1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:12,320 # Let's go to Misterland The land of magic 4 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:14,720 # Come on and see 5 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:18,400 # Mr Fields and Mr Trees...# 6 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:20,440 Hello. Matt here. 7 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:23,360 Or should I say Mr Matt? 8 00:00:23,400 --> 00:00:25,920 Because I am here in Mattland 9 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:28,840 with the Mr Men and Little Miss characters 10 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:32,480 and I've loved these books ever since I was a little kid. 11 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:34,560 I love how subversive they are, 12 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:36,720 how funny and original, 13 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:39,320 and how informative they are too. 14 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:42,560 Isn't it amazing to think that all of this began 15 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,120 50 years ago with a tickle? 16 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:49,440 LAUGHTER 17 00:00:49,480 --> 00:00:51,520 The Mr Men went from a tickle, 18 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,320 to becoming one of Britain's most successful brands. 19 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:57,680 They captured the nation's hearts 20 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:03,040 and have now sold over 250 million books worldwide. 21 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,040 I've been given the chance to get under the skin 22 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:08,080 of this extraordinary family story... 23 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:10,640 This is where the Mr Men live. 24 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:14,160 ..and get to meet the artists who brought my favourite stories 25 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:16,160 and characters to the world... 26 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:17,360 How long would it take you? 27 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:19,320 We could probably do... 28 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:20,800 ..a few seconds a week. 29 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:22,680 A few seconds a week? Yeah. 30 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:24,720 ..and meet the modern experts. 31 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,800 I think I would prefer Mr Tickle not to be touching my leg. It's a bit creepy. 32 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,400 Goodbye, Mr Tickle. Stop touching me. 33 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,320 But, mainly, I just want to be Mr Silly. 34 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,240 Oh. Or Mr Bump. 35 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:36,560 Sorry! 36 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:37,880 Sorry! 37 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:39,600 You know you're breaking rule number one? 38 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:41,400 Oh, because I'm not supposed to speak? Yeah. 39 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:43,440 Sorry. 40 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:45,480 And for their 50th birthday, 41 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:48,320 two new characters are being voted on by the public. 42 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:51,240 And I get to announce who the winners are. 43 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:52,320 Hip hip... 44 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:53,560 ALL: ..hooray! 45 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,800 ARCHIVE: It was a warm, sunny morning. 46 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:07,480 Mr Tickle munched his biscuit. 47 00:02:08,640 --> 00:02:10,480 He looked out of the window. 48 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:14,160 "Today looks very much like a tickling day," 49 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:15,600 he thought to himself. 50 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:27,440 The Mr Men burst onto the children's publishing scene in 1971 51 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:28,720 with a Tickle. 52 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:32,680 And with his friends Mr Bump, Mr Greedy, 53 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:35,160 Mr Happy, and Mr Sneeze 54 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:38,120 sold a million copies in just three years. 55 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:40,520 And from there, well, it just got bigger. 56 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:44,360 Today, there are over 90 characters 57 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:48,240 and more than 250 million books have been sold, 58 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:52,000 making these characters one of the biggest success stories 59 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:53,680 in British publishing history. 60 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,440 The Mr Men were the brainchild of Roger Hargreaves, 61 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:02,000 an ad man at one of the biggest advertising agencies in the UK, 62 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:05,040 responsible for campaigns like, "Bring out the Branston." 63 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,080 # Bring out the Branston. # 64 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:13,080 Bring out the unique, tangy, fruity flavour 65 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:15,840 of Branston Pickle much more often. 66 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,880 # Bring out the Branston. # 67 00:03:18,920 --> 00:03:23,800 Sadly, Roger died suddenly in 1988 at the age of 53. 68 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,800 But his son, Adam, took over the family firm, 69 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:28,680 and he's been writing and illustrating 70 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:30,800 the Mr Men and Little Miss books 71 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:32,200 for the past 30 years. 72 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:37,240 And I'm lucky enough to get to meet him. 73 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:39,600 MUSIC: Mr Men Theme Song 74 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:50,480 Well, I am excited to be going to the home of the Mr Man 75 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:54,520 who is responsible for many of our favourite Mr Men 76 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:58,280 and Little Miss characters, Adam Hargreaves. 77 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:00,960 If I was a Mr Man right now, 78 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,280 I might be Mr Mildly Drenched. 79 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:07,320 I know rain doesn't always show up on camera 80 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:09,480 but I'm... 81 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,280 My head is not a waterproof head, so... 82 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:15,400 I'm... Yeah, I'm quite wet. 83 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:24,120 I want to find out where this phenomenon began. 84 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:26,040 This is where the Mr Men live. 85 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:28,800 KNOCKING ON DOOR 86 00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:30,640 Hello. All right, Matt? How are you? 87 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:32,400 Wow, look at this. 88 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:41,520 Mr Messy, 89 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:45,800 who is possibly the easiest character to draw... 90 00:04:45,840 --> 00:04:48,920 ..cos he is just one big scribble. 91 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:54,960 You can't help but smile when you look at these characters. 