Red hat? Check! Blue duffle coat? Check! Emergency marmalade sandwich? Triple check! That’s right, everyone’s favourite marmalade-loving bear is coming to London. STUDIOCANAL has officially announced that a trail of Paddington Bear statues, known as Paddington Visits, will be touring the UK and Ireland to celebrate the forthcoming release of Paddington in Peru in cinemas.
Yesterday (October 8), Paddington made his first London appearance outside Westfield White City, and you can catch him perched beside the row of food spots near the entrance to the centre. And today(October 9), a statue of Paddington in Connaught Village followed suit. They make up two of 23 spots across the UK the busy bear will visit on his trail leading up to the film!
From Liverpool to Land’s End, to Birmingham and Bury St Edmunds, as well as Manchester and of course London Paddington, bear-y special statues will appear on benches in cities, towns, and beauty spots across the UK and Ireland in early October. Oh, and it’s free to visit! Each meticulously crafted and painted statue will sport the wise bear’s signature red hat, blue duffle coat, and, naturally, a marmalade sandwich in paw. Fans, friends, and family can step into Mr. Gruber’s shoes, sit with Paddington for a spot of tea, a sandwich or two, or even write a postcard to Aunt Lucy!
Actor Hugh Bonneville, who plays Mr Brown in the film, commented: “I am thrilled to reveal we are going to be unveiling a number of benches across the UK, all featuring a statue of our beloved bear. Ahead of the new film, fans, families and friends can sit down and have a chat with the marmalade-loving bear, so watch this space for more information about Paddington…coming to a bench near you!”
Locations taking part in the Paddington Bear trail
- Ashby
- Birmingham
- Bury St Edmunds
- Cardiff
- Chester
- County Mayo
- Edinburgh
- John O’ Groats
- Lanark
- Land’s End
- Liverpool
- London Connaught Village
- London Westfield, White City
- Manchester
- Newbury
- Newtownards
- Penrith
- Peterborough
- Reading
- Salisbury
- Southampton
- Sunderland
- York
Paddington Visits launches ahead of the bear’s latest cinematic outing, Paddington in Peru, which hits UK and Ireland cinemas on November 8. This new adventure will see Paddington return home to the Peruvian jungle to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, now a resident at the Home for Retired Bears. With The Brown Family and Mrs Bird in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mysterious disappearance plunges them into an unexpected journey from the Amazon rainforest to the mountain peaks of Peru.
You can explore the Paddington Bear trail this October.