Mr. Men facts for kids
 |
|
|
|
|
| Author | Roger Hargreaves (1971–1988) Adam Hargreaves (1988–present) |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Publisher |
|
| Published | 1971 – present |
| No. of books | (List of books) |
The Mr. Men is a popular British series of children's books. It was created and drawn by an English author named Roger Hargreaves. The first books came out in August 1971.
Later, in 1981, a new series called Little Miss was added. These books featured female characters by the same author. After Roger Hargreaves passed away in 1988, his son, Adam Hargreaves, continued writing and drawing new Mr. Men and Little Miss stories.
Each book in the original series introduces a different character. These characters usually have one main personality trait. For example, Mr. Tickle loves to tickle! The stories often teach a simple lesson. Mr. Men and Little Miss characters often appear in each other's books. By 2021, there were 92 different Mr. Men and Little Miss characters. The books have simple stories and bright, bold drawings. Over 100 million copies have been sold around the world in 28 countries!
Contents
History of the Mr. Men Books
How Roger Hargreaves Started the Series
The first six Mr. Men books were released in the United Kingdom on August 10, 1971. The very first character Roger Hargreaves created was Mr. Tickle. His son, Adam Hargreaves, inspired him. Adam had asked his dad what a tickle looked like. Roger Hargreaves drew a round, orange character with long, bendy arms.
Some people say the idea came from Roger doodling at work. But the story about Adam's question became very popular. It helped promote the books when they first came out.
During the 1970s, Roger Hargreaves created 38 more Mr. Men characters. He also wrote other Mr. Men books. In the 1980s, he started the Little Miss series with 'Little Miss Bossy'. He created 21 Little Miss characters and books. Two special Mr. Men stories, 'Mr. Nobody' and 'Mr. Christmas', were made in 1985. These books have been re-released since then. Roger Hargreaves died in 1988. His son, Adam, then took over the series.
Adam Hargreaves Continues the Stories
In 2003, Adam Hargreaves continued the Mr. Men series. He created three new Mr. Men characters: Mr. Cool, Mr. Rude, and Mr. Good. He also made three new Little Miss characters: Little Miss Scary, Little Miss Bad, and Little Miss Whoops. Adam also created 'Little Miss Christmas' to go with 'Mr. Christmas'.
A competition was held in a British newspaper called Sunday Times. Children could create their own Mr. Men character. This was to celebrate the series' 30th anniversary. Mr. Cheeky was the winning character. It was created by eight-year-old Gemma Almond. A book with her character was published. It was sold in W H Smith stores, and some money went to a charity for children with leukemia.
In 2006, Mr. Birthday and Little Miss Birthday were published. This celebrated 35 years of Mr. Men and 25 years of Little Miss. In October 2006, Adam Hargreaves created the first Little Miss character based on a real person. This was for fashion designer Stella McCartney, and she was named Little Miss Stella. Only 1,000 copies were made as invitations for a fashion show.
In 2011, Sanrio, a Japanese company famous for Hello Kitty, bought the rights to the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters. This meant Sanrio would now manage the series. In 2016, four new characters were launched for the series' 45th anniversary. These were Mr. Marvelous, Mr. Adventure, Little Miss Fabulous, and Little Miss Sparkle. A special book, Little Miss Explorer, was also made for Heathrow Airport.
Adam Hargreaves has also created characters for different companies. These include Mr. Glug for Evian water and Little Miss Miracle beauty cream. In 2017, Adam Hargreaves started a new series of books. These books featured characters from the BBC science-fiction show Doctor Who. Each book focused on a different version of the Doctor. Later, in 2019, books based on the Spice Girls were also released.
On August 10, 2021, the series celebrated its 50th anniversary. Special editions were published, and new characters were introduced. People voted to choose two new characters to join the main series. The chosen characters were Mr. Calm and Little Miss Brave.
On October 6, 2021, it was announced that a brand new Mr. Men Little Miss TV show would be made.
How the Books are Made
Each book has a title page and about 16 to 18 pages of text. There are also 15 to 17 colorful drawings. These drawings are made with a special pen called a Magic Marker. The books are softcover and measure about 14 cm by 12.6 cm.
If you line up all the books from each series in order, you can read "My Mr. Men library" or "My Little Miss library" across their spines. You can also see a picture of Walter the Worm for Mr. Men books or a flower for Little Miss books.
Where the Stories Take Place
The stories are set in a made-up world called "Misterland." This is where the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters live. There are also some regular human characters like shopkeepers and doctors. Animals, like Walter the Worm, also appear often. The characters act a lot like humans.
