From children’s books to the royal family, the little British bear has over time become a global brand that attracts young and old across the world.
The clumsy little bear from children’s books has transformed into a juggernaut. Long known only to the British, Paddington has become a global brand in ten years, the result of a clever strategy around feature films. And thanks to the royal family. Red felt hat, blue duffle coat and eternal smile: a wall of stuffed animals Paddington awaits visitors in London’s stations and airports, near memories of London double-decker buses or the Royal Guard, which the character has joined in the tourist imagination of the United Kingdom.
The plush toy is a « must ». 27 million copies have been sold at least 15 pounds (18 euros) each, and sometimes three times more, since 2021, according to Studiocanal (Vivendi group), owner of the rights. Coming from Sardinia, the Piga family « Not yet » ceded. But she made the trip to the station Paddingtonfrom which the character takes its name, for a must-see: a photo with the bronze statue of the bear cub.
« This is one of the attractions we wanted to see », in the same way as Big Ben or Tower Bridge, says father Carlo, while his little daughter, who « saw all the films », gets tangled in his mother’s legs. « She was very enthusiastic… » Toys, clothing, tableware, stationery, perfumes… A thousand products Paddington under license have been developed. And 35 million books, in forty languages, sold. “ It’s a brand that was perhaps a little… I don’t want to say “sleeping”, (…) but in any case, we were able to bring it up to date »welcomes Anna Marsh, general director of Studiocanal.
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Before the first film of 2014, the books of Paddingtoncreated by Michael Bond in 1958, are popular in the United Kingdom. Much less elsewhere. The success of the feature film ($268 million at the box office) changed the character. And Studiocanal bought the rights to develop a franchise around the teddy bear. Two new films are produced: Paddington 2 in 2017 ($227 million in revenue) and Paddington in Peruon promotion. As well as a series, exhibitions and soon a musical.
The character appears on the prints of the British fashion brand Cath Kidston, in the Christmas ads of Marks & Spencer or the Happy Meals of McDonald’s. The brand partners with Airbnb, Primark, Zara and even Unicef, which raises $15 million from the sale of postcards. Paddington is also never far from the royal family: Prince William attended the premiere of the film in China in 2015, Kate Middleton danced with him on the station platform in 2017. But above all, he appeared in 2022 on mondiovision at the jubilee of Queen Elisabeth, in a humorous short film. A turning point.
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The media impact is unexpected, the equivalent of 10 million pounds (12 million euros) of advertising in the United Kingdom, according to Havas’ estimate. Not counting the rest of the world. Anna Marsh refuses everything « detail on the contract with Buckingham Palace ». « No comment » also on the side of the royal family « on the relationship between the late queen » and the character, yet sealed: upon the death of the monarch, hundreds of stuffed animals are placed in front of the royal residences.
For Luke McDonagh, intellectual property specialist at the London School of Economics, Paddington is today one of the « characters created by the British with the greatest value, alongside Harry Potter and James Bond ». « The overall value of the brand can reasonably be estimated at over a billion pounds. » (1.2 billion euros), he adds. A Marketcast survey makes it possible to measure the evolution of the character’s notoriety between 2017 and 2023: from 67 to 88% in the United States, from 66 to 87% in Germany, from 68 to 84% in France. And 97% of Britons know it today.
Unexpectedly, visits have exploded in the pastel alley of Primrose Hill, in London, where dozens of tourists come to photograph the blue house from the films, to the great dismay of the neighborhood. « It’s like living in a zoo »plague, arms crossed, a neighbor exasperated by « les tiktokers »who wait hours for the perfect video and even film through its windows.
