50 years young

The world's best loved bear is 50 years old and while some may not remember reading tales of Paddington Bear as a child, this little bear from deepest, darkest Peru was the bedtime story of choice for some of the country's business people, politicians and parents of today's youngsters. Created in 1958 by Englishman, Michael Bond, who bought a small bear on Christmas Eve after feeling sorry for it sitting on the shelf all alone. he gave the bear to his wife and they called him Paddington, due to the proximity of London's Paddington Station to their home. Bond started to jot down some tales of the little bear and sent them to his agent. It was eventually accepted by William Collins & Sons (now Harper Collins), who commissioned illustrator Peggy Fortnum and A Bear Called Paddington debuted on 13 October 1958.

For more information on Paddington, visit his website.