92 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:56,520 Yeah, they are quite joyful, yeah. 93 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:58,600 They're just full of fun. 94 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:04,480 The idea of Mr Men is... 95 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:06,520 The concept of it is really clever 96 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:08,680 but it's also the fact that my dad managed to ally it 97 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:10,040 with such a unique look. 98 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:11,800 I mean, it is wholly of its own, 99 00:05:11,840 --> 00:05:14,920 which is, kind of as an artist, is always the Holy Grail 100 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:17,960 because it's actually being able to visually create something 101 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:19,720 that's completely new. 102 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:25,040 He was a copywriter in London, 103 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:26,520 had been for many years, 104 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:28,920 so he was an ideas man. 105 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:31,360 He always, I think, harboured an ambition 106 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:34,640 to create something of his own. 107 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:36,120 Also, I think a lot of it was that 108 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:38,560 he wanted to not have to commute to London every day. 109 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:41,800 I think he really liked the idea of working from home. 110 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:47,560 When I was very young, 111 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,280 I asked my dad one of those impossible questions, 112 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:52,120 "What does a tickle look like?" 113 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:54,640 And I think that sparked off 114 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:56,480 a chain of thoughts in his mind, 115 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:00,680 that if you can draw and turn a tickle into a character, 116 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:03,160 then you could write a story about it. 117 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,080 And if you could do that with a tickle, then you could personify 118 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:08,600 any human emotion or character or trait. 119 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:11,800 Thus Mr Men was suddenly born, I think, in his mind. 120 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:16,200 He created the first Mr Men book 121 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:19,680 and made it himself to show to publishers. 122 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:22,600 And that's it? And this is his original. 123 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:24,320 This is the only copy that exists? Yeah. 124 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:26,120 This is the first ever Mr Men book. 125 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:28,240 And so these are all his original drawings. Wow. 126 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:31,320 And he typed out all of this 127 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:33,520 and stuck it all together with Sellotape. 128 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:36,160 So, he, yeah... And he created this little, square format 129 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:39,240 which was, I mean, also a kind of really clever part 130 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:41,520 of the whole sort of Mr Men idea. 131 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,320 He always said it's little books for little hands, 132 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:46,000 which I always thought was a lovely idea. 133 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:49,240 Because he wanted children to really enjoy his books, 134 00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:52,160 And I think he wanted them to... 135 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:53,920 ..kind of, almost identify with them. 136 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:57,200 And there is this sort of anarchic angle to Mr Tickle, 137 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:00,360 in that he's always tickling people in positions of authority - 138 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:03,720 teachers, policemen and stationmaster. 139 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:05,960 Can I see the back? Yes. 140 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:07,440 Ah. No characters. 141 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:08,880 You can see this. 142 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:12,880 There's nothing on the back when everyone knows that... 143 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:15,440 I can't believe I'm touching, holding in my hands, 144 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:17,760 the first ever Mr Men book. 145 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:20,760 Everyone knows that on the back of the Mr Men books, 146 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,120 you get to go, "I've got that one, I've got that one. 147 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:25,240 "My friend's got that one. 148 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:26,800 "I've seen the cartoon of that. 149 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:27,840 "I want that one." 150 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:31,640 And you get to sort of tick them off, don't you? 151 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:34,360 But back then, the world of children's publishing 152 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:37,520 wasn't quite ready for the anarchic world of the Mr Men. 153 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:42,000 He could not find a publisher at the time. 154 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:45,000 He showed it to all the major publishers 155 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:47,520 and got rejected on all counts. 156 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:50,640 In true ad man fashion, 157 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,000 Roger published the books himself 158 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:56,400 and sold over a million little books for little hands 159 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:58,440 within the first three years. 160 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:03,600 His sense of humour was really what drives 161 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:07,240 the whole Mr Men, Little Miss story process. 162 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:10,840 And I think that's what he was really trying to achieve, 163 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:13,080 was amusing children. 164 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:15,200 I think, for him, a four-year-old giggling 165 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:17,560 would've been his ultimate goal. 166 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:24,560 I want to know what makes these stories and characters 167 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:28,320 as popular today as they were in the 1970s. 168 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:31,120 And who better to ask than children themselves? 169 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:33,960 Hello. 170 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:38,040 How are you? Good. I'm just going back to my class. 171 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:39,840 I have that effect on people. 172 00:08:41,160 --> 00:08:43,840 He's obviously seen my work. 173 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:45,400 Look, Ellen DeGeneres, 174 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:47,880 "Sir" Ian McKellen. 175 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:49,680 LGBTQ. 176 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:52,920 It's amazing because when I was at school, 177 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:58,280 there was no way that you would have LGBTQ fortnight at your school. 178 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:01,000 And a lot of people would say this is progress, 179 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:04,000 but considering I'm not on this board, 180 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:05,760 I don't think it's progress at all. 181 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:08,960 How are you doing? 182 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,840 I want to find out about the enduring magic 183 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:14,560 of the Mr Men and Little Miss stories. 184 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:17,200 But I'll have to get my audience to settle first. 185 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:19,440 Little Miss Contrary. Oh, I love Trouble. 186 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:21,400 So, we're here today 187 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:24,440 to talk about the Mr Men and the Little Miss books. 