentioned before, the Backson’s first appearance is in the story In Which Rabbit has a Busy Day and We Learn What Christopher Robin Does in the Mornings.
In the book, Rabbit starts an important day with a visit to Christopher Robin. He arrives at an empty house much to his dismay.
On the ground, he spots a paper with the note:
GON OUT
BACKSON
BISY
BACKSON
C.R.
Wanting to understand the note and relay the message to their friends, he runs to Owl.
Aside from his house being the nearest, Rabbit considers Owl one of the smartest in their group, apart from himself, of course.
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The problem with Owl is that he does not function well when under pressure. With Rabbit’s constant follow up, Owl misreads the note and says that Christopher Robin is with the Backson.
They end up asking their friends if they have seen a Spotted or Herbaceous Backson. The problem is that they do not know what the Backson looks like.
To make their search for Christopher Robin faster, they ask themselves what he does in the morning.
Winnie the Pooh and Piglet and friends later end up going to Eeyore to seek his help. Eeyore tells them that Christopher Robin expands his knowledge during mornings.
The next day, another note is seen on his house that says:
GONE OUT
BACK SOON
C.R.
Winnie The Pooh: Backson in the Movies
The next time we see the Backson is in the Winnie the Pooh animated film released in 2011. In this project, the Backson gets more than just a mention. In fact, he appears in the film as the villain, even though he’s not seen directly by the characters.
Famous animator Eric Goldberg was in-charge of creating the visuals for the Backson. He is known for animating many Disney characters including Aladdin’s Genie.
Finding Christopher Robin
The film has a similar story line to the book when it comes to the Backson. Instead of Rabbit, Pooh goes to Christopher Robin’s house to visit him. He finds the note that says: Gon Out Bizy Back Soon.
Pooh cannot read so he goes to Owl to ask for help. Similar to the book, Owl misunderstands the note. He tells his friends that the Backson kidnapped Christopher Robin. Because they have no idea what the Backson is, Owl describes him through a song.
Watch Winnie the Pooh and the gang’s song about the Backson here! Spoiler: It’s adorable and wonderful.
Winnie the Pooh’s Backson Trap
The group fears for Christopher Robin’s safety and decides to save him from the Backson. Rabbit has an idea on how to trap the monster: they prepare things that they think the Backson likes. Their trail will then lead the Backson into a pit where he will get stuck inside.
The team splits their tasks. Poog, Piglet, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga, and Roo take charge of gathering the things needed. On the other hand, Tigger and Eeyore prepare themselves physically in case they need to face the Backson.
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After a string of events, Winnie the Pooh and his friends end up inside the pit they made. With each other’s help, they escape and find Christopher Robin. They tell him about the Backson and he laughs at their theories.
Christopher Robin clarifies that he didn’t encounter the Backson nor was he kidnapped. His note simply said that he will be back soon.
The group enjoys the long and interesting day they had.
What About The Backson?
We get to see him in the post-credits!
The Backson is a real creature, but he is not as evil and scary as Winnie the Pooh and his friends think.
He finds the things that the group has set as a trap. Being the kind guy that he is, he picks up the things and plans to return them to their owners. He fails to notice the pit and ends up being trapped.
The film ends with the Backson saying: “I sure hope that fellow will be back soon.”
Check out the Back-story of the Backson in this video clip.
3 Misconceptions of Winnie the Pooh About the Backson
Winnie the Pooh nor his friends have had any encounter with the Backson. They only heard stories about him which paints him as a scary monster.
Here are some misconceptions they have about the Backson.
Misconception No. 1: The Backson is vicious and mean.
The truth is that the Backson is a really nice creature who wants to make friends.
Sadly, it seems that he does not have any.
Misconception No. 2: The Backson likes to make a mess and destroy things.
Owl describes the Backson as someone who likes to scribble in books, turn houses topsy turvy, and make holes in socks.
This is not true because when the Backson saw the trap Winnie the Pooh and his friends left for him, he picked up the things. He even wanted to return them.
Misconception No. 3: The Backson’s appearance scares creatures away.
While his appearance seems scary, the Backson is probably not aware of it.
When he saw a chalkboard drawing of himself, he called it a “scary lookin’ fella.”
Winnie The Pooh Backson Trivia
Want to know more about Winnie the Pooh and the Backson? Read these interesting facts.
- Even though he is really nice, the Backson is considered as the first villain in the Winnie the Pooh franchise.
- Both the book and film talk about Christopher Robin’s note being misunderstood. However, the two differ in who saw the note. In the book, it was Rabbit, while in the film, it was Pooh.
- Owl has probably seen the Backson in the Hundred Acre Wood before. He may have made the conclusion that the Backson is bad because of his scary appearance.
- Disney based the Backson’s personality and mannerisms on his voice actor Huell Howser.
- The Backson is Howser’s first and last film role before he died in 2013.
- The video game Disney Magic Kingdoms mentions the Backson.
- In the Winnie the Pooh film, there is a song titled The Backson Song performed by Craig Ferguson and the film cast – and people love it! The tweet below speaks for itself.
Winnie The Pooh Backson: The Misunderstood Creature
Winnie the Pooh and his friends thought that the Backson was an evil creature in the Hundred Acre Wood responsible for Christopher Robin’s disappearance.
As it turns out, it was just a simple misunderstanding.
Backson’s story can help us not to judge based on appearance.
Let’s take it from Winnie the Pooh, Backson, and the gang: even though Backson seemed scary, he was a misunderstood creature with a kind and genuine heart.
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