Royal Mail celebrates Paddington Bear’s 65th birthday with special stamps

A set of special stamps are being issued to celebrate 65 years of Paddington Bear.

The marmalade-loving Peruvian bear will feature on six postal stamps taken from Ivor Wood’s cartoons, which were originally published in the London Evening News in the late 1970s as the character became a star of the small screen.

Paddington Bear first appeared as a character in Michael Bond’s classic 1958 book ‘A Bear Called Paddington’. The bear is adopted by the Brown family in London after arriving at the train station he is named after.

In recent times, the ursine has gone on to star in two 2014 and 2017 hit movies, featuring Ben Whishaw as his voice.

This most recent adaptation of the character also famously starred alongside the late Queen Elizabeth II in a comedy sketch marking her platinum jubilee in 2022.

David Gold, director of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said: “Paddington continues to bring cheer to generations of children worldwide. These delightful stamps will brighten up the day of anyone receiving mail with a touch of Paddington’s charm.”

Rachel Clarke of the Copyrights Group said: “Paddington is a real heritage brand with a modern hero and we are delighted to be partnering with Royal Mail to celebrate 65 years since Michael Bond first introduced us to the beloved bear.”

The stamps are available to pre-order from today and go on general sale on 5 September.