Through word of mouth on the movie Twitter (RIP), many cinephiles were pilloried for Paddington and they were all in Paddington 2 opened, and now excited for the much-delayed stateside release of Paddington in Peru. So why is it so hard for American fans to get their feet wet Paddington merch?
The first two films, both directed by Paul King, adapted English author Michael Bond's kid-lit classic stories about a lost bear from “darkest Peru” with captivating adventures in London. It's hyperbole to call them both greatest movie ever made, but Paddington 2 holds the title of the best reviewed film in the Rotten tomatoes; it even dethroned him Citizen Kane. It's only dropped to 99% thanks to a bad review that was written off as contrarian—deserving the hardest stare from Paddington himself.
So yes, it's serious. Since the release of both films, fans have embraced King's films as modern classics. Those raising a lil' cinema nerd brood have children who have grown up in the franchise for about a decade, while the other iconic British bear in the Mouse House—AA Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh—has struggled in making a cinematic impact outside of merchandising. As Paddington became a huge part of the pop culture zeitgeist, Disney took notice and released the live-action hybrid Christopher Robin film after its attempt at an animated feature length Winnie the Pooh the movie is ruined. (Beyond Disney, the character is now out there for the kill kills thanks to the public domain Blood and Honey horror series).
But as we mentioned, Pooh remains visible because of merchandising; he and his friends are everywhere even IP movies and shows have mixed results with longevity. Meanwhile, Paddington achieved cult status thanks to the King films' knack for tapping into the timeless appeal of found-family themes and slapstick whimsy. It can make the toughest man cry, as seen in The Unbearable Weight of Enormous Talent, the meta film starring Nicolas Cage as himself hired to hang out with Pedro Pascal, whose crime-lord character is the actor's biggest fan. Paddington 2 captures an unforgettable moment on screen that bonds the two characters.
With all the hype and praise why is it still so hard for US fans to find a decent Paddington Bear stuffed animal, or any really good merchandise, three deep movies?
We can't help but wonder if Paddington is being kept at the gate. Sure, there are bear versions on Amazon, but mostly the variant of the book and very rarely from movie. If you're looking for a huggable, near 1:1 size bear, you need to visit the official Paddington store at Paddington Station in London. And somehow it turned out like this Paddington 2 when I was looking for one as a childless adult millennial toy collector. The one I managed in 2018… well, it looks like an eight-inch main bear with a flimsy hat and coat, similar to these examples found online:
Beyond 2020 Nickelodeon Adventures of Paddington animated series, the third reboot from the '70s and '90s show, Paddington continued to grow mostly through word of mouth because there was no merch to push for visibility. The Nickelodeon series had a limited toy run that evaporated, and good luck finding seasons on DVD. That series coincided with a rise in popularity for another lockdown favorite: Bluey. In fact, my husband and I got in Bluey when filmmaker Duncan Jones recommended it on Twitter; then we took our other movie nerd friends to Ludo Studio's animated series by letting them know that it has the energy and heart of Paddington. It prevents us from losing our minds at home during the pandemic, and if not for Paddington I'm not sure if we'll live in the age of Bluey right now. It gave way Bluey's takeover—which, by the way, includes lots of merch and accessories for all ages. And yet for Paddington? You have to work hard to find something good.
Now that I have a child, I try harder to find good things. I prepared; I bought a soft one Paddington rattle in 2021 from Barnes and Noble—but how can it be 2025 and it's still one of the few toys you can find? This is my baby's favorite, but to have Paddington under the Christmas tree for his first holiday, I had to order from Paddington shop online and wondered if I bought the Paddington in Peru releases that they are the best. They're not what I expected, in part because they're too small for their value (and oof, the price of UK postage is rough). To use another pop-culture example for a character originating outside the US, Totoro stuffed animals are also hard to find, and retailers that sell official Studio Ghibli items charge exorbitant amounts for them. But at least they are accurate in their animated appearance, in addition to being large.
Paddington is, apparently, also a hot commodity in the UK, to the point that counterfeiters have taken notice. The Independent reported in a recent crackdown where “nearly 2,000” items were seized near the locations where the films were shot. On Reddit, you'll find complaints from everyone about how hard it is to track down the perfect Paddington bear—they seem to be true. only available in London.
The best thing I can do this Christmas is to send abroad a bear and some pieces from H&M Paddington Bear children's clothing collection. Baby Gap also released a children's clothing line, but it was available in the UK first and more widely; here's what you get stateside. Both adorable drops feature the classic children's book Paddington.
Scary for kids, but even funnier for adults. If you have the money you can get a coat (for around $600) or some shirts from Rowing Blazers. The company also has some neat hats, including one that says “Please take care of this bear. Thank you,” but it's sold out. Out of Print with some shirts, and Oodie releases comfy looking oversized paddington blanket sweaters—but then again, this is just the book version of Paddington.
Fortunately, streaming reveals the wonders of Paddington to a wider audience; movies continue to top the charts on Netflix and Disney+. Perhaps the current merch logjam can be traced back to the films' complicated journey to various US distributors: Studio Canal originally had a deal with the Weinstein Company but backed out of that, and then Paddington 2 was released by Warner Bros. The third film, directed by Dougal Wilson, is a Sony Pictures release.
If the excitement can be drummed Paddington in Perudemand may change with upcoming movies. Paddington 4 is in the works before the character's 70th anniversary (bring Paul King back) and better have better merch widely available by then.
Paddington in Peru opens on February 14.
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