Paddington bear creator dead at 91

It was a last-minute Christmas gift for his wife that inspired Michael Bond to create Paddington bear, the marmalade-loving teddy in a duffel coat and floppy hat.

Bond would go on to see his creation enchant children for more than half a century, immortalized in print, on screens and as countless stuffed toys before his death at age 91 on Tuesday after a short illness.

The furry adventurer first appeared in A Bear Called Paddingtonin 1958: a stowaway from “Darkest Peru” who arrived at London’s Paddington train station wearing a sign saying “Please look after this bear. Thank you.”

The books have sold some 35 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 40 languages. Bond was working as a BBC cameraman when he created Padding- ton, who was inspired by a teddy bear that Bond bought for his wife one Christmas Eve, named after the station he used for daily commutes.

In creating the initially homeless Paddington, Bond drew on memories of the refugees and evacuees who streamed through British train stations before and after the Second World War. Many of the children had name tags hung around their necks.

Actor Hugh Bonneville, who plays Paddington’s rescuer Mr. Brown in the movie adaptations, said news of Bond’s death came on the final day of shooting for the upcoming film.