Paddington is a fictional bear created by the late author Michael Bond. The author bought a bear as a gift for his wife, one Christmas Eve in 1956, and named him Paddington after the nearby railway station of the same name.
Bond created the character of Paddington based upon his own wartime memories of the evacuees and the refugees he encountered. Bond is quoted as saying “Paddington Bear was a refugee with a label – ‘Please look after this bear. Thankyou.’”
When Bond was a child, his parents took some Jewish refugee children into their home. The author goes on to say, “They had no idea what had happened to their parents, and neither did we at the time. It’s the reason why Paddington arrived with the label around his neck.”
Paddington’s story begins in ‘Darkest Peru.’ A fictional area of the Amazonian rainforest thought to be on the east side of Peru. After Paddington is orphaned and his home in the rainforest is destroyed by fire, he is brought up by his aunt Lucy, who now resides in a retirement home for bears in Lima, Peru. Aunt Lucy encourages Paddington to go on an adventure, and make the journey to London, as a stowaway on a lifeboat, in search of a better life.
Paddington finally arrives at the railway station in London with a suitcase containing his beloved marmalade, a bush hat and a sign around his neck that read, ‘Please look after this bear. Thank you.’
Paddington initially found people to be unfriendly as he was ignored by all the passers- by, except for the Brown family, who name him Paddington and invite the little bear into their home to stay with them. It is here at the fictional address of 32 Windsor Gardens, where Paddington is adopted by the Brown family and his chaotic adventures begin.