188 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:26,000 But before we do, 189 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:27,240 does anyone need to do a wee? 190 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:29,440 LAUGHTER You do, you need a wee? 191 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,480 Yeah, go and do a wee, and then come back when you've done your wee. 192 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:33,680 We don't want any accidents. 193 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:34,920 Do you need a wee as well? 194 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:35,960 Go and do a wee. 195 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,800 You don't all need... Do you all need a wee? 196 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:41,160 Go and do a wee, then, go and do a wee. 197 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:43,000 Rookie error. 198 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:45,320 But whilst the children are indisposed, 199 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:48,200 I think I'll call in an expert. 200 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:51,240 Dr Elizabeth Kilbey, a child psychologist, 201 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:55,400 to help me understand how children read the Mr Men. 202 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:57,640 I love the fact that we can introduce to children 203 00:09:57,680 --> 00:10:00,880 the idea of naughtiness, or kind of bad behaviour, 204 00:10:00,920 --> 00:10:03,160 or what would be socially undesirable. 205 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:07,280 Being rude, being difficult, not cooperating. 206 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:08,760 I mean, what a lovely thing to say. 207 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:10,560 These are such normal things. 208 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:12,760 And in the stories, nobody is punished. 209 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:14,720 The negativity of consequences aren't there 210 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:17,840 that children might experience in the real world. So there's a freedom 211 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:20,960 to say, "Actually, it's OK to be like that." 212 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,560 I never cease to be amazed at how beautifully honest 213 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:31,520 and straightforward children see the world. 214 00:10:31,560 --> 00:10:33,680 And that's what I like about the books. 215 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:36,880 I quite like Little Miss Scatterbrain. 216 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:38,960 And I think I'm a bit like her 217 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:41,640 because I forget a few things often. 218 00:10:41,680 --> 00:10:43,960 My favourite character is Mr Happy. 219 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:45,640 Mr Happy, and why is that? 220 00:10:45,680 --> 00:10:49,160 Because I feel really happy a lot. 221 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:51,520 My favourite is Mr Noisy 222 00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:54,680 because when I get home I normally, like, shout 223 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:57,240 because I'm excited that I've got home. 224 00:10:57,280 --> 00:10:59,600 Every child can find a character that speaks predominately 225 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:01,040 to how they see themselves, 226 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:03,640 but every child can find a character within one session. 227 00:11:03,680 --> 00:11:06,160 "Today, I'm feeling like Mr Messy. 228 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:08,640 "Today I'm feeling like Mr Strong." 229 00:11:08,680 --> 00:11:10,840 It helps children understand we are many things. 230 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:12,040 We are not just one thing. 231 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:14,400 And because the Mr Men takes it into individual parts, 232 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:16,280 one characteristic per character, 233 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:18,400 it breaks it down. It's really accessible. 234 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:20,120 But actually, the points of the story are, 235 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:22,440 we are all of these things all of the time. 236 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:23,520 You're bossy! 237 00:11:23,560 --> 00:11:25,960 And what is wrong with being bossy? 238 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:27,560 It's quite freeing, really. 239 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:29,680 Hello. You've got a question for Little Miss Bossy? 240 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:32,760 Do you get taught a lesson at the end of your book? 241 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:34,600 I don't need to be taught a lesson. 242 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:38,120 Now, why don't you sit down and be quiet? 243 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:42,320 How about you? She's quite bossy, isn't she? 244 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:44,880 But two new characters are about to join 245 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:47,560 Little Miss Bossy and the Mr Men fold. 246 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:51,040 And they feel created very much for the modern world. 247 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:56,840 This year, the Mr Men and Little Miss characters are 50 years old. 248 00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:02,440 And to celebrate it, there are going to be five new characters, 249 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:06,640 and two of them are going to be selected to be turned into books. 250 00:12:06,680 --> 00:12:09,320 We have Little Miss Kind, 251 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:11,360 and Little Miss Brave, 252 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:12,960 Mr Brilliant, 253 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:15,360 we have Little Miss Energy, 254 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:18,360 and then we have Mr Calm. OK? 255 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:19,720 Can I say something? Yes. 256 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:23,000 I think a Little Miss should have the most votes 257 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:25,480 because the Misters have more... 258 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:27,800 That's true. ..and Little Miss only has 36. 259 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:31,400 I think the only Mr ones that deserve to go on the stage 260 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:33,760 would definitely be Mr Calm or Mr Brilliant, 261 00:12:33,800 --> 00:12:36,440 because those two are, like, one of the, like... 262 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:38,440 ..they'll bring joy. 263 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:41,520 Modern thinking indeed. 264 00:12:41,560 --> 00:12:43,280 I like it. 265 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:45,560 Thank you very much. It was a pleasure to meet you. 266 00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:47,120 It was very nice to meet you too. 267 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:48,680 Bye-bye. Bye. 268 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,960 I always thought, you know, if I don't make it as an actor 269 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:56,080 I would become a primary school teacher. 270 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:58,640 And, um... 271 00:12:58,680 --> 00:13:01,360 ..I definitely need to make sure I make it as an actor. 272 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:03,560 He's back. Thank you so much. 273 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:05,480 They were lovely, actually. I'm just joking. 274 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:09,360 So, the modern world of Mr Men and Little Misses 275 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:11,320 has evolved over time - 276 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:12,960 50 years, in fact. 277 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:15,000 And I'm going to find out how. 278 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:17,720 Ah! 279 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:19,040 I've made it. 280 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:21,440 I've made it onto the board. 