Paddington Bear author Michael Bond dies

Michael Bond, author of the beloved Paddington Bear children’s books, died Tuesday at his home in England. He was 91. Bond published his first story about the now-iconic teddy bear, A Bear Called Paddington, in 1958. He got his inspiration from a bear he gave his wife one Christmas as a stocking stuffer, naming the character after the London subway station he used on his daily commute. A statue of Paddington now stands in the station lobby. The marmalade-loving stow-away eventually adopted by the Brown family, went on to star in 20 books, a television series and a feature film. The duffel-coated, Wellington boot-wearing bear has become emblematic of the British tourism trade, with figurines and stuffed Paddingtons for sale all over the country. Bond attributed the character’s appeal to children’s universal love for teddy bears.

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