Paddington Bear was created in 1958 by the English writer Michael Bond. Dressed in his characteristic duffle coat and shapeless bush hat, the loveable Paddington Bear has been capturing the imagination of children for five decades.
Inspired by a lonely department store bear that Michael Bond came across on Christmas Eve 1956, the very first Paddington book; 'A Bear Called Paddington' was published on 13th October 1958.
Paddington made his first appearance on television in 1975 in a series designed and directed by Ivor Wood and made in the UK by FilmFair Ltd. These were followed by three half hour television specials, including 'Paddington Goes to the Movies' in which Paddington was seen dancing the famous Gene Kelly routine from 'Singing in the Rain'.
This loveable bear now features in the television adverts for Marmite.