281 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:24,080 I'm not actually gay, but don't tell them that. 282 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:39,040 I'm exploring the magical world of the Mr Men. 283 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:44,920 # 100 dumplings and a million peas 284 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:48,960 # 20 marmalade puddings and a cheddar cheese 285 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:53,360 # Bread and butter and a roll or two, three, four. # 286 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:57,520 The Mr Men animations of the '70s were beautiful. 287 00:13:57,560 --> 00:14:00,200 They were married so perfectly to the books, 288 00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:02,240 and I loved watching them as a kid. 289 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:04,880 I'm now going to and meet the man responsible 290 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:08,000 for some of my favourite cartoons ever. 291 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:15,480 The 1970s saw an explosion of televisions in British homes, 292 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:18,960 and the Mr Men were perfectly poised to forge their way 293 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:23,640 into the living rooms of most kids in Britain, and I was one of them. 294 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:28,000 # Sing the happy song Come on along with me... # 295 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:31,160 I'm on my way to see a long-time collaborator of Roger's 296 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:34,240 called Terry Ward. He's the artist responsible 297 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:37,160 for bringing the Mr Men and Little Misses to our screens. 298 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:38,400 # Sing 299 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:39,680 # Smile... # 300 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:42,760 There is obviously a shed theme going on here in Misterland. 301 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:46,560 Hello, there. Oh, it opens. 302 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:51,480 Terry animated the Mr Men and Little Misses for over 30 years. 303 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:53,800 So how did it start for you? 304 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:56,120 My partner and I were making television commercials 305 00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:57,840 with an advertising agency, 306 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:00,800 and Roger Hargreaves was the creative director. 307 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:03,040 And in those days, it was a bit like Mad Men, you know, 308 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:06,560 he was an immaculate suit, and being six foot four, 309 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:08,640 he had a stature about him, 310 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:11,520 so he was the last person, really, you'd think would create the Mr Men. 311 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:15,000 And we did commercials for Askit Powders. 312 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,200 When the night before smile 313 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:21,960 becomes the morning after headache, 314 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:25,640 you need the balanced ingredients of an Askit. 315 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:31,960 And the Askit Powder characters that Roger created, 316 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:37,080 he created the Back Ache, the Sore Throat, the Headache, 317 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:38,800 were really Mr Men characters, 318 00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:40,800 and that was kind of the start of it, really. 319 00:15:40,840 --> 00:15:45,520 And we were recording on a Spam commercial with Arthur Lowe, 320 00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:50,200 and Roger suddenly, out of his bag, produced these new books 321 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:53,000 that he'd created, and we just thought they were amazing 322 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:54,680 and we were laughing about them. 323 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,160 And my partner and I suddenly said, 324 00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:59,400 "God, these would make a really good kids' film. 325 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:02,520 "Shall we get Arthur to record one?" 326 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:04,800 And we expected him to actually just narrate it, 327 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:06,960 just to actually read the book, 328 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,160 but he came up with all these amazing voices. 329 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:11,920 That was a...a delicious breakfast! 330 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:17,120 Now, I wonder what would be nice to have for lunch. 331 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:20,120 And then I went off and did the first pilot 332 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:22,560 at home on the kitchen table. 333 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:26,440 We basically subsidised it ourselves with profits from commercials. 334 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:28,920 And were the books already a success by this time? 335 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:31,920 No. No, no, no, he'd just started publishing them. 336 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:34,480 They'd just started to go into the stores, 337 00:16:34,520 --> 00:16:39,120 and we went off to the BBC, and the BBC loved the pilot, 338 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:42,000 and said, "That's fantastic. We'd like 13". 339 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:44,640 And we rushed back to Roger and said, 340 00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:47,600 "They want 13," and he said, "I can't write any more." 341 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:50,960 He said, "I've written six, I can't come up with any more characters!" 342 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:52,400 So we sat down and said, 343 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:54,600 "Well, look, you know, if we're going to do this, 344 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:57,040 "you've got to come up with some more characters." 345 00:16:57,080 --> 00:16:58,200 And that's what he did. 346 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:01,080 What a lot of Mr Men there are. 347 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,160 I must say, Roger was pretty astute 348 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:09,240 and came up with some characters pretty quickly. 349 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:11,240 "Who?" spluttered Mr Fussy, 350 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:14,640 looking in horror at his garden gate, "are you?" 351 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:16,680 "Oh, I'm...I'm Mr Clumsy," 352 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:18,840 replied the untidy person, grinning, 353 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:21,760 and he stepped forward to shake Mr Fussy's hand, 354 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:23,520 tripped over and fell on the lawn. 355 00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:25,640 "My grass!" cried Mr Fussy, 356 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:29,080 "my straight grass, you...you bent it." 357 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:31,760 We had these kind of animation discs. 358 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:35,160 This would be in a special animation table. 359 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:39,800 And then we had animation paper that was punched. 360 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:43,840 I still have some. So, it's punched to keep in place? 361 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:45,600 Yeah, it's punched to keep it in place 362 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:47,840 and so it goes onto the punched... 363 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:51,640 ..on to the paper bar. 364 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:53,680 You can see the animation working. 365 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:56,680 So we would trace onto paper to get the movement right, 366 00:17:56,720 --> 00:18:01,280 and then from there, we would go to acetates. 367 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:02,960 And I can show you, 368 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:09,560 I mean, these are original framed pictures of the first episode. 