Paddington Bear was the creation of Micheal Bond. Paddington Bear found his way to Paddington Station from Dark Peru, having been brought up as an orphan by his Aunt Lucy. On her retirement, she sent Paddington to London where he wound up on Paddington Station. This is where he was found by Mr & Mrs Brown, he had a simple tag, which read ‘Please look after this bear’. They took him home where he lived with the Browns and their two children Judy and Jonathan.
We all remember his trademark blue duffle coat and hat, and the fact he loved marmalade sandwiches, but do you remember how old he was? Well that’s a little bit tricky, Paddington Bear didn’t know, so Mr Brown decided that he should start again at one, which is what they did. Plus because he was a special little bear, they also decided he should have two birthdays. So Paddington Bear celebrates two birthdays on June 25th and December 25th.
Micheal Bond, a BBC Cameraman first had the idea for Paddington when he found a solitary bear on the shelves of Selfridges, he bought the bear as a present to his wife. The name Paddington came from the fact that Michael Bond lived near Paddington Station. He wrote the first few stories in a little over a week. It was not until 1958 that the first series of stories were published in the book called ‘A Bear Called Paddington‘, and not until 1975 were the first episodes of the television show we all remember were first aired (now available on Paddington Bear DVD). The tales of his adventures have lasted the test of time, and now 50 years on, are still loved by children the world over.
To celebrate Paddington Bear’s 50th Birthday, you can pick up a free print with any order from Art247.
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