List of Books
Mr. Men Products
There are many different products featuring Mr. Men and Little Miss characters. Here are some examples:
- Beanies and Plush Toys
- Wipe Clean Bibs
- Mr. Bump Plasters
- Mr. Cool Bags
- Mr. Funny's Runny Honey
- Mr. Greedy Doughnuts
- Mr. Lazy Slippers
- Mr. Sneeze Tissues
- Mr. Tickle's Tiddlywinks
- Mr. Men and Little Miss Mugs
- Mr. Men and Little Miss T-shirts
- Mr. Men Keyrings
- Mr. Men Mobile Products
- Mr. Men Pop n Race Game
- Mr. Men Puzzle Clock
- Mr. Men Shopping Spree
- Mr. Men Snakes and Ladders
- Mr. Messy Baby Bibs
TV Series Based on the Books
Original TV Series (1974–1978)
The Mr. Men characters were turned into an animated TV show. The first series started on December 31, 1974. It had 28 episodes. The show was broadcast on BBC 1. An actor named Arthur Lowe did all the voices and narration. He used different accents for some characters.
Series 1 (1974–76)
- Mr. Happy
- Mr. Bump
- Mr. Tickle
- Mr. Silly
- Mr. Sneeze
- Mr. Snow
- Mr. Messy
- Mr. Small
- Mr. Greedy
- Mr. Bounce
- Mr. Jelly
- Mr. Forgetful
- Mr. Funny
Series 2 (1977–78)
- Mr. Topsy-Turvy
- Mr. Uppity
- Mr. Nosey
- Mr. Daydream
- Mr. Mean
- Mr. Chatterbox
- Mr. Impossible
- Mr. Muddle
- Mr. Strong
- Mr. Fussy
- Mr. Noisy
- Mr. Lazy
- Mr. Dizzy
- Mr. Grumpy
- Mr. Worry
The Little Miss TV Series (1983)
A TV series featuring the Little Miss characters began in February 1983. It also aired on BBC 1. This series was narrated by a husband and wife team, John Alderton and Pauline Collins.
The 13 Little Miss episodes were:
- Little Miss Tiny
- Little Miss Shy
- Little Miss Splendid
- Little Miss Magic
- Little Miss Neat
- Little Miss Naughty
- Little Miss Scatterbrain
- Little Miss Trouble
- Little Miss Bossy
- Little Miss Sunshine
- Little Miss Plump
- Little Miss Late
- Little Miss Helpful
When these episodes first aired, they were shown with reruns of the 1974 Mr. Men series. The music for the old Mr. Men episodes was changed to match the style of the Little Miss theme music. Both shows aired on BBC 1 until 1987. Then, they moved to BBC2 until 1988. This was the first Mr. Men series to be released on VHS in the United States in 1986.
Mr. Men and Little Miss (1995–1997)
Another TV series, Mr. Men and Little Miss, was made in 1995. It aired on British and Irish TV from 1995 to 1997. This show had Geoffrey Palmer and Gordon Peters as narrators. It was shown on Nick Jr. and Channel 5's Milkshake! in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In 1998, 35 episodes from this series were turned into books. They were released worldwide in 2014.
In 1996, this series was also shown in the United States and Canada. It was called The Mr. Men Show. This version included live-action parts and some redubbed episodes from the original series. This version only lasted for one season.
The Mr. Men Show (2008-2009)
In 2007, a new animated series called The Mr. Men Show was created. It first aired on Cartoon Network in North America and on Channel 5's Milkshake! in the United Kingdom in February 2008. Only 25 characters were in the first season. Many of their names or looks were changed. The show was written and produced by Eryk Casemiro and Kate Boutilier.
New Mr. Men Series (Coming Soon)
On October 6, 2021, it was announced that a brand new Mr. Men and Little Miss series is being made. We don't know yet when it will be released.
UK Video and DVD Releases
- Warner Home Video (1981)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1988, 1995–1997)
- Abbey Home Media (1991–1994, 1998–2001, 2006, 2016–2020)
- Delta Music (2002–2015)
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008–2009)
Mr. Men Film
In February 2011, there were reports that 20th Century Fox Animation was planning an animated movie based on the Mr. Men books. Shawn Levy was set to produce the film. On January 27, 2015, Fox Animation confirmed they had the rights to make a Mr. Men Little Miss movie. However, there haven't been any new updates about the film since then.
See also
In Spanish: Don (libros infantiles) para niños
- Roger Hargreaves
- Adam Hargreaves
- List of Mr. Men
- List of Little Miss characters
- Timbuctoo
- Mr. Men and Little Miss (1995–1997)
- The Mr. Men Show (1997–1999)
- The Mr. Men Show (2008–2009)