369 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:12,400 So we would put the clear acetate 370 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:16,680 over the top of the drawing and then trace it 371 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:19,600 and then flip the acetate over 372 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:21,720 and paint on the other side. 373 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:23,480 And all of this for one frame? 374 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:24,800 All of that for one frame. 375 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:27,920 And you had 24 frames a second, did you? 24 frames a second. 376 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:30,760 Yeah. So how long does it...would it take you? 377 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:32,640 We could probably do... 378 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:36,840 ..oh, a few seconds a week. 379 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:39,040 A few seconds a week? Yeah. 380 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:41,440 So, when the BBC put in an order for 13... 381 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:43,200 Well, that was the big problem. 382 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:45,960 I mean, we were staggered because we'd never done it. 383 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:51,720 We were doing this for the first time. I mean, 384 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:54,960 we'd made television commercials, and you've only got 30 seconds. 385 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:57,320 Suddenly you're doing seven and a half minutes 386 00:18:57,360 --> 00:18:59,160 within a very small budget. 387 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:01,680 "Good morning," said Mr Happy. 388 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:04,120 "Good?" said Mr Grumpy. 389 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:05,640 "What's good about it?" 390 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:07,240 LAUGHTER 391 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:08,880 The response was amazing. 392 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:13,360 It took off instantly, and Roger sold so many books 393 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:15,880 once that television series was on. 394 00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:19,680 For the decade that followed, 395 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:23,200 the Mr Men books and series remained hugely popular 396 00:19:23,240 --> 00:19:25,720 and added new characters and stories every year. 397 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:30,200 Television would respond to competition in the publishing market 398 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:34,240 and to changing roles for women in the home and in the workplace... 399 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:36,080 You turn if you want to... 400 00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:38,160 ..some even in the top jobs. 401 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:40,880 ..the lady's not for turning. 402 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:44,000 # Sometimes in sunshine 403 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:45,720 # Sometimes in style... # 404 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:50,680 In 1981, Roger would reflect the changing times in his creations, 405 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:53,920 canvassed opinion, apparently, and instead of Miss, 406 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:55,680 which sounded like a teacher, 407 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:58,200 or Mrs, which sounded like your mum, 408 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:01,280 he came up with the Little Misses, 409 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:03,160 starting with Little Miss Bossy. 410 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:06,000 Oh... Stop that frightful noise. Shut up. 411 00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:08,960 Just a passing resemblance to the Iron Lady. 412 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:11,880 Bossy was followed by Little Miss Shy, 413 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:13,720 Little Miss Sunshine, 414 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:16,040 and Little Miss Splendid. 415 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:18,600 What a common little man. 416 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:19,960 So this is Little Miss Splendid. 417 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,360 I love Little Miss Splendid, she's a wonderful character. 418 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:24,000 She's my favourite Little Miss. Yeah. 419 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:26,760 Nothing was too good for Little Miss Splendid. 420 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:31,320 She bathed in a gold bath and she dined off silver plates. 421 00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:33,680 Oh, she was splendid. 422 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:35,720 At least, she thought so. 423 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:37,720 She's sassy. Yes. 424 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:41,040 There's a lovely line in the book where someone says, 425 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:42,760 "You can get the bus," 426 00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:44,960 and she said, "I don't travel on buses 427 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:46,880 "cos you get people on them." Yeah. 428 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:48,360 Which I thought was wonderful. 429 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:50,040 I feel like Little Miss Splendid 430 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,840 is straight out of RuPaul's Drag Race, or something. 431 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:54,360 HE LAUGHS 432 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:58,440 She's fierce! I think she's a gay role model. Yeah. 433 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:01,120 I wonder if there'll ever be 434 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:03,800 a gender-fluid or nonbinary character in the mix 435 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:06,040 for the modern world? You never know. 436 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:08,720 But back in the 1980s, 437 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:11,000 there was another revolution going on: 438 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:13,000 modern merchandising, 439 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:15,400 and it would take the Mr Men and Little Misses 440 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:17,320 into the global stratosphere. 441 00:21:17,360 --> 00:21:19,760 # Going to wind them up Here they go, go, go 442 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:21,840 # Mr Men, Little Miss In a row, row, row 443 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:24,040 # Send them off with a heigh and a ho, ho, ho... # 444 00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:26,960 I've come to the Brand Museum to meet Richard Culley, 445 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:29,680 Roger Hargreaves' long-time friend and collaborator 446 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:32,200 on what we now know as merch. 447 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:35,080 You're sort of known as the godfather of licensing. 448 00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:37,240 I was in those days. Yeah. 449 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:40,800 Andy Pandy, I was involved with Andy Pandy. 450 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:44,480 Oh, Noddy, of course. Yes, I did a lot of Noddy. 451 00:21:44,520 --> 00:21:46,800 Thunderbirds was another. I did all this. 452 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:51,480 Do you think Roger had these ambitions to exploit the Mr Men? 453 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:53,440 Yes, he did. He really did? Oh, he did. 454 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:58,160 He and I would brainstorm all the time about new books and new titles, 455 00:21:58,200 --> 00:21:59,600 and we'd get together, 456 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:02,920 sit for maybe two hours over lunch, a liquid lunch, 457 00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:06,080 and he'd come back with all new characters, all the time. 458 00:22:06,120 --> 00:22:13,040 What was the most out-there Mr Men product that you thought of? 459 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:15,880 The yoghurts were a great step upwards. 