TOTAL LICENSING
best book in this season for this (5-8) producing soft toys for sale to toy and
age group’. The opinion was shared by gift shops.
book buyers and the first print run The toys were an instant success with
was sold out before Christmas. In fact, her children and, as word spread, or-
the January issue of Books and Book- ders for Shirley’s Paddington Bear toy
men listed it as the Best Children’s started to come in.
Book of the Year alongside the Best Enter Nicholas Durbridge, later
Novels of the Year by Iris Murdoch founder of The Copyrights Group
and H E Bates’ The Darling who was, at the time, an articled
Buds of May. This was the clerk working for a firm of en-
beginning of the Paddington tertainment lawyers who were
Bear phenomenon that, employed by Michael Bond’s lit-
in the following fifty erary agent Harvey Unna.
years, saw more Nicholas called Shirley
than 30 million Clarkson and ordered
copies sold in 30 dif- a bear which duly ar-
Paddington creator Michael Bond OBE
ferent languages. rived. Acting for his
Barbara Ker Wilson, the editor at
Within a year, clients, he then sent
Collins, knew an illustrator who she
the book had a ‘Cease and Desist’
felt was perfect. Peggy Fortnum was
become a letter to Shirley
enthusiastic and went to London Zoo
bestseller Clarkson and
where she found a Malayan Sun Bear
and was arranged a
on which to base her illustrations. Her
translated meeting with
sketches convinced Michael and over
and published her.
thirty of her illustrations were used in
in Sweden, At this point,
the first book.
Denmark and fate took a hand.
A Bear Called Paddington was pub-
the Netherlands As Michael ex-
lished in hardback on 13 October
followed by numer- plains, “I met Shirley
1958 and was an immediate success.
ous other territories. So popular was and her husband Eddie in
A month later, Books and Bookmen
the title that Collins commissioned the lift on the way up to Nicholas’ of-
journal was describing the book as ‘the
Michael Bond to write a another book fice. They were carrying a Paddington
- More About Paddington - which was toy they had made and I couldn’t help
published in 1959. telling them how marvellous I thought
Nicholas Durbridge with Paddington “I was amazed”, said Michael Bond. it was”.
“Every book became a bestseller. I As a result, Michael and Nicholas put
kept thinking each one was the last together a licensing agreement for the
one but I still kept on doing them”. Clarksons which was signed in 1972.
By 1960, Houghton Mifflin published A The toys paid enormous attention to
Bear Called Paddington in the United detail and the boots that Shirley Clark-
States and, back in the UK, by 1962 son initially used were size 5 children’s
Puffin published the book in paper- boots from Dunlop. Eddie Clarkson
back for the first time. toured the UK aiming to achieve one
By 1965, Michael Bond retired from major account in each town, although
the BBC in order to concentrate he did sell the toys into both Hamleys
on his writing and shortly and Harrods in London.
afterwards, Fukuinkan Sto- Michael Bond was amazed
ten published the books and delighted at their suc-
for the first in Japanese. cess. “It was incredible”, he
In 1971, Shirley Clarkson explained, “Queues formed to
of Doncaster created buy the toys before they ran
two soft toys of Padding- out, just as they do today for
ton Bear to give to her toys based on blockbuster
children, Joanna and Jer- films. But, at this point, Pad-
emy (now a well-known dington only featured in
broadcaster and journalist). books”.
Three years earlier, Shirley With such a popular char-
had set up a small business acter, Nicholas Durbridge
entitled Gabrielle Designs and his legal firm were
58
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