Like many people of my generation, I was distinctly rattled to hear that Paddington Bear is now being used to promote Marmite.
The makers of Marmite have launched a new advertisement featuring Paddington sitting down to enjoy a Marmite sandwich. Paddington, being so polite, then shares a piece of his sandwich with a pigeon, who goes beserk at the taste causing a passing bus to crash. The advertisement plays on the “You either love it or hate it” theme. The advertisers are attempting to encourage people like Paddington who are “creatures of habit” to try Marmite.
My children are greatly influenced by television advertisements and if I am not careful they will soon solely associate Paddington Bear with Marmite. I have a problem with this. I want them to think Marmalade when they hear his name and imagine him delving into his suitcase for his sandwich. Paddington loves the chunks in Marmalade, its sweetness and its stickiness on his paws and when he finishes says, “Yes, that’s much better.” Marmite is smooth and above all, salty!
Sadly, Paddington is not alone in being tampered with. Enid Blyton’s adventures are now less dangerous, no doubt for health and safety reasons, The Faraway Tree characters, Dick and Fanny, are now called Rick and Franny and Andy Pandy’s friend, Looby Loo, no longer skips off to do the washing for fear of offending feminists. Perhaps I need to move with the times, but I think one of the lovely things about these traditional books are their old fashioned, innocent, charming styles.
When copies of the most controversial children’s book, Little Black Sambo were re-printed, I ran out to buy one. This is now my childrens’ favourite book. They love the fact that Little Black Sambo outwits a group of tigers by giving them his fine clothes including his purple shoes with crimson soles and crimson linings. They are fascinated by the tigers who chase each other around the tree so fast they turn into “ghi” an Indian term for melted butter. Little Black Sambo’s mother, Black Mumbo, later uses this to cook delicious pancakes. In fact, I often recount this to my children to stop them excitedly chasing each other around the house at bathtime.
Many of these books are part of our heritage. Paddington Bear is far too well-mannered to decline the Marmite, but I, on the other hand will now only buy chunky, sweet, sticky Marmalade.
