Paddington Bear

The Beginning:

- Paddington lives in London, England, but he originally came from Peru where he was brought up by his Aunt Lucy after he was orphaned following an earthquake when he was just a few weeks old.
- When Aunt Lucy went to live in the Home for Retired Bears in Lima, she decided to send him to England to live. After teaching him to speak perfect English, Aunt Lucy arranged for him to stow away in a ship’s lifeboat.
- Paddington arrived on Paddington Station in London where he was found by Mr. and Mrs. Brown. He was sitting on a small suitcase near the lost property office wearing nothing but an old bush hat and a label round his neck with the words “Please Look After This Bear. Thank You.”
- Unable to resist such a simple request, Mr. and Mrs. Brown took Paddington home to live with them at 32 Windsor Gardens in London, along with their two children, Jonathan and Judy and their housekeeper, Mrs. Bird.
 - They decided to name the new member of their family Paddington, after the place where he was found. In Peru, Paddington was called Pastuso, after his uncle.

The Early Years:

- When he was found, Paddington wasn’t too sure how old he was so the Browns decided to start again at one. They also decided that he should have two birthdays a year (just like the Queen!) and so he celebrates these on 25th June and 25th December.
- Paddington has a close friend, Mr. Gruber who owns an antiques shop in the nearby Portobello Road and most days Paddington and Mr. Gruber share their elevenses of buns and cocoa. If Paddington ever has a problem he will almost always turn to Mr. Gruber for help and advice.
- The Browns have a very unpleasant next-door-neighbour, Mr. Curry. He is very mean and is always trying to take advantage of Paddington’s good nature.

Paddington’s Early Appearance:

- Paddington wears an old bush hat which was handed down to him by his uncle in Peru and he is hardly ever seen without it
- When Paddington first went to live with the Browns they bought him a blue duffle coat which he wears most of the time. It has a hood and is fastened with wooden toggles.
- Paddington sometimes completes his outfit with a pair of Wellington boots.
- Paddington is rarely parted from his battered, brown, leather suitcase. It has his initials P.B. written on the side and a secret compartment in which he keeps all his important papers.
- Paddington is famous for his love of marmalade and he is particularly fond of it in marmalade sandwiches. He always carries a jar of it in his suitcase and he usually has a marmalade sandwich tucked under his hat 'in case of emergencies'.
- When Paddington goes shopping in the market he often takes along his shopping basket on wheels.
- One of Paddington’s most important possessions is his scrapbook where he likes to write about all his adventures. It is also full of mementoes and the regular postcards which he receives from his Aunt Lucy in Peru.

Paddington’s Early Personality:

- Paddington is a very polite bear. He is very well-meaning and full of good intentions but his trusting nature can often get him into trouble. If people upset Paddington then they may get treated to one of his famous hard stares!
- Fortunately for Paddington, whatever scrapes he gets into, things always turn out alright for him in the end.

Tragedy Strikes Paddington:

- Paddington and The Browns were dismayed and in terrible pain when they found out that Mr. Gruber and his antique shop were destroyed in a blazing fire. The authorities blamed arson, and it was later discovered to be a frustrated older woman that did not like the antique tea set that she procured from Gruber’s shop.
- Years later, it was discovered from Mrs. Bird that Mrs. Brown was having an affair with Mr. Curry, the Browns’ unpleasant neighbor. This caused a horrible split with the family. Jonathan and Judy living with the dad, and Paddington living with Mrs. Brown (now Curry) and Mr. Curry.

Teenage Years and Beyond:

- Mrs. Brown (now Curry) was in an abusive marriage with her new husband. Paddington would oftentimes be sad when he tried to fall asleep while hearing Mr. Curry slapping the shit out of her in the bedroom. She would cry many a time, and Paddington was often confused as to why she would have chosen to go this route in the first place.
- Mr. Curry made a lot of money by doing illegal things. Gambling, rigging sporting events, dog fights, and other dark dealings were now secrets that were exposed to Paddington.
- Mrs. Bird felt sorry for Paddington, and in order to make him feel better, introduced him to sex by taking his virginity.  This awoken new feelings and insights.
- Paddington was forced to get a job in order to keep staying at Mr. Curry’s home. He started to do small side jobs with other disreputable men associated with Mr. Curry. These jobs started small such as making deliveries of small, curious packages to summoning individuals to their superiors.
- Paddington was soon taught how to defend himself.  He learned how to wield knives and fire guns. He was oftentimes very depressed as he used to scowl at people when they were up to no good, but now? Now he had to hurt them. Mrs. Bird would offer her body to distract him, but soon Paddington discovered alcohol and cigarettes from the men he was employed alongside.
- It wasn’t long before Paddington was an enforcer for a mafia-like organization. He still wore his old bush hat, but was now wearing a black, leather trench coat. He made terrible threats, broke bones, and far worse things now. It all began to shrink his adorable little bear heart.
- The sweetness of marmalade just wasn’t good enough anymore. It was too wholesome. Everything was. And now? Paddington was dead inside. He finally snapped when he had to set an explosive in the car of Mr. Curry because Curry, betrayed his organization. That in itself didn’t bother him, but the fact that Mrs Brown (Curry) was riding in the passenger seat did. Paddington couldn’t forgive himself. So he started eating Vegemite instead of the sweet, wholesome marmalade.

Paddington Now:

- Paddington speaks a strange hybrid of both *Received Pronunciation*, and *cockney*.
- Paddington is the size of an adult male, bear. He is strong, scarred from battles, and trained in ranged and melee combat. Besides his skill with knives and guns, Paddington has sharp talons on both his upper and lower paws. He also has sharp teeth and the ability to growl and roar in fury.
- Paddington is a mere shell of what he used to be when he was younger and everything was good again. If anyone asks about his family in Peru, he states he doesn’t know or care. When asked about the Browns, he either ignores, threatens, or attacks depending on who is asking.
- Paddington, when not working, typically gambles at sporting events, heavily drinks and/or smokes.  He is usually found with a Vegemite sandwich.
- He still has his leather suitcase which contains his old scrapbook of mementos from his old life. He barely glimpses at it. And now the secret compartment contains cigarettes, condoms, and rolls of money.
- Paddington has a side job as a bouncer for a strip club called The Fox’s Tail. He has dipped himself in every one of the strippers. No one talks about this. They’re all either too scared, too intimidated, or just plain into it.
- Paddington doesn’t believe in a god or religion. He doesn’t believe in goodness or peace or a happy future anymore. He is just an enforcer, a cog in the machine, and he does his job properly.