The producers actively sought out the surviving original voice cast which had been used in the 1960s featurettes. Sterling Holloway, the original voice of Winnie the Pooh, read for the part, but had aged to the point where he could no longer do the voice successfully. A casting call was held and Jim Cummings was selected as his replacement, a role he has continued with to the present day. John Fiedler and Hal Smith, the original voices for Piglet and Owl respectively, returned for the series. Paul Winchell also reprised his role as Tigger. On advice from his cardiologist, Winchell mostly avoided working with the rest of the cast to avoid the stress. The studio let him do his voices alone. At the time, Winchell was making various trips to Africa to cure hunger. Cummings often filled in for Winchell during these. In the show's third season, Cummings permanently took over the role of Tigger. Most of the sessions occurred at B&B Sound in Burbank, California. Newer technology allowed for the actors to record their roles without having to be in the same room. For example, Fiedler always did his recordings from New York and Winchell was able to do some from Florida.