Mr. Tickle: 1 (Mr. Men Classic Story Books)

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Although Hargreaves wrote many other children's stories—including the Timbuctoo series of 25 books, John Mouse and the Roundy and Squarey books—he is best known for his 46 Mr. Men and 33 Little Miss books. Many will remember the BBC TV show of the 1970s – voiced by Arthur Lowe, better known as portraying Captain Mainwaring in Dad's Army – which seemed to form part of children's TV programming for years. Charles Roger Hargreaves was an English author and illustrator of children's books. He created the Mr. Men series, Little Miss series and Timbuctoo series, intended for young readers. The simple and humorous stories, with bold, brightly coloured illustrations, have sold over 85 million copies worldwide in 20 languages.

Mr. Tickle: The Brilliantly Funny Classic Children’s

Jude Exley is editorial director for the Brands & Licensing team at Farshore, the HarperCollins imprint that publishes the Mr Men books. She has edited the series for the past 20 years. Exley explains that the brand hasn’t been kept alive merely through merchandising, but by stories that place old characters in new scenarios (as in Mr Impossible and the Easter Egg Hunt in 2015, and Mr Men Little Miss Happy Diwali in 2020). She says the characters have to be updated often: “You have to think about how you make them still have that nostalgic appeal, but make them feel relevant to audiences today, so that can be quite a juggle.” Charles Roger Hargreaves was an English author and illustrator of children's books, notably the Mr. Men and Little Miss series, intended for very young readers. He is Britain's third best-selling author, having sold more than 100 million books.

It was not helped by the fact that Roger Hargreaves was rather pioneering when it came to merchandising – blazing a trail for products and goods which would bear his creation in a way which would be capitalised upon by the likes of the original Star Wars movie just a few short years later. My mum stayed at the farmhouse and I took over the management of the farm for a few years after he died," explains Adam. I regret the way I felt now as, because my dad died so young, I didn't get to tell him how I felt about Mr Men and what a brilliant idea I think it is," says Adam. After Hargreaves died from a stroke aged 53, his son Adam created new characters such as Mr Cool and Little Miss Bad. Historians of our turbulent era might note that when the public was allowed to vote for two new characters earlier this year, they opted for Mr Calm and Little Miss Brave. “The Mr Men and Little Miss books are really good at being relatable and helping children to understand the world, emotions and personalities around them,” Exley says. Little Miss Calamity · Little Miss Daredevil · Mr. Scatterbrain · Mr. Stubborn · Mr. Metal · Bunko the Monkey

Mr. Tickle/Gallery | Mr. Men Wiki | Fandom Mr. Tickle/Gallery | Mr. Men Wiki | Fandom

I still think it was the right decision," he says of the decision to sell. "I think for the Mr Men to be owned by one family without the kind of investment that a multi-national company has was going to mean Mr Men would dwindle to a degree and never quite reach its further potential in the future. That was one of the principle reasons for selling. Obviously we got a good offer as well. Fundamentally, I think two great things happened under Chorion,” says Ron Allen, executive vice-president of the television production and licensing company Silvergate Media, who worked on Mr Men while at Chorion (giant Mr Bump and Mr Greedy teddies used to sit in on meetings). First, the company launched a new television series, the Mr Men Show, in 2008 (there had been three previous series of Mr Men between the 1970s and 1990s), which Allen says grew the intellectual property (IP) globally. Second, Allen says he and his team helped the brand become “a vehicle for self-expression among young adults and teenagers”. Particularly popular were Little Miss Sunshine T-shirts, favoured by celebrities such as Britney Spears (Paris Hilton opted for Little Miss Christmas). But it was also there that tragedy would forever change their lives in a way no one could have imagined.Yet plenty of Mr Men merchandise isn’t aimed at children – in recent years there’s been everything from Mr Grumpy tea towels to 2019’s four Spice Girls stories about Little Misses Ginger, Baby, Scary and Sporty (Exley admits that Adam didn’t know who the pop group were before drawing their characters). A 2018 study by Farshore titled “Media Use and Attitudes” found 51 per cent of those who bought Mr Men books in 2017 did so because of “fond memories of reading them as children”. There is an enormous nostalgia market for the brand, which blossomed when the entertainment group Chorion bought the rights. The Hargreaves family was hit by a devastating blow in September 1988. The Hargreaves' family home during the 1980s in Cowden. Picture: Knight Frank That wasn’t through any kind of deliberate strategic placement. This was before the era of influencers,” Allen says. The appeal was organic. “I think once the IP has touched your life in some way, you don’t forget it.” So I was doing farming and handling the Mr Men business straight after my dad died. My mum stayed there until about 1992 and then she sold the farm." I think that sparked off a chain of thought in my dad, that you could personify a human emotion or characteristic," Adam explains.

