Paddington Bear is a world renowned fictional character often associated with London, the “Paddington” part of his name being derived from Paddington Station. However his origins are actually from Peru, ‘Darkest Peru’ if we’re being specific. As the story goes, Paddington left his native Peru via a lifeboat, eating marmalade along the way and ended up in Paddington Station, sitting on his suitcase with a sign attached to him: “Please look after this bear. Thank you.”
On 18th July 2015 a statue of Paddington Bear was unveiled in Miraflores, Lima, Peru with the title “Please Look After This Bear”. The statue was donated by the British Embassy in Lima to the Municipality of Miraflores “as a symbol of the enduring friendship and cultural links between the UK and Peru.”
