HISTORY

Paddington Bear

On Christmas Eve 1956 Michael Bond discovered a teddy bear on a shelf in London and bought it as a present for his wife. It inspired him to write a story about A Bear Called Paddington which was first published in 1958.

Michael was also inspired by the sight of children arriving in London from Europe during WWII – especially the Kindertransport rescue effort that saw Jewish children brought to Britain from Nazi-occupied territories throughout Europe – and the plight of British children being evacuated from London to the countryside. Children arrived with luggage labels similar to that he gave Paddington saying, “Please look after me”.

The friendly, bespectacled Paddington has featured in more than 20 books which have been translated into 40 languages across 70 titles and sold more than 35 million copies worldwide. Paddington from "darkest Peru" with his old hat, battered suitcase, duffel coat and love of marmalade sandwiches is a classic character in children's literature. It has been adapted for TV and film over the decades and is still going strong in 2023 when filming began for Paddington in Peru.