Paddington Bear of Lima

“Please look after this bear” are the words inscribed on the Paddington Bear statue that was gifted to the municipality of Miraflores, in the city of Lima, on the coast of Peru. A gift of the British Embassy, the little bear now watches over the Miraflores Boardwalk, a playground, and the Pacific Ocean.

Unveiled in July of 2015 to commemorate the strong ties between the UK and Peru (his original home in the story), this Paddington was one of 50 bears designed by artists, actors, politicians (and at least one supermodel), originally scattered all over London to create the “Paddington Trail.” The designers were an eclectic bunch, running the gamut from Nicole Kidman to Rhianna, from David Beckham to Kate Moss, from Andrew Lloyd Webber to Bear Grylls. This particular one was designed by British comedian Stephen Fry.

Having made his way back to Peru, Paddington’s new playground perch is located in Parque Salazar along the Miraflores Boardwalk, looking out over the Bay of Santander. The statue’s dedication was overseen by Alan Yarrow, Lord Mayor of the City of London (where there is another Paddington statue at the little bear’s namesake train station), and Jorge Muñoz, Mayor of Miraflores. Paddington has been a staple bedtime story for many generations of children. Lucky little bear - now he gets to hang out with them all day.