Paddington Bear

Paddington Bear
Paddington Station: Bronze statue of Paddington Bear, by Marcus Cornish
First appearance	October 23, 1958
Created by	Michael Bond
In-universe information
Species	Bear
Gender	Male

Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children's literature. He appeared on 13 October 1958 and was subsequently featured in several books, most recently in 2008, written by Michael Bond and first illustrated by Peggy Fortnum. The polite immigrant bear from Deepest, Darkest Peru, with his old hat, battered suitcase, duffle coat and love of marmalade sandwiches has become a classic character from English children's literature. Paddington books have been translated into thirty languages across seventy titles and sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. Over 265 licences, making thousands of different products across the United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Southeast Asia, Japan, Canada, Australia and South Africa all benefit from the universal recognition of Paddington Bear.

Paddington is an anthropomorphised bear. He is always polite—always addressing people as "Mr.", "Mrs." and "Miss" and very rarely by first names—and well-meaning, though he inflicts hard stares on those who incur his disapproval. He likes marmalade sandwiches and cocoa, and has an endless capacity for getting into trouble. However, he is known to "try so hard to get things right". He is an adoptive member of the (human) Brown family, and thus gives his full name as Paddington Brown.

History

Origin

Bond based Paddington Bear on a lone teddy bear he noticed on a shelf in a London store near Paddington Station on Christmas Eve 1956, which he bought as a present for his wife. The bear inspired Bond to write a story, and in ten days, he had written the first book. The book was given to his agent, Harvey Unna. A Bear Called Paddington was first published on 13 October 1958, by William Collins & Sons (now Harper Collins).

The toy Paddington Bear

The first Paddington Bear toy to be manufactured was created in 1972 by Gabrielle Designs, a small business run by Shirley and Eddie Clarkson, with the prototype made as a Christmas present for their children Joanna and Jeremy (who later became a well-known British TV presenter and writer). Shirley Clarkson dressed the stuffed bear in Wellington boots to help it stand upright. (Paddington received wellingtons for Christmas in Paddington Marches On, 1964.) The earliest bears wore small children's boots manufactured by Dunlop until production could not meet demand, and Gabrielle Designs then produced their own boots with paw prints moulded into the soles.

Shirley Clarkson's book describes the evolution of the toy Paddington from Christmas gift to subject of litigation and ultimately commercial success.

Storyline

In the first story, Paddington is found at Paddington Railway Station in London by the Brown family, sitting on his suitcase (bearing the label "WANTED ON VOYAGE") with a note attached to his coat which reads, "Please look after this bear. Thank you." Bond has said that his memories of newsreels showing trainloads of child evacuees leaving London during the war, with labels around their necks and their possessions in small suitcases, prompted him to do the same for Paddington.

He has arrived as a stowaway coming from "Darkest Peru", sent by his Aunt Lucy (one of his only known relatives, aside from an Uncle Pastuzo who gave Paddington his hat), who has gone to live in the Home for Retired Bears in Lima. He claims, "I came all the way in a lifeboat, and ate marmalade. Bears like marmalade." He tells them that no one can understand his Peruvian name, so the Browns decide to call him Paddington after the railway station in which he was found. Paddington's Peruvian name is ultimately revealed to be "Pastuso" (not to be confused with his "Uncle Pastuzo"). Bond originally wanted Paddington to have "travelled all the way from darkest Africa", but his agent advised him that there were no bears in darkest Africa, and thus it was amended to darkest Peru, home of the spectacled bear.

They take him home to 32 Windsor Gardens, off Harrow Road between Notting Hill and Maida Vale. (It should be noted that there is no number 32 in the real Windsor Gardens.) Paddington frequents the nearby Portobello Road markets, where he is known for, and respected by, the shopkeepers for driving a very hard bargain. When he gets annoyed with someone, he often gives them one of his special "hard stares" (taught to him by Aunt Lucy), which causes the person to become flushed and embarrassed.

The stories follow Paddington's adventures and mishaps in England, along with some snippets of information about his past. For instance, in one story we learn that Paddington was orphaned in an earthquake, before being taken in and raised by his Aunt Lucy.

