Paddington Postcards

Here's a fun new feature on the Paddington Bear official website: send a Paddington e-Postcard. Currently there are six themes: Thinking of You, Happy Travels, Hope You're Bearing Up, Happy Birthday, Big Bear Hug, and Season's Greetings. All feature the bear from the 1970s British TV Series "Paddington". Great to send to Paddington fans, or anyone, and the best part is, they're FREE! Send a Postcard, here.

Book Notes: Bearly Believable

For a true Paddington Bear collector, there is surely none to compare with the original Gabrielle Designs bears. While many have tried to capture Paddington's character in plush, none succeeded so well as Shirley Clarkson and her team at the Home Farm in Burghwallis (in Doncaster, Yorkshire England). Something about the Gabrielle bears' expression - helpless, imploring, sweet, yet stalwart. They just had it right from the beginning. Surely many of us who have caught the Paddington bug have caught it from our first encounter with one of their creations. I know it was the case for me! So, naturally, I was interested in reading Shirley Clarkson's book "Bearly Believable: My Part in the Paddington Bear Story." Part autobiography, part business history, this was a very entertaining and informative read. If you want to know the history behind the Gabrielle bears, this book is for you. If you want to be educated and informed about the product that you are collecting/buying/selling, you need to read it. It's also good just for laughs: Shirley Clarkson has an earthy sense of humor and many funny stories to tell. Enjoy it if you can find it!

A Boyds Paddington?!

Today I would like to post a photo of my newest acquisition, a 2003 Paddington Bear from The Boyds Collection. This bear stands 15" tall wearing yellow hat, blue duffle coat and yellow boots. He is fully jointed and finely made in every regard. I am told he was "Exclusive" to the Boyd's Bear Country store, and not available at Boyds' retail locations. I did not know this item existed! What a wonderful find.

First Paddington Bear

The very first two plush Paddington Bears were created by Shirley Clarkson, of Gabrielle Designs of England, in 1971. The Gabrielle design was registered and first marketed in 1972. The plush bear quickly became very popular and in the peak production years of the mid/late 1970s, more than 100,000 bears a year were sold. These later bears are fairly common in the second-hand market. They are identifiable by a silk Gabrielle Designs label at the back of the neck indicating a design registration year of 1972 and the number 957892. However, the earliest Gabrielle bears do not have this label as they were made before the registration number was obtained. To authenticate a pre-registration Gabrielle bear, look for certain features to be different from the later bears: slightly darker fur; rounder head with eyes set higher; smaller, dimpled nose; stumpy legs with no hint of toe; round, felt foot pads in lighter shades of brown; and wider space between the legs. In addition, they should have the traditional duffle coat, hat with pin, Dunlop Wellington boots and luggage label, but these are also different: duffle coats in thick felt of rare early colors, with olive green and cerise pink being highly sought after; Dunlop Wellington boots, usually size 4, possibly in rare colors including white or black; and the earliest luggage labels should state "design registration applied for." I have just acquired my own pre-reg bear; see his photo here at upper left.

Biography of Paddington

I've just obtained a copy of The Life and Times of Paddington Bear (Pavilion Books: London, 1988) by Russell Ash with Michael Bond. This book documents Paddington's character origins and commercialization. It promises to be a fabulous reference for any Paddington collector as well as a fascinating read for those who love this bear. It's just full of fantastic photographs of absolutely all kinds of Paddington merchandise as well as the people brought him to life. I cannot wait to read it. If you are a serious Paddington collector and you haven't read this book, go and find it right now!

Paddington's Website

Just read this on the Paddington Bear Official Website: "Paddington is getting quite excited about his new website which will be launched by Friday 14th August 2009. He's just making sure that all the facts and figures are correct and that there is something for everyone, young and old!" How exciting! Check it out here: Paddington Bear The Official Website

A respectable collectible

Why is it that I feel a little embarrassed to tell people that I am collecting Paddington bears? Somehow it seems more acceptable for an adult woman to say she collects shoes or handbags, or for a man to collect stamps or coins, than it is to admit to collecting teddy bears. But the truth is, teddy bears are just as popular a collectible as these things, among both men and women, young and old. With over 100 years of teddy bear history, there is so much to love and collect in this area, whether it's antique teddies, artist teddies, or popular characters. But, every serious collector has to choose a a specific area to focus on, and become expert in. Paddington Bear is a worthy subject, with rich character origins in a timeless series of humorous stories by Michael Bond. Plush Paddingtons have been modeled by several wonderful teddy bear designers, beginning with Gabrielle Designs of the UK, followed by Eden Toys of the US, Steiff of Germany, and others including R John Wright, Rainbow Designs, Yottoy, Boyds, Hamleys, and many others. Even within this relatively limited collectible subject area, there are so many items to admire and acquire. I'm sure it will keep me occupied for many years to come. Not to mention, it will provide an endless supply of smiles, laughs and warm fuzzy hugs for both me and my children and future grandchildren!

The collectible bug

I think I've been bitten by some kind of bug. A collectible bug, I guess. Whatever happened, I've become obsessed with Paddington Bear. I'm spending WAY too much time and money on eBay collecting bears. I spend my weekends dragging the family to garage sales looking for Paddington stuff. I've read almost nothing but Paddington Bear books for the last six months. Am I mad? Do I have OCD? Or is this just what it means to be a collector?