Creator of Paddington bear dies at 91

LONDON — Michael Bond, creator of Paddington bear, the marmalade-loving teddy in a duffel coat and floppy hat that has enchanted children for more than half a century, has died. He was 91.

His publisher, HarperCollins, said Wednesday that the author died at his home a day earlier after a short illness.

Ann-Janine Murtagh, executive publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Books, said Bond “will be forever remembered for his creation of the iconic Paddington, with his duffel coat and wellington boots, which touched my own heart as a child and will live on in the hearts of future generations.”

The furry adventurer first appeared in A Bear Called Paddington in 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.”

Adopted by the kindly Brown family, the misadventure-prone bear went on to star in more than 20 books, several television series and a 2014 feature film. A sequel is currently in production.

The books have sold some 35 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 40 languages, including Latin.

Born in Newbury, southern England, on Jan. 13 1926, Bond served in both the Royal Air Force and the British Army during World War II. He began writing while stationed with the army in Egypt in 1945.

He was working as a BBC cameraman when he created his most famous character. Paddington was inspired by a teddy bear that Bond bought for his wife one Christmas Eve as a stocking filler and named after the station he used for daily commutes.

Today, stuffed Paddingtons are for sale in toy stores and souvenir stands around Britain. A statue of the beloved bear stands at his namesake station.

In addition to the Paddington stories, Bond wrote a series of books about a guinea pig named Olga da Polga and a string of novels for adults about a French detective called Monsieur Pamplemousse.