One year ago, Michael Bond, CBE the creator of the beloved
literary character, Paddington Bear, passed away in London, England
at age 91. Though I recall seeing snippets of Paddington Bear on
the television when I was young, I never actively watched the
animated series or read the books. Based on what I've learned
about Bond's inspiration for the character in my research for
this article, as a young immigrant to Canada in the early
1990's, maybe I should have.
Bond was born in Newbury, England in 1926. He served in the
British military during World War Two, and began writing during his
military service. He created the Paddington Bear character in the
late 1950's based on his memory of refugee children in London
train stations during World War 2 and inspired by a teddy bear he
bought at Selfridge's as a stocking stuffer for his first wife
in 1956.
