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).

Due to him being the first character created and published, his story contains several differences compared to later Mr. Men and Little Miss books: Mr. Miserable · Mr. Right · Mr. Thrifty · Mrs. Thrifty · Little Miss Penny · Little Miss Prudence · Wilfred the Wizard · Mr. Careless · Little Miss Nobody · Mr. Mean's brother · Little Miss Bump · Mr. Beefeater's Family Friends: Mr. Happy, Little Miss Sunshine, Mr. Bump, Mr. Strong, Little Miss Chatterbox, Mr. Grumpy (sometimes), Little Miss Giggles, Little Miss Naughty, and the rest of the characters 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. Opening Theme - Mr. Strong, Little Miss Whoops, Mr. Nervous (UK Only), Little Miss Helpful (Season 1 only)

The Library's buildings remain fully open but some services are limited, including access to collection items. We're

Rivals: Mr. Mischief, Little Miss Trouble, Little Miss Scary, Little Miss Bad, Mr. Grumpy, Mr. Grumble, Mr. Rude, Mr. Stubborn, and Mr. Mean 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.”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.” 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. All upcoming public events are going ahead as planned and you can find more information on our events blog Allmendinger, who has returned to full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition in 2023, started his season off with a sixth-place finish in a wild Daytona 500 on Sunday.