Through word of mouth on film Twitter (RIP), many cinephiles got Paddington-pilled and were all in when Paddington 2opened, and are now excited for the much-delayed stateside release of Paddington in Peru. So why is it so hard for American fans to get their paws on Paddington merch? The first two films, both directed by Paul King, adapted English author Michael Bonds kid-lit classic tales about a lost bear from darkest Peru having endearing adventures in London. It sounds like hyperbole to call them two of the greatest films ever made,but Paddington 2 holds the title of the best-reviewed film on Rotten Tomatoes; it even dethroned Citizen Kane. It was only brought down to 99% thanks to a bad review that was dropped to be contrarianwhich deserves the hardest of hard stares from Paddington himself. So yes, its that serious. Since the release of the two films, fans have embraced Kings films as modern classics. Those raising a lil cinema nerd brood have had kids growing up on the franchise for about a decade, all while that other iconic British bear over at the Mouse HouseA.A. Milnes Winnie-the-Poohhas struggled with making a cinematic impact outside of merchandising. As Paddington became a huge part of pop culture zeitgeist, Disney took note and put out the live-action hybrid Christopher Robin film after its attempt at an animated feature length animated Winnie the Pooh film fizzled. (Beyond Disney, the character is now out for thrill kills thanks to the public-domain Blood and Honey horror series). But as we mentioned, Pooh remains visible because of merchandising; he and his friends are everywhere even if the IP movies and shows have mixed results with longevity. Meanwhile, Paddington has achieved cult status thanks to the King films knack for tapping into the timeless appeal of found-family themes and slapstick whimsy. It can make the toughest of men cry, as seen in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, the meta film starring Nicolas Cage as himself who is hired to hang out with Pedro Pascal, whose crime-lord character is the actors biggest fan. Paddington 2 gets a memorable on-screen moment that bonds the two characters together.With all the acclaim and accolades why is it still so hard for U.S. fans to find a decent Paddington Bear stuffed animal, or any really good merchandise, three movies deep? We cant help but wonder if Paddington is being gate-kept. Sure, there are versions of the bear on Amazon, but theyre mostly the book variant and very rarely from the movie. If youre looking for a huggable, near-1:1 size bear, youll have to visit the official Paddington store at Paddington Station in London. And its been this way since at least Paddington 2 when I was looking for one as a childless adult millennial toy collector. The one I managed back in 2018 well, it looks like an eight-inch basic bear with a fragile felt hat and coat, much like these examples found online: YOTTOY/Amazon Despite the 2020 Nickelodeon Adventures of Paddington animated series, the third reboot since the 70s and 90s shows, Paddington continued to grow mostly through word of mouth since there was no merch pushed for visibility. The Nickelodeon series had a limited toy run that evaporated, and good luck finding the seasons on DVD. That series coincided with the popularity skyrocketing for another lockdown favorite: Bluey. In fact, my husband and I got into Bluey when filmmaker Duncan Jones recommended it on Twitter; we then got our other film nerd friends into the animated Ludo Studio series by letting them know that it had the energy and heart of Paddington. It kept us from losing our minds at home during the pandemic, and if not for Paddington Im not sure wed be living in the era of Bluey right now. It paved the way for Blueys takeoverwhich, by the way, includes loads of merch and accessories for all ages. And yet for Paddington? Youll have to work really hard to find something good. Now that I have a child, Im even more pressed to find something good. I did prepare; I bought the soft Paddington rattle in 2021 from Barnes and Noblebut how can it be 2025 and its still one of the few toys you can find? Its my babys favorite, but in order to have a Paddington under the Christmas tree for her first holiday, I had to order from the Paddington store online and thought if I bought the Paddington in Peru releases theyd be the best. They were not what Id hoped for, in part because they were so small for what they cost (and oof, the UK postage price was rough). To use another pop-culture example for a character that originates from outside the U.S., Totoro stuffed animals are also hard to find, and retailers who sell the official Studio Ghibli ones charge exorbitantly for them. But at least theyre accurate to their animated looks, in addition to being huge. Paddington is, understandably, also a hot commodity in the UK, to the point that counterfeit makers have taken notice. The Independent reported on a recent crackdown in which nearly 2,000 items were seized near places where the films were shot. On Reddit, you can find complaints from all over about how hard it is to track down the perfect Paddington bearthey really do seem to be only available in London. The best I could do this Christmas was the internationally shipped bear and some pieces from the H&M Paddington Bear childrens clothes collection. Baby Gap also released a kids clothing line, but it was available first in the U.K. and far more expansive; heres what you can get stateside. Both adorable drops feature the classic childrens book Paddington. Its dire for kids, but its even more ridiculous for adults. If you have the money you can get a coat (for about $600) or some shirts from Rowing Blazers. The company also had some neat hats, including one that read Please look after this bear. Thank you, but its sold out. Out of Print has some shirts, and the Oodie is releasing comfy-looking oversized Paddington blanket sweatersbut again, its the book version of Paddington only. Thankfully streaming is exposing the wonders of Paddington to wider audiences; the films are consistently atop the charts on Netflix and Disney+. Perhaps the present merch logjam can be traced back to the films complicated journey through different U.S. distributors: Studio Canal originally had a deal with the Weinstein Company but withdrew from that, and then Paddington 2 was released through Warner Bros. The third film, directed by Dougal Wilson, is a Sony Pictures release. If excitement can be drummed up with Paddington in Peru, the demand could change with upcoming films. Paddington 4 is in the works ahead of the characters 70th anniversary (bring back Paul King) and there better be way better merch widely available by then. Paddington in Peru opens February 14. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.