Exciting things are on the horizon at Toy Street, and one comes in the shape of a 60^th Anniversary Paddington Bear by Steiff!

The new Steiff Paddington celebrates the 60^th anniversary of the original book being published. Paddington is an anthropomorphic bear from darkest Peru. He is kindhearted, polite and well mannered, which is how – through Michael Bond’s books – he captured the hearts of children (and parents alike) over the years.

This bear is in contrast with the two recent live action hit movies. The films, starring Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins (amongst other stars) focus on the story of Paddington in modern day life. The bear is still found and adopted by the Brown Family much like the original story, but he then comes up against a taxidermist whose desire is to kidnap him and add him to their collection.

A Bit of Paddington History

‘A Bear Called Paddington’ was first imagined in 1958 by the late Michael Bond, and featured the original Paddington without his trademark wellingtons. The bear was found at Paddington Railway Station in London, with a tag around his neck reading “Please look after this bear. Thank you.”

Bond has said that Paddington was based on a lonely teddy bear he noticed in a London store on Christmas Eve 1956, which he bought as a present for his wife. He was inspired by his memories of newsreels showing child evacuees leaving the capital in World War Two, with labels around their necks much like Paddington’s.

In 1972, the first Paddington Bear was brought to life by Gabrielle Designs. The company was run by Shirley and Eddie Clarkson, and the first prototype was made as a Christmas present for their children Joanna and Jeremy Clarkson (who is now well known for his TV presenting and writing, and made famous by Top Gear).

Gabrielle’s designs introduced Paddington in wellington boots, which the Clarkson’s used to help the bear stand up. Since then, there have been many different versions of the stuffed toy (with and without his wellies).

The Bear Itself

Steiff’s new bear pays homage to Peggy Fortnum, the first illustrator to draw Paddington Bear for Michael Bond’s children’s books. Fortnum was commissioned to create a Paddington in black and white line drawings in 1958, and she also went on to illustrate the next eight books. Her illustrations gave life to Paddington, and made the idea of a lost bear coming to London and being adopted by an ordinary family seem almost normal.

The stuffed toy features his signature red hat and blue raincoat and comes complete with a specially commissioned 60th anniversary logo.

This special, limited edition bear is now available to order at Toy Street!