A family-run Burton toy company is preparing to ship Paddington Bear halfway across the world back to his home country - of Peru.
Steve Bowring, 59, co-owner of Stemik Gaming, said it was a "funny thing" to see one of his Paddingtons returning to Peru.
He said: "We sell Paddington Bears worldwide anyway, but it was just a funny thing to see a Paddington going back to Peru.
"We have seen a huge surge in orders since the film. Sales have increased by around 10 times over the last two weeks. Everyone’s gone Paddington Bear mad!"
Staff at the Hawkins Lane company have been keeping themselves busy over the last few months following an influx of Paddington Bear orders – thanks to the recent movie release and the M&S Christmas advert.
Steve Bowring runs the business alongside his wife, son, daughter, brother-in-law and sister.
The store has also received orders from the USA and Australia as customers scramble to get their hands on a cuddly version of the popular character.
Paddington Bear, a friendly bear from the Peru, is a fictional children’s literature character. He has featured in more than 150 books written by English author Michael Bond, the first of which was published in 1958.
The most wonderful time of the year...
Author Michael Bond based Paddington Bear on a lone teddy bear he noticed on a shelf in a London store near Paddington Station on Christmas Eve 1956, which he bought as a present for his wife.
The bear inspired Bond to write a story; and, in 10 days, he had written the first book. A Bear Called Paddington was first published on 13 October 1958.
Paddington books have been translated into 30 languages across 70 titles and have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.
A much-loved fictional character, a Paddington Bear soft toy was chosen by British tunnellers as the first item to pass through to their French counterparts when the two sides of the Channel Tunnel were linked in 1994.
