Fifty-five years ago, an eight-year-old boy asked his father: “What does a tickle look like?” That question led to the creation of Mr. Tickle, the first of the Mr. Men books, which along with the Little Miss series now includes at least 90 characters. With over 250 million books sold worldwide, it is the fourth bestselling children's book series of all time, translated into 15 languages.
Roger Hargreaves, who created the Mr. Men in 1971, died suddenly from a stroke in 1988 at age 53, never witnessing the enduring success of his colourful blob creatures. His son Adam Hargreaves, now 62, said: “He’d have been incredibly chuffed. I mean really excited, to have Mr Men up on the big screen in the cinema.” An animated series streams on YouTube, a TV series is in production, and the studio behind Paddington is working on a Mr. Men Little Miss film.
Adam, who was 25 and working in farming when his father died, later took over the family business and began illustrating in 2003. He recalls that his father’s main motivation was to avoid commuting from Surrey to London. “When I was young he was working in London and commuting, so I didn’t see him in the week at all. I think that was a lot of what drove his ambition - to create something for himself.”
Roger’s breakthrough came one breakfast in 1971 when Adam asked about a tickle. Roger picked up a pen and drew Mr. Tickle: a bright orange blob with stretchy arms and a blue bowler hat. Adam said: “I think he suddenly realised that you could personify human traits - certain emotions, characteristics and turn them into a character.” After initial rejections, a printer friend published the first six Mr. Men books in August 1971, including Mr. Tickle, Mr. Greedy, and Mr. Happy.
