From Peru to Paddington
It wasn’t until recently that I realised how much I have in common with one of popular culture’s truly inspirational characters, Paddington Bear. And returning to the UK after several years spent in South America has served to affirm my affinity.
October of this year marked the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the bear who arrived alone at London’s Paddington Railway Station after having been sent by his owner all the way from “Darkest Peru” with little more than a blue duffle coat, Wellington boots, a treasured scrapbook and a supply of marmalade sandwiches tucked inside his bush hat.
Followers of his adventures over the last half-century will remember that it isn’t long before Paddington, to whose brown leather suitcase his aunt Lucy has attached a label saying “please look after this bear,” is found at the station by Mr Brown and goes to live with the Brown family at nearby 32 Windsor Gardens in London’s Notting Hill.
So what’’s the connection between the character in Michael Bond’s 1958 children’s book, A Bear Called Paddington, and your humble blogger? Well, imagine my reaction when, having just been informed by my family that I had been adopted as a child. I subsequently came across my birth certificate and discovered that I’d arrived in the world in no more exotic location than London’s St Pancras, a district where there is another famous railway station.
So there you have it, and if you ask me, it’s more than coincidence. Of course, some of you may look to astrology, numerology or even the palms of your hands to find whatever cosmic meaning to your lives, when I can claim a much more credible connection with a middle-aged teddy bear. The original title of this online journal, A Different Way Home, related to the more unpredictable journeys that we undertake throughout life. I can only hope that one day I will find another nice family, just like my adoptive parents or the Browns who looked after Paddington, who will allow me grow old and ragged while never running out of sandwiches.
My thanks to Peruvian visual artist Manu for inspiring this post with his colourful selection of artwork to and his tribute to Paddington on his 50th birthday. Manu’s blog features a list of lesser known facts about the bear, who became a household name in more than 100 countries after the success of the children’s television series.
In Manu’s latest take on the story, life at Number 32 goes on unremarkably until out of the blue, of a mysterious stranger not only disturbs the Brown family’s usual peace and quiet but forces Paddington to consider where his “home” really is. Excuse me while I search for my handkerchief.
Paddington books have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide, and are available in more than 40 languages, including Latin. Incredibly, Ursus Nomine Paddington was published as recently as 1999.
Paddington has two birthdays: June 25th and Christmas Day. His favourite food is marmalade and he often has a marmalade sandwich in his hat “in case of emergencies.”
He made his television debut in 1975 in the stop-motion puppet animation made in the UK by FilmFair and narrated using the wonderfully distinctive voice of Sir Michael Hordern. Such is his enduring appeal that Warner Bros Pictures have announced production of the first live-action feature film starring Paddington.
In 1976, he began a long-standing relationship with Action Medical Research, an independent charity that raises millions of pounds for essential medical research.
Paddington was chosen by English tunnellers as the first item to pass through to their French counterparts when the two sides of the Channel Tunnel were linked up in 1994. An avid traveller, he also ventured out to sea with Sir Richard Branson in 1986, when Branson attempted to break the Blue Riband world speed record for a transatlantic crossing.
In 1997, Michael Bond, creator of Paddington, received an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his services to children’s literature. And in 2000, Bond unveiled a stunning life-sized statue of the bear in London’s Paddington Station. In 2006, Paddington and Bond visited Buckingham Palace for the Party in the Palace children’s event.
Special anniversary website: www.paddington50th.com
http://manuartwork.com/manublog/2008/05/30/paddington-bear-is-50/
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