TOTAL LICENSING
As readers will
Paddington...
know from our
Spring issue,
Paddington Bear
is preparing to
... the story continues
celebrate his 50
th
birthday next
year. In the first
By June 1975, Gabrielle Designs – Pad- when a boy I rather liked asked me to
feature covering
dington’s first licensee – were selling dance. I was delighted until he whis-
the history of
the bear at a number of smart Lon- pered in my ear that he had been given
this well-loved
don boutiques. However, within three a Paddington for Christmas and could
character,
years, around 300 shops in the UK I ask my father to sign the label!” we talked to
were stocking Paddingtons and sales However, for the most part, Karen
Paddington
had risen from 30,000 in 1975 to over saw Paddington as a member of her
creator Michael
100,000 by the late 1970s. family and it seemed a logical move
Bond about the
Demand for Paddington continued to for her to be involved in Paddington’s
character’s origins
grow, resulting in the opening of world.
- from a missed
the first Paddington and Friends This was to prove a blessing in terms
shop in London in 1978. This of television, as well as the merchan-
London bus to an
was followed three years later dise. As Nicholas Durbridge ex-
Emmy award.
by the opening of a further plained, “One of the things that has
store in Bath. always kept Paddington true to his
In the second part
Paddington was, without doubt origins is that Michael and Karen have of our Paddington
by now, a star of television, as always been involved”.
story, we move
well as books. In 1979, the second Karen’s involvement has, as Nicholas
the story from
FilmFair series was screened and in Durbridge admits, been invaluable,
the late 1970s
1981 FilmFair followed this up with particularly when it came to working
onwards, and
three half-hour specials, including on the new television series which
talked to Michael
the memorable Singin’ in the Rain, Cinar produced in the late 1990s.
which was made with the full approval “Basically, anything involving a sto-
Bond’s daughter,
of Gene Kelly and, when first screened
Twenty-six years on, Karen is still
ryline comes through me”, she ex-
Karen Jankel
on the BBC, attracted an audience of
there and very much a part of the
plained. “The Cinar project, however,
about her role
over eight million.
Paddington story. “In my early days
was an immense challenge. Over a
in Paddington’s
Of course, by now, Paddington was
I was working for Nicholas (Dur-
period of nine months, we had to go development.
a star well beyond the UK.
bridge). Copyrights
through more than 120 storylines and
Product was licensed into the
had not long been
scripts and we also went to the voice
US and leading Japanese retail-
established as a di-
recordings to make sure they were in
er Sony Plaza debuted ranges
vision of Padding-
keeping with Paddington’s character
of Paddington merchandise.
ton & Co and I was
and heritage. It was an immense job!”
For Michael Bond and Nicho-
initially involved on
Back in the 1980s, though, there
las Durbridge, by the early
the licensing side. At
was still enormous activity involving
1980s, life was hectic and the
this point, my fam-
Michael, Karen and, of course, Copy-
popularity of the little bear
ily came along and
rights on the licensing side.
seemed to have a momentum all of
I really didn’t want to be working all
its own.
hours so in 1984 Copyrights was es-
Enter Karen Jenkel, Michael Bond’s
tablished as a separate business and I
daughter. In 1981, Karen was working
stayed with Paddington & Co to help
at a senior level with a magazine pub-
my father with his side of the busi-
lisher. As she explained, “I wasn’t ter-
ness”.
ribly happy in the job and at that time
Of course to Karen, who had grown
really was looking for change”.
up with Paddington, the character had
Michael Bond, at this time, had got to
been very much a part of her child-
the point that he needed somebody
hood, although in her teens, just oc-
to help him and suggested to Karen
casionally, it was a mixed blessing. “I
that she joined him ‘on a temporary
remember being about sixteen and Illustrations
basis’.
going to a party and was really pleased
© P&Co Ltd 2007
109
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140 Page 141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 148 Page 149 Page 150 Page 151 Page 152 Page 153 Page 154 Page 155 Page 156 Page 157 Page 158