460 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:17,400 In those early days, 461 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:21,400 people regarded yoghurts as a bit of a health food fanatical product. 462 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:25,480 The mums were able to give Mr Men yoghurts to children, 463 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:29,560 who readily took to it because of the Mr Men. 464 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:32,120 They trusted the characters. They trusted the characters. 465 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:34,720 They could identify with the characters so easily. 466 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:40,760 By 1988, Roger had published 46 Mr Men books 467 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:43,080 and 33 Little Miss books, 468 00:22:43,120 --> 00:22:46,080 and along with the television series with Terry 469 00:22:46,120 --> 00:22:49,880 and merchandising thousands of products with Richard, 470 00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:52,240 he was now hugely successful. 471 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:55,320 It was fun. 472 00:22:55,360 --> 00:22:57,800 He travelled around the world with me. He enjoyed his life? 473 00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:02,600 Oh, yes, yes. But his life was snuffed out too soon. 474 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:05,680 You were with him the day before he died? The day before he died. 475 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:07,200 Oh, yes, I was. 476 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:09,560 And I went away that day, drove home, 477 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:11,640 and I thought, "Mm, he's not well." 478 00:23:11,680 --> 00:23:15,560 And, blimey, the next day, next evening, Adam called, 479 00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:18,600 and I could hear my wife go, "Oh, no." 480 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:20,720 I knew something had happened, yeah. 481 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:28,400 Roger died of a stroke on the 11th of September 1988 at the age of 53, 482 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:30,200 leaving behind his wife Christine, 483 00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:32,760 their two sons and their two daughters. 484 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:36,480 After the funeral I was talking to Adam and he said, 485 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:38,240 "I want to do what Dad did." 486 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:39,920 and I said, "Can you draw?" 487 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:43,120 He said "Yes." I said, "Can I see your portfolio? Have you got one?" 488 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:45,040 He said, "Yes," and he brought it down. I... 489 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:47,000 Was this on the day of the funeral? 490 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:49,920 The day of the funeral, at the wake afterwards, at the house. Right. 491 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:53,560 I went through his portfolio, 492 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:55,000 and in an instant, 493 00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:58,440 I realised he could draw better... Sorry, Roger. 494 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:00,040 ..better than his dad. 495 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:03,600 Adam, Roger's youngest son, 496 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:06,520 was just 25 when he took over the family firm. 497 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:11,440 I had never imagined I'd ever be involved with Mr Men. 498 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,800 I'd, up to that point in my life, pursued a career in farming, 499 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:17,680 so I had absolutely no training for Mr Men. 500 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:19,880 Had he taught you how to draw the characters? 501 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:22,680 No, sadly, I'd...I'd never drawn Mr Men. 502 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:27,200 When I first started... My dad always just drew them freehand, 503 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:30,920 but when I first started, I had to do a sketch first, 504 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:33,520 and then I'd do a proper line drawing over the top of them, 505 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:35,920 and I suddenly got to this point where I suddenly realised, 506 00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:39,800 "Yeah, I can now draw Mr Men like my dad did," so it was a big moment. 507 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:44,080 Sitting in my dad's office after he died 508 00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:45,800 and learning about Mr Men, 509 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:47,880 I actually found it a quite helpful way 510 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:50,000 for me to get over my dad's death, 511 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:53,880 because I was...I was with him, in a way, 512 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:55,560 through the Mr Men. 513 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:02,520 When Adam truly got his feet under the Mr Men desk in the 1990s, 514 00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:05,760 the Mr Men and Little Misses were perfectly placed to evolve 515 00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:09,800 and diversify into the teen and adult market, 516 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:13,000 targeted with a heady mix of nostalgia and celebrity. 517 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:18,680 It just took off, and I think Mr Men is perfectly suited for merchandise 518 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:21,600 because it's very adaptable to lots of different products. 519 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:23,800 Is there any applications for merchandise 520 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:26,480 that you had to turn down? Well, yeah. We... 521 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:29,800 ..we were offered a licence for Mr Men condoms, 522 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:32,080 but I don't think that would quite fit with the... 523 00:25:32,120 --> 00:25:33,720 Not quite. ..Mr Men remit. 524 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:36,120 I think that was a good call on your part. Yeah. 525 00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:37,760 Well, not a difficult decision. 526 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:44,080 "Hello," he said. "Who are you?" 527 00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:47,120 "Oh! I'm Mr Daydream." 528 00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:50,120 # Daydreaming 529 00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:52,960 # Daydreaming 530 00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:57,720 # Daydreaming the days away... # 531 00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:02,360 Today I am going to have a very serious acting class 532 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:07,400 and then I'm going to go out and meet the people of Great Britain 533 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:10,640 dressed as a Mr Man and a Little Miss character. 534 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:12,040 # Daydreaming 535 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:14,760 # Daydreaming... # 536 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:19,440 I never dreamed that I myself would get to be a Mr Man or Little Miss, 537 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:22,680 cos I thought I would be a really serious Shakespearian actor. 538 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:25,120 So I can't say it's my dream come true 539 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:27,640 cos I never imagined it would happen. 540 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:30,760 Vicky and Helene work for 541 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:34,720 the only company licensed to portray the Mr Men and Little Misses, 542 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:38,560 and are going to train me in the fine art of going method, 543 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:42,040 but there are some serious rules to be upheld. 