The East Asian country has officially banned one of the world’s most favourite cartoons Winnie the Pooh.

GIFs of the beloved bear and his friends have been deleted off China’s instant messaging app WeChat and images from Weibo (China’s version of Twitter) are no longer available when searched.  And if you type ‘Winnie the Pooh and Xi Jinping’ on Weibo, a message that reads “In accordance with relevant laws and regulations, results are not displayed" pops up.

The reason for this ban on an otherwise harmless character is because of the constant comparison between China’s president Xi Jinping and the beloved rotund cartoon character. So the banning has been seen as a move to save the president from further ridicule because the government doesn’t appreciate it when their president gets painted as simple-minded and slow.

In one instance Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were compared to Pooh and Eeyore after their awkward handshake.

In another instance Xi Jinping and Obama are compared to Winnie and Tigger in a photo taken in 2013.

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