A hair and make-up artist who has a collection containing thousands of Winnie the Pooh items has spoken about the bond she has formed with the yellow bear who was her “light” during chemo treatments – and was even present on the day she was proposed to – on the character’s special day.

January 18 marks National Winnie the Pooh Day – a day in which lovers of the honey-eating bear come together to celebrate the cartoon character’s cultural legacy – and for Denise Coxon, Pooh has played a pivotal role in her life from a young age.

“Winnie the Pooh has always been special to me since I was a little kid just from watching the cartoons and going to Disneyland with my parents,” the 39-year-old from Meridian, Idaho, told the PA news agency.

“It sounds kind of cheesy, but he’s gotten me through some of the toughest times in my life such as breast cancer, where I would carry with me everywhere the Winnie the Pooh my husband Shaun, 40, gave to me when he proposed to me on July 2011 in front of Cinderella’s castle at Disneyworld.”

Stuffed yellow bear, wearing a red top
The Winnie the Pooh that Shaun Coxon gave to Denise Coxon when he proposed to her (Denise Coxon)

Mrs Coxon was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2019 and said that Pooh was her “light” through the difficult periods of battling the condition.

“He helped me through the darkness, he was my light,” she said.

“During chemo treatments, I snuggled with my Winnie the Pooh, when I got home I would watch Winnie the Pooh cartoons or the Christopher Robin movie and it would get my mind off the darkness that was surrounding me and what I was going through.

“A few of my family members also had a blanket made for me that said ‘Denise’, ‘strong’ and had Pooh and Piglet walking together, and it’s very special to me.”

A blanket with a cartoon bear and pig on it on a bed, which is covered with stuffed bear toys
The blanket Denise Coxon’s family gave to her when she was battling breast cancer (Denise Coxon)

Mrs Coxon – who has thousands of items linked to Pooh, which she began collecting in her 20s – said that she loves sharing her items with her Instagram followers, especially during her time with cancer.

“During my cancer journey, having my followers there engaging with me and asking me where I got certain items, made me feel that I was not alone through it,” she said.

“This account that I started as something fun and cheesy has grown into something more than just a way to display my collection.”

Mrs Coxon was given the all-clear in December 2019.

As well as giving his wife a stuffed version of the iconic yellow bear when he asked for her hand in marriage, Mr Coxon has continued to support his wife’s love of all things Pooh, helping her to create a dedicated room in their home to display the majority of her collection.

Books and makeup items on a table
Some items from Denise Coxon’s collection (Denise Coxon)

“I’m constantly trading and buying and selling, but I love the thrill of all that,” she said.

“A lot of my collection has come from antique shops, vintage stores, garage sales – I just have so much fun exploring and I’m constantly looking for Winnie the Pooh stuff everywhere I go.

“My family members are all very invested too – my husband’s grandmother (Luise Coxon, 78) is a huge fan and she’s given me cookie cutters of Pooh, charms and buttons that were hers from when she was a kid and when my mum (Mickie Azzarello, 67) is out and about, she’ll see something related to Winnie the Pooh and she will just pick it up for me.”

Roughly 100 stuffed Poohs are in Mrs Coxon’s ever-expanding collection, as well as over a hundred pins, 45 mugs, over 20 books, a dozen blankets, a dozen purses, a dozen makeup palettes and lipsticks, backpacks and even socks.

“I probably have over 100 pairs of socks. Socks are my thing, my feet are always cold,” she added.

“It is funny because my friends always say: ‘You surely have enough in your collection now?’ And I say ‘no’ – I need to keep buying more.”

An appreciation for Pooh also runs in the family, with Mrs Coxon’s children finding joy from using the collection.

“Nova, my eight-year-old, she’s constantly drawing pictures of Winnie the Pooh for me,” she said.

“Any time we’re in the store, she says: ‘Mummy, mummy, look, there’s Winnie the Pooh, are we going to add that to our collection?’ They call it their collection too.

“One of the things my son – Cash (five), loves to play with is a Winnie the Pooh Lego house and it brings them joy and excitement when they see how happy it makes me.”

The make-up artist’s skills also come to good use at Halloween, when she regularly tries out new looks while dressing up as her favourite character.

Woman wearing yellow and red onesie and holding a stuffed pink pig toy and a honey jar in her hands
Denise Coxon dressing up as Winnie the Pooh (Denise Coxon)

“At Halloween, I’m always dressing up,” she said.

“Pooh is my designated costume each year and if there is ever an opportunity to dress up, I will.

“I love doing Winnie the Pooh inspired make-up looks from the palettes I own or even just drawing honey bees on my face.”

When asked why so many others are drawn to the cartoon animal, she said that Pooh and Pooh’s friends represent the importance of friendship and looking out for each other.

“(The character) brings so much joy to everyone – and how can you not love Pooh’s little smile?” she added.

“He provides a positive outlook on life and Winnie the Pooh Day is just a fun, unique day which allows me to share my collection with my followers, make inspired cookies, watch movie after movie and explore new traditions to celebrate Pooh.”