Paddington Bear 60th Anniversary Ornament by Steiff - 12cm

Author Michael Bond based his world famous character Paddington Bear on a lonely teddy bear he noticed on a shelf in a London store on Christmas Eve 1956, which he bought as a present for his wife. The bear inspired Bond to write a story; A Bear Called Paddington - first published on 13th October 1958. Little could he have known then how many people from around the world would come to know, love and adore his small bear from darkest Peru.

"Paddington is eternally optimistic and always comes back for more, no matter how many times his hopes are dashed and it's simply the joy of a little bear who is an outsider getting into scrapes and mishaps, always with the best of intentions, coming out on top every time." Michael Bond

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of this very rare sort of bear, Steiff pays homage to Peggy Fortnum; the first illustrator to draw Paddington Bear for Michael Bond’s children’s books. She was commissioned to illustrate the first volume of adventures, A Bear Called Paddington, in black and white line drawings, in 1958, and worked on the next eight Paddington books.

Made from the finest cinnamon brown mohair, this charming ornament follows on from a phenomenally popular series of predecessors created by Steiff. He wears his classic red wide brimmed hat and detailed felt duffle coat and can be suspended from the red satin ribbon attached to his hat.

He is a limited edition of just 1,958 pieces and comes with his numbered certificate in a Steiff gift box with its original protective cardboard outer sleeve.  

• Size: 12cm / 4.75 inches
• 3-way jointed (arms and neck)
• Age: 14+
• Surface washable

Margarete Steiff GmbH is the oldest and most famous teddy bear and soft toy manufacturer in the world. Founded in 1880 by Margarete Steiff, the company motto is “Only the best is good enough for our children”. Credited with inventing the first teddy bear in 1902, the company is best known for its “Button in Ear” trademark.

PADDINGTON BEAR™ © Paddington and Company Limited 2018 From the Paddington Bear Books by Michael Bond Illustrated by Peggy Fortnum Paddington Bear™, Paddington™ and PB™ are trademarks Of Paddington and Company Limited Licensed by Copyrights Group