Paddington Bear Puppet Controversy: Legal Battle Over Spitting Image Character

Paddington Bear Puppet Controversy: Legal Battle Over Spitting Image Character

Paddington Bear's owners are demanding the delivery or destruction of a puppet used on the show Spitting Image, as per court documents. StudioCanal and Paddington and Company are taking legal action against Avalon, the producer of the satirical series, at the High Court in London. Spitting Image, which returned to TV in 2020, features episodes available on YouTube under the title The Rest Is Bulls*!t, where a puppet resembling Paddington is allegedly used in a derogatory manner. The court documents claim that the puppet's portrayal deviates from the character's original depiction in the books by showing him as a cocaine user, smuggler, alcoholic, heroin user, promoter of gun sales, and user of sex robots. The companies are seeking an injunction, delivery of the puppet, or its destruction, along with potential damages. Avalon has not yet responded to the claim.