Paddington

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On 10 January 2018 GWR named one of their Class 800 trains "Michael Bond / Paddington Bear". [26] Personal life and death [ edit ] Statue of Paddington Bear in Paddington Station following Michael Bond's death. Children’s author and comedian David Walliams wrote: “I had the great pleasure of spending time with #MichaelBond A dazzling wit & perfect gentleman. Francesca Simon, author of the Horrid Henry series, said: “Michael Bond created that infinitely rare thing: an iconic, utterly original, instantly recognisable and memorable character. He was one of the greats.” Michael will be greatly missed by his legions of fans and especially by his wife, Sue, his family and of course by his beloved guinea pigs. He leaves a special legacy: long live the bear from darkest Peru.” The bear inspired Bond to write a story and in ten days, he had written the first book. He named the bear Paddington as he lived near the station at the time and thought it would be a good name for the character. [10] Bond's daughter Karen states, "Had he lived in another part of the country or not travelled by train, he might never have come up with the idea for a bear being found on Paddington station." [10] The book was given to his agent, Harvey Unna. A Bear Called Paddington was first published on 13 October 1958 by William Collins & Sons. [11] [12] Paddington Bear [ edit ] Paddington Bear merchandise, including the stuffed toy, on sale at Paddington station

Heritage, Stuart (13 October 2023). "Hard stares, tea with the Queen and so many marmalade sandwiches – 65 years of Paddington Bear". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 18 October 2023. Paddington Bear featured in the Marmite television advertisement (first broadcast in the UK on 13 September 2007), [80] in which he tries a marmite and cheese sandwich instead of his traditional marmalade sandwich. [81] Paddington and 'Do It Yourself'" – After reading a DIY magazine, Paddington tries to make presents for Mr Brown and (reluctantly) Mr Curry. a b Grayson, Kyle. "How to Read Paddington Bear: Liberalism and the Foreign Subject in A Bear Called Paddington." British Journal of Politics & International Relations 15, no. 3 (2013): 378-393. doi:10.1111/j.1467-856X.2012.00506.x. The series introduced a much wider audience to the character, helped hugely, says Bond, by the timing. “It had the spot after children’s hour and before the evening news. It was the best of both worlds as it had the children there already and then grown-ups coming in for the news and seeing it as well.”It was finished before Michael Bond's death. The final book in the "Paddington" series to be written by the creator himself was released on 27 June 2018 to mark the anniversary of the day that Michael Bond died and the 60th anniversary of A Bear Called Paddington (1958). [36] Special publications [ edit ] As I see it, the charm of Paddington is in the visual, in seeing him on the screen. His movements. His demeanor. Not the ordinary things he says and does.

Bond originally wanted Paddington to have "travelled from darkest Africa," but his agent advised him that there were no bears in Africa, and thus it was amended to Peru, home of the spectacled bear. [21] Nicholas Lezard (19 January 2005). "Classic of the month: A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond". The Guardian. London . Retrieved 15 October 2008. Main article: Paddington (film series) A Paddington Bear at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2015 Paddington Bear is among the most popular characters in children's literature. The actor Stephen Fry, who narrated Paddington audiobooks, stated "Michael Bond's bear is a Great British icon with his charm, humour, spirit of adventure and generosity". [65] Devan Coggan writing for Entertainment Weekly saw a similarity between Paddington and Winnie-the-Pooh, referring to them as two "extremely polite British bears without pants", adding that "both bears share a philosophy of kindness and integrity". [72]After an excursion to London, a child may enjoy the book. Remembering mammoth escalators and elevators and the flea market on Portobello Road. The excitement and bustle of the place. Getting the right voice for Paddington wasn’t easy (a problem that resurfaced nearly 40 years later when Colin Firth, who was initially engaged to voice Paddington in the feature film, was replaced at short notice by the younger Whishaw). “A lot of very well-known people came and did their bear voices and it wasn’t totally right – you have a picture in your mind of what it’s like but it doesn’t exist really. Michael Horden came in and said ‘I don’t do voices but I’ll read the script’. So he read the script and he did what turned out to be the Paddington voice. As I wrote the scripts I could hear his voice saying the dialogue.” All About Paddington". Paddington.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2015 . Retrieved 13 January 2015.