Mr Nonsense was reading the Nonsenseland One day Mr Nonsense was reading the Nonsenseland

Having studied art, Adam Hargreaves was persuaded to follow in his father's footsteps. He started creating new characters and stories – something he continues to this day for publishers Farshore. By 1976, Hargreaves had quit his day job. In 1981, the Little Miss series of books began to appear. It, too, was made into a television series in 1983, which was narrated by John Alderton, who, with Pauline Collins, voiced the Men and Misses, respectively. Although Hargreaves wrote many other children's stories, including the Timbuctoo series of twenty-five books, John Mouse, and the Roundy and Squary books, he is best known for his 46 Mr. Men books and 33 Little Miss books. I was very shy, so I shied away with having any connection with the Mr Men," he explains. "I didn't like anything which drew attention to myself so I tended to try and ignore it. It did embarrass me rather." Mr Men and Little Miss characters. Picture: Sanrio And it guards the family well. It has taken almost 11 months of patient negotiations and regular reminders to organise the interview with Adam.He explains: "I felt quite strongly about it, especially when I first started writing the stories. I felt they were my dad's. Since the 1990s when I first started writing the books, his name has become part of the brand. Now it's a dual thing – me, for not wanting to take credit for the idea, and also it's part of the brand strength. After suffering a stroke, Roger Hargreaves died at the Kent and Sussex Hospital in Tunbridge Wells. He was just 53. Mr. Christmas · Mr. Birthday · Little Miss Christmas · Little Miss Birthday · Mr. Moustache · Little Miss Valentine · Dr. Men · Mr. Bolt · Little Miss Waste Less While Michael Bond’s Paddington is currently celebrating its heritage at the British Library, the Museum of Brands in West London’s Notting Hill is hosting the “Mr Men Little Miss 50th Anniversary” exhibition. There you can see some of the earliest licensed Mr Men products, from bubble baths to plastic radios to the somewhat ironic Mr Greedy low-fat strawberry yogurt. He was a larger than life character in all respects," Adam says of his father. "He was 6ft 5in, so very tall and commanded a room. He was really rather ebullient, and had a terrific sense of humour, that I think comes out in the stories. He loved puns, practical jokes and daft humour. But he was a hard worker, and spent a lot of time creating the success of the Mr Men.

Mr Men made their millions - New Statesman How the Mr Men made their millions - New Statesman

Mr. Brawler · Mr. No · Little Miss Brilliant · Little Miss Busy-Body · Little Miss Carefree · Little Miss Careful · Little Miss Loud · Little Miss Pretty · Little Miss Prim · Little Miss Show-Off · Little Miss Yes Father-of-four Roger had long harboured ambitions of quitting his job in London and giving up the commute. Adam Hargreaves with some of the characters. Picture: Sanrio He enjoyed the business side of it. The creation of a brand, as it were. As well as simple children's book idea." During the 1970s my dad became a wealthy man," explains Adam. "And he enjoyed his success. One of those perks was a very nice house." Hargreaves died at the age of 53 following a stroke. After his death, his son, Adam, continued writing and drawing the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters with new stories (while signing the covers in his father's signature).