These timeless stories are still being enjoyed by today’s children, who equally identify with the scrapes that Paddington Bear gets himself into as much as children of the fifties, sixties or seventies did.
Living With the Brown Family
His antics have brought smiles to millions of children over the years. The naive Paddington makes amusing mistakes which have to be rectified by the long suffering Brown family. Always well-meaning and polite, Paddington has an endless capacity for getting into trouble. It is a humanized Paddington who gets involved in awkward everyday situations but a loveable bear that gets away with it!
Paddington Stories
Following Michael Bond’s first book A Bear Called Paddington published in 1958, new titles have continued to appear. His books are collections of short stories and all depict Paddington having an adventure. His latest book Paddington Here and Now has been published to celebrate the bear’s fiftieth anniversary. It was on Christmas Eve 1956 that Michael Bond bought a present for his wife. It was a lone bear he found on a shelf in a London store that had not been sold; it became the inspiration for the Paddington stories.
From Darkest Peru
The cuddly bear with hat and duffle coat and, looking like any wartime evacuee, with his battered old suitcase and label from Aunt Lucy is instantly recognizable. Aunt Lucy had gone to live in a home for retired bears but sent the message ‘Please look after this bear. Thank you.’ which has appealed to generations of boys and girls alike.
Other Bear Stories
Bears in stories were already popular with children before Michael Bond’s creation of Paddington. Robert Southey had written the childhood classic, "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" in 1834. Rupert Bear (written and illustrated by Mary Tourtel) and Winnie- the Pooh (written by A.A. Milne) both originated in the 1920s. In 1948 Biffo the Bear appeared in The Beano and Sooty, the bear glove puppet and magician, was seen on British television for the first time in 1952. Children loved stories about bears and Paddington Bear was no exception.
Made into a Television Series
The fictional character, Paddington Bear, created by Michael Bond, was further popularized by television in 1975. In the BBC series Paddington, the bear became a stop motion puppet which was narrated by Michael Hordern. For many children of the seventies, Michael Hordern’s voice became synonymous with the adventures and mishaps of Paddington Bear. The television series sold throughout the world.
Illustrations of Paddington
Today the artwork which depicts Paddington Bear is an amalgamation of all the illustrators that have gone before. Peggy Fortnum was commissioned to illustrate the first books. The original sketches were distinctive black and white line drawings. Later, when picture books were brought out for the younger reader, Fred Banbury’s and David McKee’s illustrations showed more details and colour was introduced. Ivor Wood who had designed the puppet of Paddington for the television series, also developed the cartoon image of him. It was Ivor Wood’s version of Paddington that was used on the various Bear products that came out in the late seventies and eighties.
For many years, Paddington Bear soft toys were made by the mother of Jeremy Clarkson (the Top Gear presenter), in a career which started as a small cottage industry but, as the first Paddington Bear licensee, led on to fame and fortune.
Paddington Memorabilia
Paddington, named after the railway station where he was originally found by the Brown family in the first story, continues his connections with the station today. As well as a bronze statue of Paddington Bear, there is also a stall at Paddington railway station selling Paddington Bear merchandise for both new and old devotees alike.
Even tourists in Peru may be offered Paddington paraphernalia by street traders! When the two parts of the Channel Tunnel were linked together in 1994, the Paddington Bear soft toy was the first article passed by the English to their French counterpart. Paddington Bear has been seen on Royal Mail stamps and in marmite advertisements. It is the frequent occurrence of Paddington Bear that provides the proof of his continued popularity and perhaps assures him of his place in history.
Although Paddington is essentially an English character living in London, his strong sense of right and wrong in everyday situations is a truly global message.
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