Why doesn’t Paddington, who is famously from "Darkest Peru," speak with a Spanish speaker’s accent?

AdamEatsAss , 10 days ago

I've done a lot of research into the Paddington Cinematic Universe and it is cannon that Paddington's bear family was a ruling class in a Peruvian bear apartheid system. In a move to separate themselves from the lesser undesirable bears they spoke with an English accent. Paddington is told that his parents died in an "earthquake" when he was very young but they were actually publicly executed during the warring states period following the fall of apartheid Peruvian bear society. It's the systematic advantages that still existed in the new Democratic Bears Republic of Peru that allowed Paddington to gain enough marmalade to grow up strong and move abroad.

barcaxavi , 9 days ago

So great to meet another PCU fanatic here.
Really serious research by AdamEatsAss, job well done.

FlyingSquid OP , 9 days ago

Finally, a logical explanation!

theywilleatthestars , 10 days ago

His mother tongue could be an indigenous language

FlyingSquid OP , 9 days ago

Wouldn't that still give him an accent though?

CrimeDad , 10 days ago (edited 9 days ago)

Wouldn't it make as much sense for him to have a Spanish accent?

finley , 10 days ago

He grew up in London since he was a kid

BeBa , 10 days ago

coz a british dude is the one who taught padingtons grandparents how to speak

craftyindividual , 10 days ago

I love the episode where he's selling electric vacuum cleaners door to door and he makes a soot and marmalade mess to hoover up as demonstration. Then the resident angrily informs him he only has gas no electricity!

dual_sport_dork , 10 days ago (edited 9 days ago)

Your yearly reminder that the original Paddington Bear stuffed toy was designed and made by Shirley Clarkson and given to her son: Jeremy Clarkson.

Yes, that Jeremy Clarkson. You know, the "Speed and Power!" guy.

(Although this was not the origin of the character himself. Michael Bond bought a generic toy bear from a toy shop and named it after nearby Paddington station. He wrote some stories using the bear as a character, and then they got published, and then he probably got very rich.)

FlyingSquid OP , 10 days ago

Michael Bond also wrote many, if not all, episodes of the 1970s show.

Tippon , 10 days ago

Top Gear was around in the 70s?

;)

alvaro , 10 days ago

@FlyingSquid Bear's anatomy make them speak with a lisp, which sounds very close to euro spanish.

themeatbridge , 10 days ago

Bear anatomy does not permit a bear to speak with a Peruvian accent.

FlyingSquid OP , 10 days ago

That does make sense.

spittingimage , 10 days ago

He adopted a fake accent to distance himself from his humble and poverty-stricken roots.

dugmeup , 10 days ago

His ESL teacher was a Brit and his study abroad changed him. He never got over his subtle bear speaking accent though which is his first language.

YurkshireLad , 10 days ago

He’s pretending otherwise he wouldn’t get a tv show in the uk.

FlyingSquid OP , 10 days ago

Am I the only want who wanted a Paddington movie like the old show where he's stop motion and everyone else is paper drawings? That's what I think of when I think of Paddington.

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/9c8050e1-704b-46b4-88e7-3dedcfe77ac8.png

They did one where they animated Paddington doing an almost move-for-move copy of Gene Kelly's famous titular dance in Singin' in the Rain, which was pretty damn impressive for the 1970s.

Boozilla , 10 days ago

Loved the look of it and the voice. Didn't get to watch much of it growing up. 😕

FlyingSquid OP , 10 days ago

The voice was the late, great Michael Hordern. I can't think of something he was in where he wasn't delightful.

And if you ever want to hear an amazing take on Gandalf equal to Ian McKellen's, he played him in the BBC radio version. (Incidentally, Peter Jackson must have been a fan of that adaptation because Ian Holm, who he cast as Bilbo, played Frodo in the radio version.)