Roger Hargreaves

Roger Hargreaves knows what a tickle looks like. It was in answer to his young son's question that this aspiring cartoonist drew his first famous character, "Mr. Tickle," whose long, loose arms extend from his round, orange body. Mr. Tickle can do things like make breakfast without getting out of bed, and when he's in the mood, he tickles everyone in sight. Mr. Tickle was soon joined by Mr. Nosey, Mr. Greedy, Mr. Happy, Mr. Bump, and Mr. Sneeze. The first six Mr. Men books were published in 1971, and were an instant success. More and more Mr. Men appeared, including Mr. Daydream, Mr. Jelly, and Mr. Grumpy. The books' immense popularity led the BBC to create "The Mr. Men Show", an animated series with Arthur Lowe as narrator, which was also a huge hit. In 1981, Roger Hargreaves started the Little Miss series. Little Miss Bossy was first, followed by numerous others, including Little Miss Shy, Little Miss Splendid, and Little Miss Twins, written for his twin daughters. The Little Misses have their own series as well, narrated by Pauline Collins and John Alderton. Generations have grown up with these hilarious and charming tales, which have been translated into dozens of languages worldwide. After Hargreaves' death in 1988, his son Adam continued to create new Mr. Men and Little Misses, until the family sold the rights in 2004. Delight the young reader in your life with a box set of Mr. Men or Little Misses, or one of his numerous other children's books. His characters appear on all sorts of merchandise, so you can enjoy your tea from a Little Miss Giggles mug, or cuddle up to a Mr. Strong plush. In addition, a DVD or Blu-ray copy of the animated series is sure to be a favourite in your video library.