So in terms of cuteness, Paddington is the clear winner. Both of the bears have the last three features, but Paddington’s eyes blow Pooh’s out of the water when it comes to the lifelike cuteness that makes him look like an infant. Psychology research has suggested that adults and children prefer animals that look more like babies - those with big eyes, round faces, big heads, and recessed chins. Since the IRL versions of Paddington and Pooh are pretty evenly matched when it comes to size and ferocity, we really may have to resort to cuteness to decide the victor. With that in mind, it’s probably a wash, physically speaking.

That being said, anyone who’s watched him try to fit his chubby tummy through a hole in a tree to forage for honey knows he’s also a little overweight, suggesting that his size advantage may be offset by a speed disadvantage.

Even though the real Winnie was female, the character Winnie-the-Pooh presents as masculine, and since captive bears can often far exceed the size of wild bears (depending on the availability of food), he’s probably near the top of that weight range. Male black bears can be much bigger, maxing out around 600 pounds in the wild (though rare specimens as heavy as 1,000 pounds have been reported), whereas female black bears are a lot smaller. But when it comes to weight, an advantage may emerge.Īndean spectacled bears are fairly small, weighing up to 340 pounds. So as far as ferocity, both bears are pretty evenly matched.

Similarly, black bears sometimes kill salmon, baby deer, and baby moose. Andean spectacled bears occasionally eat rodents and birds but have also been known to kill small cows. Now for the big question: Which bear would kick the other bear’s ass? Both species are omnivorous, eating mostly fruits and plant material, deriving only a small portion of their diet from animals they kill. The real-life inspiration for Winnie-the-Pooh was a female black bear that was transplanted to London during World War I.

A bear named paddington