Looks like Paddington Bear might need an emergency marmalade sandwich after a statue in his honor was swiped and vandalized in Newbury, England.
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According to Thames Valley Police per the BBC, the sculpture was removed from its position on Northbrook Street in Newbury around 2:00 am on Sunday, March 2nd. The life-sized statue features the beloved bear sitting on a bench eating one of his signature marmalade sandwiches.
Now in its place sits bits of the remains of the statue. By midday, locals had already begun to leave jars of his marmalade and slices of bread next to the damaged statue as a sign of mourning.
The worlds gone mad. Some rascals nicked a statue of Paddington Bear from a bench in Newbury. Dismayed locals have been leaving jars on marmalade and bread in its place 😆 pic.twitter.com/AtyWz4HPah
— Stevo 🏴🍀 (@thebassa2) March 3, 2025
“Dunno who’s worse, the ones that hacksaw a fibreglass statue or the weirdos that put jars of marmalade and bread down,” one onlooker on X quipped.
However, justice for Paddington Bear moves swiftly.
Two 22-year-old men from Basingstoke have been arrested on suspicion of theft and criminal damage in regards to the statue. They are currently being held in police custody.
Per the BBC, police said that Paddinton was “heading to Newbury police station for a much-needed marmalade sandwich”.
“The Paddington Bear statue is a beloved part of Newbury. We have been doing everything we can to locate it and the offenders,” Inspector Alan Hawkett added, per the outlet.
The police also pledged to protect the sculpture and assist in its restoration.
Locals Express Their Shock Over Paddington Bear Statue Getting Swiped
In October, the statue of the beloved Peruvian bear was unveiled in the hometown of Paddington’s creator, Michael Bond. This statue was one of 23 installed across the UK last year as part of the Paddington Visits trail, a celebration of the cherished children’s character. The initiative coincided with the anticipation of StudioCanal’s film, Paddington in Peru.
Meanwhile, locals opined the damage done to the beloved statue to the BBC.
“Very sad to see it had happened as he made a lot of people in the town very happy,” Newbury resident Christopher Gibbins told the outlet.
“I find it especially sad as Newbury is the home town of the author Michael Bond. How upset he would have been,” another local told the outlet.
However, denizens of X seemed amused at the predicament of the arrested statue swipers.
“Imagine explaining to your cellmate that you’re in for stealing Paddington,” one X user joked.
“What are you in for?” *in British accent* “I stole Paddington,’ a second user echoed.