544 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:44,360 And you're trained actors, are you? 545 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:45,520 Yes. 546 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:47,040 And did you ever think you'd be...? 547 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:48,240 SHE LAUGHS 548 00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:50,160 No! No. 549 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:52,080 I was going to graduate and be a film star. 550 00:26:52,120 --> 00:26:54,320 Well, you are now! 551 00:26:54,360 --> 00:26:55,560 I am now. 552 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:57,680 Right, well, I'm all yours. 553 00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:00,320 When you're in character your vision will be impaired, 554 00:27:00,360 --> 00:27:01,920 your hearing will be impaired, 555 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:04,600 so you're reliant on your chaperone 556 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:07,040 to keep you safe and to keep the public safe. 557 00:27:07,080 --> 00:27:09,400 You're not allowed to speak in character, is that right? 558 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:12,200 No, number one rule. Wow. Yeah, no speaking. 559 00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:16,040 We don't want a random voice coming out of an iconic character. 560 00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:19,320 What if the person inside the costume needs the loo? 561 00:27:19,360 --> 00:27:21,040 The universal one is time out. 562 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:25,040 Yeah. So if you're about to faint or vomit or need the loo 563 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,000 or something's about to happen... Blimey. 564 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:30,920 OK, so we are going to talk about some of the characteristics 565 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:32,600 of the characters that we've got here. 566 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:35,280 Because when we're inside, we're going to have to physicalise 567 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:36,840 the emotion that we want to convey. 568 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:39,400 And we really have to be true to the character. 569 00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:42,200 Yes, we really have to get into their head. Vital... Yeah. 570 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:45,080 ..to know, who is Bump? 571 00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:48,480 Yeah. Who is he? What does he like? What are his traits? 572 00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:50,720 Does he have signature moves? Mm-hm. 573 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:53,120 Because they all have go-to moves. 574 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:57,200 So what are they? How would you describe Mr Bump? 575 00:27:57,240 --> 00:27:59,520 Resilient. Yes, I would agree. 576 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:01,120 Hapless. Mm-hm. 577 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:03,000 Clumsy. Definitely. 578 00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:06,800 So, using your body, not your face or your voice, 579 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:09,320 how would you display those emotions, 580 00:28:09,360 --> 00:28:11,600 making sure that everything is over the top 581 00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:13,560 and everything is really big? 582 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:15,520 So go for it. Don't be subtle. 583 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:18,480 Exactly. 584 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:20,280 That's, like, avoiding the bump. 585 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:21,760 SHE LAUGHS 586 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:24,520 So when you bump... Oh! Exactly, when you bump into things, 587 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,960 sometimes you're knocked off-balance. Whoa! 588 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:28,960 Oh, I can't make any noise, can I? You could even 589 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:30,560 fall back a little bit, maybe. 590 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:31,960 So that was brilliant. 591 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:34,560 Make sure you keep in the bit where she said it was brilliant. 592 00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:35,720 SHE LAUGHS 593 00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:38,720 He will tend to bump into things. 594 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:41,160 We have to be careful WHAT we're bumping into. 595 00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:43,320 We don't want to, like, smash into children. 596 00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:45,400 Yeah, it needs to be child friendly. 597 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:47,920 Yes, definitely. He's Mr Bump, not Mr Bump and Grind. 598 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:50,320 Exactly. Right, OK. Yes. 599 00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:53,840 Now, how would this differ if I'm Little Miss Sunshine? 600 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:55,480 She is happy-go-lucky, isn't she? 601 00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:57,320 Yeah, she's lovely, she nice. 602 00:28:57,360 --> 00:28:59,800 So how would her walk be? Show me her walk. 603 00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:01,280 Exactly. 604 00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:03,760 A bit like, probably, the walk that Cliff Richard would do 605 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:06,000 if he was coming on to sing Congratulations. 606 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:08,160 # Da da-da da-da da da-da da-da da 607 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:09,800 Exactly! # Bom, bom, bom, bom 608 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:11,560 # Congratulations. # 609 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:12,880 It's that, isn't it? 610 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:15,480 Just have that in your head the whole time you're in her. Yeah. 611 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:16,880 Right, well, I'll, er... 612 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:18,880 Do you want to put one on? ..get changed, yeah. 613 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:24,280 # Have you met Mr Bump? 614 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:26,000 # He's a clumsy chap 615 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:28,920 # Going bump into this and into that 616 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:33,520 # So be sure that you don't bump into him today 617 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:37,120 # If you do he'll bump you out of his way 618 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:38,920 # Mr Bump 619 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:40,800 # Had a nasty bang 620 00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:42,560 # Bumped into 621 00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:44,200 # A big, fat man 622 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:48,040 # "Why don't you watch who you bump into?" 623 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:51,640 # Said the man and punched old Bump black and blue... # 624 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:54,640 CHILDREN LAUGH 625 00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:58,040 He always bumps into things. 626 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:01,280 He always bumps into things, doesn't he? 627 00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:03,520 And now the public are voting online 628 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:05,920 for two new characters to bump into. 629 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:08,280 Will it be Mr Calm or Brilliant? 630 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:11,240 Little Miss Energy, Kind or Brave? 631 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:12,840 We'll find out soon. 632 00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:26,360 In my exploration of the Mr Men story, 633 00:30:26,400 --> 00:30:29,240 I've gone method as a Little Miss. 634 00:30:31,840 --> 00:30:34,480 Hello, Miss Sunshine! Hey! 635 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:35,880 Woo! 636 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:37,480 Hello, Miss Sunshine. 637 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:42,440 Yay! 638 00:30:46,800 --> 00:30:49,840 And Little Miss Sunshine's magic melted the hearts 639 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:51,720 of the hipsters big and small. 