He was wearing an old hat, a so-called "duffel coat," and carried a beat-up old suitcase. Around his neck was a tag saying, "Please look after this bear, thank you."He is also one of the most beloved characters in children's fiction of all time.Paddington, the bear from "Darkest Peru," debuted on Oct. 13, 1958, 65 years ago. Spotted by the Brown family in Paddington Station in London, the family took in the bear, who could talk, and brought him into their home and made him part of their family.The book series' author, Michael Bond, is said to have based Paddington on a stuffed bear he saw in a London shop near that same-named station in 1956. He ended up buying it for his wife.The idea of the bear with the tag around his neck asking for someone to take care of him stems from actual events in World War II. Jewish children, refugees either freed or fleeing from the Nazis, arrived at the London railway stations with no one to care for them. Others were being evacuated to the countryside to avoid the constant bombing of U.K. cities. Many carried similar baggage and had similar signs to the ones Paddington himself wore.The first book, "A Bear Called Paddington," was written in just 10 days. He had a tendency to naively get into trouble, but always a desire to make things right — and to do what is right. Bond wrote more than 20 books about the young bear and his adventures. He also became part of the popular culture. Stuffed bears resembling Paddington were made in short order - wearing Wellington boots to make him stand up — something that became part of his look in later years. He's been in books and had his own TV show (which aired in the United States as well).There have also been two movies — "Paddington" and "Paddington 2" — which have both been so well reviewed that they have a 97% and a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes — an effect few movie franchises can claim. It is revealed in later books that Paddington became an orphan after an earthquake in Peru, and he was taken in by his Aunt Lucy.The final book in the series written by Bond is "Paddington at St. Paul's." It was finished in 2018, before the author died. It was released on June 27th of that year to mark the anniversary of the day that he died and the 60th anniversary of "A Bear Called Paddington."