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Woozles are deceitful weasel-like animals that seemed to originate from Baltic mythology, but could also be based on the Wulver from the Shetland islands. Avid honey stealers, they are often associated with heffalumps and are among the most feared creatures by Pooh and his friends, especially Piglet.

Woozles were first mentioned in the 1926 book Winnie the Pooh, by Alan A. Milne. In chapter three of the book, Pooh and Piglet follow what they assume to be woozle footprints in order to catch a woozle. When the footprints become more numerous, Pooh explains this by revealing that woozles often travel with wizzles. They later realize, however, that they had been walking on circles, and the footsteps they had been following were their own ones.

In a later chapter, Pooh dreams that he is at the East Pole, where some woozles bite some of his fur off to make nests for their babies.

Stan and Heff

Stan, a woozle, and his heffalump sidekick Heff

No real woozle has ever appeared in the books. Their physical appearance was only revealed in 1968 in Walt Disney’s animated short film Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, when Tigger mentioned them to Pooh. They subsequently appear in Pooh’s imagination during the song "Heffalumps and Woozles". Yet, both heffalumps and woozles were only confirmed to be real creatures in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. A woozle honey thief named Stan and his heffalump sidekick Heff appear in the episode "The Great Honey Pot Robbery."

Woozles were mentioned in the story "Many Thanks for Christopher Robin" from My Friends Tigger & Pooh. In this story, a party was held for Many Thanks Day and Lumpy suggested that woozles should be invited to the party. Though some were reluctant, the Super Sleuths set out to find the woozles to give them an invitation. In the process, they found many friends who had not yet been invited and gave them an invitation. They never did find the woozles, but nevertheless left them a treat to eat. At the end of the story, it was shown that the treat was taken, presumably by the woozles.

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