3648. Paddington Bear

Almost everyone knows that Paddington is a bear who usually wears a duffle coat,a rather shapeless hat and, on occasions, Wellington boots. Many people also know that his favourite food is marmalade.

Although Paddington now lives in London, England, he originally came from Darkest Peru where he was brought up by his Aunt Lucy after he was orphaned following an earthquake when he was just a few weeks old.

When Aunt Lucy went to live in the Home for Retired Bears in Lima, she decided to send him to England to live. After teaching him to speak English she arranged for him to stow away in a ship’s lifeboat.

Eventually, Paddington arrived on Paddington Station in London which is where the very first story begins with the words:

Mr. and Mrs. Brown first met Paddington on a railway platform. In fact, that was how he came to have such an unusual name for a bear for Paddington was the name of the station.

The Browns were at the station to meet their daughter Judy when Mr. Brown spotted a bear sitting all alone on a suitcase, behind a pile of mail bags, close to the lost property office. The bear was wearing nothing but a hat and he had a label round his neck bearing the words Please Look After This Bear. Thank You.

Unable to resist such a simple request, Mr. and Mrs. Brown took Paddington home to live with them at 32 Windsor Gardens with their two children, Jonathan and Judy and their housekeeper, Mrs. Bird.

The Browns decided to name their new member of the family Paddington, after the place where he was found, although we later learn that in Peru his name was Pastuso.

When he was found, Paddington wasn’t too sure how old he was so the Browns decided to start again at one. They also decided that he should have two birthdays a year (just like the Queen!) and so he celebrates these on 25th June and 25th December.

When Paddington first went to live with the Browns he wasn't sure how old he was, so they decided to start again at one. They also agreed that bears "just like the queen" have two birthdays every year and they decided that Paddington should celebrate his on Christmas Day and June 25th. However, although Paddington always celebrates his birthdays, in the books he never actually gets any older.
In 2008 Paddington celebrated his 50th anniversary, marking the publication of the very first book on October 13th 1958.

In the very first book, Paddington was found on the station wearing nothing but a "rather dirty coloured" hat. Mrs. Brown then bought him a blue duffle coat. The boots came later when Gabrielle Designs made the first bears in 1972. They put them into a pair to help them stand up and from that moment on, Paddington started to wear Wellington boots!
In the first television series, Paddington wore a black hat and blue coat and, occasionally, red Wellington boots but the more recent television series, the current picture books and most products show Paddington in a red hat and blue coat. When he wears them the boots are, more often than not, red.
In the USA the very first bears, made by Eden Toys were sold wearing a yellow hat and pale blue coat whereas in the UK, the early Gabrielle bears wore a whole range of different colour combinations. In more recent years, the favoured (and most popular) colour choices for the soft toys have been red hat, blue coat and red boots or blue hat, red coat and black boots.
So, there are really no truly "correct" colours for Paddington's clothes. The nearest to these would be a red or black hat, blue coat and red boots.

Michael Bond was born in Newbury, Berkshire, England on 13th January 1926. He was educated at Presentation College, Reading. During World War II Michael Bond served in both the Royal Air Force and the Middlesex Regiment of the British Army.

He began writing in 1945 and sold his first short story to a magazine called London Opinion. This experience helped him decide that he wanted to be a writer.

Michael Bond never thought of writing for children but, after producing a number of short stories and radio plays, his agent suggested that he adapt a television play for children.

His first book, A Bear Called Paddington, was published in 1958 by William Collins & Sons (now HarperCollins Publishers). At the time, Michael Bond was working as a television cameraman for the BBC.

After the first Paddington book was accepted, Michael Bond went on to write a whole series and by 1965 his books were so successful that that he was able to give up his job with the BBC in order to become a full-time writer.

In 1997 Michael Bond was awarded an OBE for services to children’s literature. He is married with two adult children and lives in London, not far from Paddington Station.