Paddington Bear's 50th Anniversary

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The marmalade eating bear from Darkest Peru celebrates his 50th birthday today. Google thought it worthy to deck out their portal with a Paddington theme.

Paddington and I go way back. We met somewhere when I was in elementary school. My mom was working in the thriving 1980's St. Paul downtown. That year Dayton's adopted a Paddington Bear theme in their children's department. Dayton's didn't do movie tie-ins. They almost always did themes based on books or public television shows or in this case a British children's book. My mother bought me a medium sized Paddington Bear and the abridged book. Paddington still resides with me. He sits uponn my book case along with Airman Bear. I'll need to post pictures.

Why is Paddington so enduring? Well, I guess he's a smart bear that attracts young and old alike. I perhaps a while ago some Paddinton books and they were no easy readers. These were chapter book of about a hundred pages each.

So why is he still with me after all these years? Well, the tag around his neck says "Please look after this bear." And I guess I have.

Paddington colouring pages here.

Comments

emily said…
A Paddington now resides with Raggedy Ann and Corduroy in the back of my seven-year-old's closet. He is happy and healthy and well-loved! Thanks for the memory!
14 October, 2008 13:22
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