International celebrities, designers and artists to lend their artistic talents to promote London City
Paddington Bear is arguably one of the world’s most iconic teddy bears. The popularity of the character has stretched beyond merchandising and into the realm of entertainment with films and television shows dedicated to the character. This year, Paddington will not only grace cinema screens with his first big-budget movie adventure but he will also be promoting London City in his own unique way.
The Paddington fever will stretch into the capital of Great Britain with The Paddington Trail, an initiative set by VisitLondon.com and Studio Canal. The trial will consist of 50 Paddington Bear statues, which will be placed across the capital ahead of the highly anticipated release of the film in the UK come November 2014.
This exciting and inspiring trail will take visitors to museums, parks, shops and landmarks, all with a colourful, Paddington inspired flavour. Visitors will be able to follow in the furry footsteps of the world’s favourite Peruvian explorer visiting locations across the capital from as far west as Heathrow through to the O2 Arena in the east.
Along the way the trail will take visitors to some of London’s key cultural and landmark hotspots such as The Royal Opera House, Museum of London, Horse Guards Parade, the Museum of Childhood and, of course, Paddington Station with the trail ending in Selfridges until December 2014. Best of all, the Paddington Trail will also be boosted by star power.
Thus far, a number of celebrities have already stepped-up to help design the statues that will grace the trail. The list includes stars of the Paddington film like Hugh Bonneville, Nicole Kidman, Julie Walters and Ben Whishaw, Hollywood actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Sheen and Emma Watson, director Guy Ritchie, Bear Grylls and David Beckham to name a few.
“It is such a privilege to be designing a statue for The Paddington Trail, especially as it is raising money for the NSPCC – a charity I’m proud to support,” said Michael Sheen who designed ‘Shakesbear Paddington. “I am delighted to have been able to create Shakesbear and combine my love of the bear with my passion for the bard!” he added.
VisitLondon.com (www.VisitLondon.com/Paddington) has also launched a dedicated section of their website which will enable visitors to London to find out more about the trail and, later in the month, download the trail map, share their pictures and discover the stories behind each statue and location.
