Please look after this bear. Thank you.
June 28, 2017 12:53 PM Subscribe
Michael Bond, creator of Paddington Bear, has died aged 91. Paddington, Bond's most famous creation, was immortalised in statue and on film.
He goes with marmalade and love.
He goes with marmalade and love.
I thought there was only one 'd' in it
posted by thelonius at 1:02 PM on June 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by thelonius at 1:02 PM on June 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
My Mother loved his Monsieur Pamplemousse detective series. I read some of them and they are a fun read.
Looks like his last one was a couple of years ago-.
posted by eye of newt at 1:07 PM on June 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Looks like his last one was a couple of years ago-.
posted by eye of newt at 1:07 PM on June 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
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I am sitting holding the paw of the Paddington I've had since I saved up all my allowance and holiday money for months when I was six. When I got him, I could fit into the duffle coat, because we were about the same size.
He thinks Mr. Bond was lovely, and had an amazing life that did a lot for many people, and we are being sad together.
posted by Rush-That-Speaks at 1:15 PM on June 28, 2017 [42 favorites]
I am sitting holding the paw of the Paddington I've had since I saved up all my allowance and holiday money for months when I was six. When I got him, I could fit into the duffle coat, because we were about the same size.
He thinks Mr. Bond was lovely, and had an amazing life that did a lot for many people, and we are being sad together.
posted by Rush-That-Speaks at 1:15 PM on June 28, 2017 [42 favorites]
💼
posted by Ogre Lawless at 1:25 PM on June 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Ogre Lawless at 1:25 PM on June 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
I will have a marmalade sandwich for breakfast.
posted by Segundus at 1:27 PM on June 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Segundus at 1:27 PM on June 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
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posted by Faint of Butt at 1:29 PM on June 28, 2017
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:29 PM on June 28, 2017
Don't worry, Mr. Bond, we'll look after him.
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posted by Elly Vortex at 1:33 PM on June 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
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posted by Elly Vortex at 1:33 PM on June 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Please look after these sad people. Thank you.
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posted by Samizdata at 1:34 PM on June 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
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posted by Samizdata at 1:34 PM on June 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
I still have my birthday cake served to me (OK I promise it's not as pretentious as that sounds, wow) on a "Happy Birthday Paddington Bear" platter that I got when I was a child. It's one of my favorite family traditions. I loved the books when I was a kid. My wife picked up a stuffed Paddington when she studied abroad in London, and we're now going to pass both of those on to our daughter, who should become quite a fan herself.
RIP.
posted by kevinbelt at 1:48 PM on June 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
RIP.
posted by kevinbelt at 1:48 PM on June 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
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posted by Faintdreams at 1:59 PM on June 28, 2017
posted by Faintdreams at 1:59 PM on June 28, 2017
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posted by augustimagination at 2:02 PM on June 28, 2017
posted by augustimagination at 2:02 PM on June 28, 2017
The movie was much better than the trailer if you haven't seen it, but I've always had a soft spot for the Singin' in the Rain sequence (which is a shot-by-shot recreation of Gene Kelly's sequence).
posted by idb at 2:04 PM on June 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by idb at 2:04 PM on June 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
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posted by mikelieman at 2:11 PM on June 28, 2017
posted by mikelieman at 2:11 PM on June 28, 2017
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posted by Token Meme at 2:41 PM on June 28, 2017
posted by Token Meme at 2:41 PM on June 28, 2017
I used to have a very soft spot for his books about Thursday (an orphaned mouse who is taken in by a family of church mice), though I've not read them in over forty years, and the Paddington books were the first paperbacks I ever had - they were read to me before I was able to read them for myself.
Although the Paddington film is somewhat different, I would dearly like to live in that Britain rather than the wretched little place we've found ourselves in post-Brexit.
posted by Grangousier at 2:48 PM on June 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Although the Paddington film is somewhat different, I would dearly like to live in that Britain rather than the wretched little place we've found ourselves in post-Brexit.
posted by Grangousier at 2:48 PM on June 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
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posted by fuzzypantalones at 2:54 PM on June 28, 2017
posted by fuzzypantalones at 2:54 PM on June 28, 2017
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I was so excited to get my picture taken with the statue of Paddington Bear at Paddington Station. I was 27 years old, a Canadian kid with an English mum who grew up on stories like these.
posted by twilightlost at 2:58 PM on June 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I was so excited to get my picture taken with the statue of Paddington Bear at Paddington Station. I was 27 years old, a Canadian kid with an English mum who grew up on stories like these.
posted by twilightlost at 2:58 PM on June 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Farewell Mr Bond. I credit/blame Paddington entirely for the childhood start of my Anglophilia. I've such a soft spot for that silly bear.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 3:09 PM on June 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 3:09 PM on June 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
The guinea pig story from the first link is so charming!
Mr. Hgg and I both loved Paddington when we were kids. They are such gentle books. RIP Mr. Bond and thanks for the many happy hours of childhood reading.
