Bears

I've always had an affinity for bears. And, in recent years, it's beginning to show. Furry, round belly, growl a lot, tendency to hibernate when it gets cold, etc. In a past life, I used to be a bear.

And, when it comes to bears, one of the stand-outs would have to be Paddington Bear, who turns 50 years old today.

I remember when I was younger, I had a blue duffel coat just like his. It never occurred to me to ask where a bear would get a duffel coat from, especially in Deepest Darkest Peru. It's one of those things you blindly accept as a kid - like why a bear travelling from Peru to London by stowing away in a lifeboat would be found in a train station, not a sea port.

Or being able to speak English. But, I suppose if a bear is going to learn to speak, then English is as good a language as any.

Think about the story now makes you realise that the world today is a very different place than it was when Paddington arrived in London. In those days, in Paddington's world - a refugee bear from another country, lost and alone, was taken in by a kind family. Not as fanciful as you might think - 1958 was just over a decade after London's children were evacuated during the Second World War, and taken in by kindly folk in the country.

Nowadays, if a refugee without a passport were to turn up, bear or human, he would never make it as far as a railway station. He'd be arrested at the border, thrown into mandatory detention and sit there for months or years, waiting for a public servant to process his claim. He'd be fingerprinted, facial scanned, and DNA tested before you could even say "Marmalade" (let alone eat any.) His blue duffel coat and red hat would be ripped along the hems, in case the kindly polite bear was smuggling drugs in it.

If he ever did make it into the country, on a temporary bear refugee visa, what then? Would he still be taken in by Mr & Mrs Brown, or would their modern xenophobic distrust of foreigners make them walk down to another platform. Or, in their modern day haste (and inability to work out the destination boards at Paddington Station), would they even notice a lone bear?

Would Jonathan & Judy Brown go off on wild adventures with him? Or would Judy be grounded for skipping school, and Jonathan be dealing drugs on the side, in spite of his A.B.O. for carrying a knife in a shopping centre?

Would Paddington still have elevenses with Mr Gruber, the shop keeper? Sadly, no. Paddington can still buy things from his shop, but to serve elevenses, Mr Gruber would have to have a food handling safety licence, and a commerical-grade kitchen. Nor would he really be allowed to invite Paddington into his back room. You see, he's an underage bear and Mr Gruber hasn't had the necessary police records check to get his "working with children" accreditation. Even if he had it, he would no doubt get strange looks and be gossiped about behind his back. He's a kindly old man, of course, but people do talk. And mud does stick.

Happy Birthday, Paddington. 50 years old today - and the world is a very different place now from the one you innocently set sail to. And, between the two - I think I'd prefer living in yours.