Updated June 29, 2017 08:06:47

Photo: About 35 million copies of the Paddington Bear books have been sold worldwide. (AP: Sang Tan)

The creator of marmalade-loving children's favourite Paddington Bear, Michael Bond, has died at the age of 91.

Bond's publisher HarperCollins said he had died at his home on Tuesday after a short illness.

Executive publisher of HarperCollins Children's Books Ann-Janine Murtagh said the duffel-coated, Wellington boot-wearing bear "touched my own heart as a child and will live on in the hearts of future generations".

The furry adventurer first appeared in A Bear Called Paddington in 1958 — a stowaway from "Darkest Peru" who arrived at London's Paddington train station wearing a sign that said: "Please look after this bear. Thank you."

Adopted by the Brown family, the misadventure-prone bear went on to star in some 20 books, a television series and a feature film.

About 35 million copies of the books have been sold worldwide and have been translated into 40 languages, including Latin (Ursus Nomine Paddington).

Bond said he based the character on a teddy bear that he bought for his wife as a stocking filler, and named him after the station he used for daily commutes.

Today, countless stuffed Paddington Bears are for sale in toy stores and souvenir stands around Britain, and a statue of the iconic bear stands at the station.

Explaining the character's enduring appeal in 2008, Bond said: "There's something about bears which sets them apart from the other toys."

"I think dolls are always wondering what they're going to wear next.

"Bears have this quality that children in particular feel they can tell their secrets to and they won't pass them on."

AP

Topics: death, author, books-literature, united-kingdom

First posted June 28, 2017 23:51:19