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Somewhere, 12-year old Neil Miller is losing his mind. He being of the disposition to be completely in love with Winnie Cooper, the character Danica McKellar played on The Wonder Years. I’m not one of those guys who still carries the torch, years later, for Ms. McKellar based on that one role. But like The Wonder Years, Winnie Cooper was a memorable part of my childhood. She was that sweet, adorable girl down the street that represented many of the girls who first caught my eye. Back in the days when love was innocent and filled with child-like wonder. Winnie Cooper is a testament to how pop culture, television and film shape the way we see the world.

That said, it’s nice to see that Danica has grown up to be the kind of gal that you might imagine Winnie Cooper would be. Sexy, smart and completely self-aware. In her cover story interview for Maxim (she’s on the June 2010 cover), she talks a bit about how being Winnie Cooper has shaped her own romantic life as an adult:

You must meet guys who hit on you because of your famous role.

I’ve always been really cautious about guys who have a Winnie Cooper fantasy, and I’m so glad about that. I mean, I can count on one hand the guys I’ve been with. It was really challenging, but I never gave it up too soon, if you know what I mean.

Sorry gents, looks like we’re all out of luck. Then again, Winnie Cooper was always best kept as a figment of our minds, anyway. Check out Danica’s Maxim video below. You can see more of her pictorial over at Maxim.com.