Tag: reviews

“Please take care of this bear. Thank you.”

Do you remember seeing this anywhere? I bet you have seen it on a tag while passing through some souvenir store in London, especially in Paddington. Yes, this tag is often found around the neck of Paddington Bear soft toys.

And to know more about this little bear, you have to step into Paddington station. There, amidst the rattle of trains and hurried footsteps of Londoners, you will find a small bronze statue of a little bear…very easily to overlook if you aren’t watchful.

But, let me tell you, that is no ordinary bear…..it’s Paddington Bear, the most well-mannered and well-loved bear in Britain.

I know there are so many questions coming to your mind now…same thing happened to me when I first saw the hype about this Paddington bear. Now, I have answer to all these questions…and I decided to write this article so that next time you meet this bear, you don’t feel like you are meeting a stranger.

So, come along.

The Arrival of Paddington

Paddington was born in the mind of British Author Michael Bond in 1956.

Yes, Paddington is not a real bear. He’s a literary character…but the way Londoners have showered love on this bear, it feels as if someone like Paddington bear actually walked the earth. For a city as busy as London, Paddington is the symbol of kindness, curiosity, and adventure.

But how did a bear in a duffle coat from the \”darkest Peru\” capture not just London’s heart but the entire world\’s?

To know that you have to journey back to the Christmas Eve of 1956 when Michael Bond spotted a lone teddy bear on a shelf at Selfridges. He bought it for his wife… but little did he know at the time that he was about to change the literary world forever. Inspired by stories of wartime evacuees and displaced refugees, he began writing about a bear who finds himself lost in a new world.

He wrote ‘A Bear Called Paddington’

… and that’s how Paddington bear was born…a polite, marmalade-loving bear from “darkest Peru” who arrived at Paddington Station with nothing but a suitcase and a note around his neck.

With his blue duffle coat, red hat, and perpetually sticky paws, Paddington Bear symbolises something deeply British…their unwavering belief in kindness, resilience, and, of course, an undying love for tea and toast.

As the story goes…this little refugee bear came to London and wandered into the Brown family’s lives (and ours). He came to London in search of a home, but initially all he received was rejection as a bear and got chased by a few pigeons. Tired and disappointed…the bear was ready to crash on a station bench for the night…that’s when he was found by this family and from then on, he was…. ‘Paddington’.

The best part is…Paddington is both an outsider and a beloved member of the family…an immigrant finding his place in the heart of Britain. Perhaps that’s why he resonates so deeply with Londoners…in a city built on diversity, where everyone, no matter where they come from, can find a home.

How Paddington found its way through London’s culture?

I don’t think Paddington is just childhood nostalgia for Londoners… is it?

He is that rare spirit of every Londoner who has ever offered directions to a lost tourist, shared an umbrella at a bus stop, or left a book on a train seat for a stranger to find.

It seems…for Londoners, this little bear is a reminder that Kindness isn’t just a virtue…it’s a way of life. He represents the warm and welcoming soul of London…where despite the fast-paced chaos, there’s always time for a bear who believes in the goodness of humans.

Apart from this, I honestly think that many residents of London whether born here or having arrived from elsewhere…see a bit of themselves in that Paddington bear who found a home in London just like them.

And that’s why…London knew it needed to do something to keep this Paddington Bear alive.

Apart from the popular bronze statue of this bear, Paddington station also has an official Paddington bear shop…where one can find everything from classic plush toys to limited-edition collectibles.

Funny how Paddington bear has given adults a fair excuse to buy soft toys.

You know, even in Paddington underground station there are reminders of this little bear to make commute a little brighter for the passengers. If you check out the market hall shops of Paddington station, you’re likely to find a few bottles of marmalade ready to be sold…. it’s all in the memory of that beloved bear.

And the Paddington craze of Londoners doesn’t end here…

The success of the Paddington films made some places of London extra famous…such as Portobello Road Market, St. Paul’s Cathedral and of course, the Paddington station. In fact, now a days…there are Paddington themed tours across London…Isn’t that amazing?

It looks like anything with the name of Paddington bear becomes extra special for Londoners…Over the years, Paddington has become the symbol of British Hospitality.

How do tourists get to know Paddington?

It happened many a times that tourists had no idea about the legacy of this Paddington bear…

But do they stay ignorant for long? I don’t think so.

The bookstores and London Souvenir shops remind them again and again to familiarize themselves with this bear…and come on, if you see a particular thing everywhere, curiosity will naturally lead you to search for that thing. Same happens here with Paddington bear as well.

The face of Paddington bear is everywhere in London….on books, bags, trolleys, souvenirs everywhere… It’s almost impossible to leave the city without seeing his friendly face on a book cover or something else.

And on top of that, Paddington statues are found in the most visited tourist destinations of London….such as Leicester Square garden, Paddington station underground interchange.

I bet, tourists leave London with a special soft corner in their hearts for this gentle bear.

Finally, some rarely known facts about Paddington bear

With its cute face and gentle gesture, this furry cop Paddington Bear is already one of the most interesting and beloved character of London…but here are some interesting facts you might not know…

Okay, here’s the first one.

Can you imagine this little bear almost had another name? ‘ Barnaby’

I wonder how different things could have been if this bear wasn’t named after London’s most popular rail station.

Here’s another….The author took inspiration from real-life evacuees while creating Paddington. And that is why, Paddington is dressed like those children who evacuated from London during World War II…in duffle coats and well-worn luggage tags.

Paddington can be a refugee bear, but he always had another home…and that’s in Peru. To honor world’s most beloved bear, Lima also erected a statue of Paddington in its supposed home country.

…and then to take its legacy a little farther, a small Paddington figurine was sent into space in 2015.

This bear has truly set the bar really high…I don’t think any other bear would ever dare to challenge him?

And there’s still more.

You know, some say there’s a secret platform at Paddington Station…where one can actually see Paddington bear. But for that, you have to truly believe in him. Rumour has it that if you whisper “I trust you, Paddington” near the bronze statue, you might just glimpse it.

It seems like a harmless and risk free adventureto try to catch a glimpse of Paddington at that station…Wanna try?

If you really decide to go to Paddington station for him, you should know about another urban legend of “the great marmalade heist”…and if you want, you can also leave behind a few marmalade jars there for that old friend.

Talking about this old friend, I would like to tell every Londoners who moved to London from other countries….if you ever feel lost in London, just remember- somewhere, in the heart of London, a small bear in a blue coat is waiting with open arms and a jar of marmalade, ready to remind you that no matter how far you’ve travelled, you are always welcome here.

Before I leave, I would like to say…if you reach out, you will always find a friend in Paddington.

So, till then, keep a marmalade sandwich handy!!