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posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 3:30 PM on June 28, 2017
Mr. Hgg and I both loved Paddington when we were kids. They are such gentle books. RIP Mr. Bond and thanks for the many happy hours of childhood reading.
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posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 3:30 PM on June 28, 2017
My mother-in-law bred guinea pigs as a hobby, and supplied Michael Bond with several of the guinea pigs who became Olga da Polga. (As the Guardian obituary notes, there was a sequence of Olgas: Olga I, Olga II and so on.) He always took the trouble to write to her to let her know how Olga was settling into her new home -- realising, I think, that though she never said so, she worried about parting with her guinea pigs and needed to be reassured that they were loved and cared for.
Everything I've read about him confirms my impression that he was a deeply humane and kindly man.
posted by verstegan at 4:10 PM on June 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
Everything I've read about him confirms my impression that he was a deeply humane and kindly man.
posted by verstegan at 4:10 PM on June 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
As a kid, the first time I ever enjoyed a book so much that I was terribly sad when I finished, and had to immediately start reading it again, was a collection of Olga stories.
What an utterly charming writer and a lovely man.
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posted by Soulfather at 4:22 PM on June 28, 2017
What an utterly charming writer and a lovely man.
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posted by Soulfather at 4:22 PM on June 28, 2017
An Immigration Lawyer Reviews Paddington
(mostly about the film, but there's a lot of book-related stuff there as well)
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:58 PM on June 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
(mostly about the film, but there's a lot of book-related stuff there as well)
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:58 PM on June 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'll always remember the text on the spine of a book appeared to be
Paddington Marches On Michael Bond.
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posted by detachd at 6:23 PM on June 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Paddington Marches On Michael Bond.
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posted by detachd at 6:23 PM on June 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
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posted by JoeXIII007 at 8:38 PM on June 28, 2017
posted by JoeXIII007 at 8:38 PM on June 28, 2017
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posted by Lesser Spotted Potoroo at 1:36 AM on June 29, 2017
posted by Lesser Spotted Potoroo at 1:36 AM on June 29, 2017
A thing I love about stuffed Paddington Bears is that even though their ears are hidden under their hats they are always black which the book tells us is the correct color for Paddington's ears. They get this detail right even though you can't tell unless you peek under the hat to check. Whenever I go to a toy store or book store or anywhere that has Paddingtons available I check and the ears are always, always the correct color.
I read the Paddington books as a little girl and loved them and now I have a baby and I can't wait to read the books to her. My husband and I have a stuffed Paddington who sleeps in the bed with us and we gave him extra cuddles and reassurances last night. Whenever I go somewhere fancy and they have little jars of marmalade I bring one back for Paddington. He is being looked after.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 6:54 AM on June 29, 2017 [6 favorites]
I read the Paddington books as a little girl and loved them and now I have a baby and I can't wait to read the books to her. My husband and I have a stuffed Paddington who sleeps in the bed with us and we gave him extra cuddles and reassurances last night. Whenever I go somewhere fancy and they have little jars of marmalade I bring one back for Paddington. He is being looked after.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 6:54 AM on June 29, 2017 [6 favorites]
*
I have a wonderful set of Paddington books from the 1960s my parents got me when I was little (during the 1970s), and I still read them to my children now. We read a couple of them last night, my son holding his Paddington stuffed bear.
posted by ElleElle at 7:35 AM on June 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
I have a wonderful set of Paddington books from the 1960s my parents got me when I was little (during the 1970s), and I still read them to my children now. We read a couple of them last night, my son holding his Paddington stuffed bear.
posted by ElleElle at 7:35 AM on June 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
Paddington gave the man a hard stare -> .
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 7:39 AM on June 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 7:39 AM on June 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
Goodness! He also wrote The Herbs. It seems that my early childhood was entirely in the hands of mssrs Bond and Postgate, with honourable mentions for Gordon Murray and Ivor Wood.
posted by Grangousier at 10:49 AM on June 29, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Grangousier at 10:49 AM on June 29, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'm pretty certain that a school trip to see a play based on Paddington was the first time I ever went into a theater.
The tv series was another small vital part of my childhood with the unforgettable theme tune ever in my heart
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:23 PM on June 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
The tv series was another small vital part of my childhood with the unforgettable theme tune ever in my heart
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:23 PM on June 29, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by Hanuman1960 at 8:38 AM on June 30, 2017
posted by Hanuman1960 at 8:38 AM on June 30, 2017
I have a wee stuffed Paddington on my keyring, whom I respectfully address as Paddlockington.
posted by Sparx at 2:31 PM on June 30, 2017
posted by Sparx at 2:31 PM on June 30, 2017
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posted by photoelectric at 12:25 AM on July 1, 2017
posted by photoelectric at 12:25 AM on July 1, 2017
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It blew my mind when I read an article (on Cracked, maybe?) that Paddington was meant to be a stand-in for refugees. So awesome and such good childhood memories of that bear.
posted by knownassociate at 12:56 PM on June 28, 2017 [5 favorites]