Characters

There is a recurring cast of characters, all of whom are in some way implicated by Paddington's misadventures. These include:

• Mr. Henry Brown: A hapless but friendly City worker.
• Mrs. Mary Brown: Mr. Brown's more serious-minded yet friendly wife.
• Jonathan and Judy: The energetic and friendly Brown children. It is never established if one is older than the other, leading to the perception that they are twins.
• Mrs. Bird: The Browns' stern, but ultimately friendly, housekeeper. Though she is often annoyed by Paddington's mishaps, she is very protective of him.
• Mr. Gruber: The very friendly owner of an antique shop on the Portobello Road, with whom Paddington has his elevenses every day. He regularly takes Paddington and the Brown children on outings. He is a Hungarian immigrant. He addresses Paddington as "Mr. Brown".
• Mr. Curry: The Browns' mean and bad-tempered next-door neighbour, who serves as a contrast to Mr. Gruber. He addresses Paddington simply as "Bear!" He always wants something for nothing, and therefore often persuades Paddington to run errands for him, and invites himself to many of the Browns' special occasions just to sample the snacks. He gets his comeuppance as a frequent victim of Paddington's misadventures.
• Aunt Lucy: Paddington's aunt from South America.
• Uncle Pastuzo: Paddington's wealthy globe-trotting uncle.

Books

A Bear Called Paddington was first published in 1958. In order of publication, the titles are:

A Bear Called Paddington (1958)

The stories in this first book in the series are:

• Please Look After This Bear - The Browns first meet Paddington at Paddington station.
• A Bear in Hot Water - Paddington's first attempt at having a bath is a disaster.
• Paddington Goes Underground - Paddington's first journey on the Underground causes chaos.
• A Shopping Expedition - Paddington gets lost during a shopping trip.
• Paddington and "The Old Master" - This story introduces Mr. Gruber. After hearing Mr. Gruber talk about painting, Paddington decides to try his hand at painting himself.
• A Visit To the Theatre - Paddington goes to see a play with the Browns.
• Adventure at the Seaside - Paddington takes part in a sandcastle competition.
• A Disappearing Trick - Paddington receives a magic set for his first birthday with the Browns. This story introduces Mr. Curry.

More About Paddington (1959)

The stories in this second book in the series are:

• A Family Group - Paddington takes a family photo of the Browns.
• A Spot of Decorating- Paddington tries to help Mr. Brown by decorating his room whilst the family are out.
• Paddington Turns Detective- Paddington investigates the disappearance of Mr. Brown's prize marrow.
• Paddington and the Bonfire- The Browns hold a bonfire party at No. 32 Windsor Gardens.
• Trouble at No.32- Paddington catches a nasty chill when a winter prank goes disastrously wrong.
• Paddington and the Christmas Shopping- Paddington buys presents for the Brown family.
• Christmas- Paddington enjoys his first Christmas with the Browns

Paddington Helps Out (1960)
Paddington Abroad (1961)

The stories in this fourth book in the series are:

• Paddington Prepares - Mr. Brown announces a holiday in France.
• A Visit to the Bank - A misunderstanding causes uproar at the bank.
• Trouble at the Airport- Airport officials suspect Paddington is travelling without a passport.
• Paddington Saves the Day - The Browns' car gets a puncture and Mr. Brown organises an al-fresco meal.
• Paddington and the "Pardon" - Paddington takes part in a local festival.
• A Spot of Fishing - The Browns and Paddington go on a fishing trip and get marooned.
• Paddington Takes to the Road - Paddington participates in the Tour de France.

Paddington at Large (1962)
Paddington Marches On (1964)
Paddington at Work (1966)
Paddington Goes to Town (1968)
Paddington Takes the Air (1970)
Paddington's Blue Peter Story Book (1973)
Paddington on Top (1974)
Paddington at the Tower (1975)
Paddington Takes the Test (1979)
Paddington on Screen (1980)
Paddington at the Zoo (1984)
Paddington at the Palace (1986)
Paddington in the Garden (2002)
Paddington and the Grand Tour (2003)
Paddington at the Tower (2011)
Paddington Goes for Gold (2012)

Special publications

• Paddington Rules the Waves (2008) A £1 World Book Day Book
• Paddington Here and Now (2008) Published as part of the series' 50th anniversary celebrations.

