Pooh Bear and Paddington posing for the California State Flag

Pooh Bear as the California Flag

Here are two more childhood bears posing for the California State Flag. Winnie the Pooh and Paddington Bear. Both of these magical bears were born in the United Kingdom. Winnie's first book was published in 1926 out the imagination of Alan Alexander Milne.

Coincidentally the creator of Paddington Bear - Michael Bond - was born the same year that the first Winnie the Pooh book was published, in 1926.

But it was shortly after the Korean War, that Paddington Bear left fantasia unto the real world on Christmas Eve 1956. Mr. Bond, or rather a special secret agent oh seven Bond from the UK,  bought a lonely bear on a shelf at Paddington Station in London, for his wife. So inspired by the bear, that two years later Paddington was in print. He later went on to become a cultural emissary for Great Britain.

Paddington Bear as the California Flag

Paddington Bear is of course much more popular in Great Britain, but nonetheless Paddington also has a following in the United States.

Paddington and Pooh are enchanted bears that represent more than just teddy bears. Their origins out of England during WWI and WWII are extraordinary. Their association with early childhood innocence is the hallmark of their being. These long established care bears remind us of the truly important things in life.