Waltzing on to our screen with his 3rd film this November, Paddington re-enters the nation’s heart. He first appeared on 13th October 1958 in the children's book ‘A Bear Called Paddington’ by Michael Bond. Since then he has featured in 29 books by the same author, a collaboration with Blue Peter, a long running TV series and most recently a trilogy of films. Paddington has become a quintessential part of British children’s media - even having tea with the late queen! But what can our love of Paddington Bear tell us about us as a nation?
Well first we must understand - who is Paddington Bear? Paddington was created to embody the core British values of: politeness, being kind to everyone and finding the best in them. Being created shortly after the end of WW2, Bond lived through the evacuation of children to the countryside and his Redding family welcomed Jewish refugees into their home. Paddington himself is a refugee coming from ‘darkest Peru’ arriving in Paddington station with a label around his neck with the appeal, ‘please look after this bear. Thank you’ reminiscent of the labels child evacuees would wear.
Whilst this certainly would have resonated in the post - war era with the events of the last decade still prevalent in memory - what is it about Paddington that still tugs at the nation's heartstrings to this day?
Paddington represents the ‘wise fool’ of so many stories. On the surface, he is the hapless bear we all know and love but, with his ability to naïvely see the good in everybody no matter what maltreatment he experiences, it is his unwavering optimism that resonates with us on a deeper level. Paddington has received a second chance in Britain due to the Brown’s kindness. Now he extends that kindness and a second chance to all. This quality is best exhibited in Paddington 2, where he manages to turn a pack of cold, hard criminals into bakers, chefs, performers and truly reformed people.
Paddington’s attitude to life reminds us all that a genuinely kind soul is the art of happiness. I think that it is this that brings us back to Paddington time and time again: the best of British values at his core, the ability to give second chances and make things better (as well as an affection for tea, cake and marmalade sandwiches). Paddington is idealism brought to life - for children simply a talking bear, for many of all ages the idea of true kindness.
