Michael Bond wrote the original Paddington Bear stories.
Bond created Paddington after seeing a lonely teddy bear in a London shop near his home on Christmas Eve in 1956. He imagined the bear sitting alone and decided to write a story about him. The first book, A Bear Called Paddington, appeared in 1958 and introduced the refugee bear from Peru to readers.
Bond’s books combine gentle comedy with observations about family life, manners, misunderstandings, and London society. Paddington’s politeness and habit of causing accidental chaos became defining features of the character.
Bond continued writing Paddington stories for decades. The books were illustrated by Peggy Fortnum, whose drawings helped establish the bear’s familiar visual identity. Bond died in 2017, but Paddington continued in television, film, publishing, and merchandise.