Blue Peter and beyond

Author Michael Bond was also a BBC TV cameraman who worked on the popular children's television programme Blue Peter. After this was revealed in 1965, a special Paddington story — in which he got mixed up in the programme itself — appeared in the Blue Peter Annuals for many years. They were collected in the novel-length Paddington's Blue Peter Story Book in 1973. A second book based around Blue Peter was titled Paddington on Screen.

Television

The BBC television series Paddington, produced by Michael Bond and London-based animation company FilmFair, was first broadcast in 1975. This series had an extremely distinctive appearance: Paddington was a stop-motion puppet moving in a three dimensional space in front of two-dimensional backgrounds (which were frequently sparse black-and-white line drawings), while all other characters were 2D drawings — in one scene, a character hands Paddington a jar of marmalade that becomes 3D when Paddington touches it. Animator Ivor Wood also worked on The Magic Roundabout and Postman Pat. The series was narrated by Michael Hordern. In the United States, episodes aired on PBS, on the syndicated series Romper Room, on Nickelodeon as a segment on the program Pinwheel and on USA Network as a segment on the Calliope (TV series) in the late 1970s and early 1980s, as well as in between preschool programming on the Disney Channel throughout the 1990s. The series also aired on HBO in between features, usually when they were airing children's programmes. The series won a silver medal at the New York Film and Television Festival in 1979 — the first British animated series to do so.

Paddington Bear's 1989 television series was the first by a North American company, Hanna-Barbera. This series was traditional two-dimensional animation and featured veteran voice actor Charlie Adler as Paddington and Tim Curry as Mr. Curry. The character of an American boy named David, Jonathan and Judy Brown's cousin who arrived in London on the same day as Paddington, was added to the stories in the 1989 cartoon.

The most recent series, produced by Cinar Films, was first broadcast in 1997 and consisted of traditional two-dimensional colour animation. The show was called The Adventures of Paddington Bear.

Paddington Bear also appeared in The Official BBC Children in Need Medley with Peter Kay along with several other animated characters. In the video, Paddington makes a grand appearance by winking at the cameramen when they take photos of him; Kay tries to put a cloak on Paddington, but it keeps sliding off. He also joins the rest of the group for the final act. In the second season Christmas episode of Community Prof. Duncan talks about his tenth Christmas. He states that his mom always gave him Paddington books for Christmas.

Film adaptation

In September 2007, Warner Bros. and producer David Heyman announced a live action film adaptation of Paddington Bear. Hamish McColl, who penned Mr Bean's Holiday, will write the script. The film will not be an adaptation of an existing story, but "will draw inspiration from the whole series" and will feature a computer generated Paddington Bear interacting with a live-action environment.

Advertising

Paddington Bear features in the Marmite UK TV advertisement (first broadcast on 13 September 2007), in which he tries a marmite and cheese sandwich instead of his traditional marmalade sandwich.

Paddington was featured on the Royal Mail 1st class stamp in the Animal Tales series released on 10 January 2006, and had previously been featured on one of the 1st class Greetings Messages stamps, released on 1 February 1994.

Google

On 13 October 2008, Google celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first Paddington publication by placing an image of the travelling bear with a sign showing Peru and London incorporated into Google's logo.

References

Simon Sheridan's book The A to Z of Classic Children's Television (Reynolds & Hearn books, 2004, reprinted 2007) ISBN 1-903111-27-7 contains an informative chapter on the 1970s TV series of Paddington

External links

• Paddington Bear - The Official Website
• Paddington at IMDb
• Michael Bond Biography

Further reading

• Bond, Michael (1988). The Life and Times of Paddington Bear. London: Pavilion. ISBN 978-1-85145-286-6. OCLC 59889284. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

• Pfeffer, Susan Beth (1999). Who were They Really?: The True Stories behind Famous Characters. Brookfield, CN: Millbrook Press. ISBN 978-0-585-24808-0. OCLC 40230491.