640 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:57,360 Ooft! 641 00:30:57,400 --> 00:30:59,040 There we go. 642 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:02,640 It was lovely to see the smiles on the faces of people, 643 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:04,200 children of all ages. 644 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:05,920 People really love these characters 645 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:08,880 and they've grown up with them, 646 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:12,200 so the parents recognise the characters as well as the kids. 647 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:14,800 So it was nice to see, it was nice to see. 648 00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:22,800 The enduring power of the Mr Men and Little Miss magic 649 00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:26,920 is nowhere better evidenced than here, Portsmouth 650 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:29,240 at the home of Michelle Martinez, 651 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:32,600 who has been collecting the Mr Men since she was a child. 652 00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:34,640 KNOCKS ON DOOR 653 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:35,920 Knockety, knockety knock. 654 00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:39,680 Hello! Hi! How do you do? Come in. 655 00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:42,960 Nice to meet you. It's like Mr Bump's house, isn't it? 656 00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:47,280 Wow! 657 00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:49,800 Wow, wow, wow! 658 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:55,120 My lord, what an extraordinary collection. 659 00:31:56,280 --> 00:32:00,400 What do we look at first? I mean, it's just full of wonder. 660 00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:01,800 These are hot water bottles? 661 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:03,120 They are indeed. 662 00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:05,560 So where did it all start for you and the Mr Men? 663 00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:08,680 As a child you show an affection for something or an interest 664 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:10,720 when you're little, and it just went from there. 665 00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:12,920 Everybody that is important to me 666 00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:15,040 has bought me something to do with Mr Men. 667 00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:18,600 And people see things and call me, "Have you got this?" 668 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:22,040 "My son's outgrown his pyjamas, do you want them?" "Yes, please." 669 00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:26,120 So, do you have a favourite bit of Mr Men memorabilia? 670 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:29,080 Oh, there's too many! There are too many. 671 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:32,000 I see one thing and I think, "Yes, I love that, I love that." 672 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:36,440 My Mr Man tea set, in 1977, I was given that as a Christmas gift. 673 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:39,360 For me, it makes me feel just happy 674 00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:43,160 and there are so many happy memories attached to many of these items. 675 00:32:43,200 --> 00:32:45,240 What would you say to Roger Hargreaves 676 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:46,680 if you'd had a chance to meet him? 677 00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:50,160 Thank you. Just thank you for making something 678 00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:51,960 that I've carried with me my whole life 679 00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:54,320 and has been able to be shared with so many people, 680 00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:56,600 and I'm sure I'm not the only person that feels that way. 681 00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:05,200 The Hargreaves family decided to sell the brand in 2003 682 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:07,400 and netted £28 million. 683 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:12,040 Not bad for an idea that began with a tickle 684 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:15,800 and would go on to become of the most successful British brands ever. 685 00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:19,360 So, where's the brand today? 686 00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:22,840 Here we go. 687 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:27,000 This is where the Mr Men and Little Miss live. 688 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:29,560 This is the London HQ of Sanrio, 689 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:32,520 the Japanese company that now owns the Mr Men. 690 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:34,480 Hello, everybody. 691 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:37,680 The Hargreaves still keep a creative hand in, 692 00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:40,520 but Alastair, Alison and Sabrina are in charge 693 00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:43,880 of the Mr Men and Little Miss heritage and growth. 694 00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:45,600 And then we shall say grace. 695 00:33:45,640 --> 00:33:47,680 THEY LAUGH 696 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:49,960 How big is this brand? 697 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:53,320 We are published in 17 different languages. 698 00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:57,120 We've sold over 250 million books so far 699 00:33:57,160 --> 00:34:00,520 and we sell a book about every four or five seconds globally. 700 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:02,600 We're the number one book brand in France 701 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:05,520 and we've been in the top ten in the UK for the past ten years. 702 00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:10,160 Collaborations is a massive part of our business. 703 00:34:10,200 --> 00:34:13,600 Stella McCartney was our very first collaboration 704 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:15,080 and she had her very own character, 705 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:16,640 which we'd never done before as well, 706 00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:19,800 so she had a character called Little Miss Stella. 707 00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:23,800 But I think that really opened up the eyes to other companies 708 00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:28,040 to really see, you know, how flexible Mr Men could be as a brand. 709 00:34:30,720 --> 00:34:33,720 The Mr Men and Little Misses have truly been taken 710 00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:36,160 to the next level as a global enterprise. 711 00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:41,760 It all feels pretty far from an artist's studio 712 00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:43,680 at the bottom of a garden now, Dorothy. 713 00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:49,720 But maintaining the Hargreaves' unique artistic style is key, 714 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:51,560 and the man responsible for that 715 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:54,720 and for designing the modern characters is Liam. 716 00:34:54,760 --> 00:34:57,760 Hello, friend. Hello. Can I come and bother you? 717 00:34:57,800 --> 00:34:59,160 Of course, you can. How are you? 718 00:34:59,200 --> 00:35:01,760 I'm all right, thank you. It's nice to have a sit down, isn't it? 719 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:05,400 It's lovely. So, are you the resident artist here? 720 00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:08,320 I am indeed. Who's hardest to draw? 721 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:11,280 Mr Happy, I think. And I know it might not seem like that... Because? 722 00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:14,000 No, I know. It's interesting, isn't it, cos the simpler they are, 723 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:17,160 the more quickly we'll notice if something isn't quite right? 724 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:18,960 Exactly. And if you don't get him right, 725 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:21,600 he can look like a broken egg 726 00:35:21,640 --> 00:35:24,520 or just an omelette or something. MATT CHUCKLES 727 00:35:24,560 --> 00:35:26,600 They say I look like one of those. 728 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:28,720 Oh, yeah? Yeah, yeah. 729 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:30,560 So what's your favourite of the new characters? 730 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:32,160 Who are you hoping will win? 731 00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:34,920 I would say Mr Calm, personally, 732 00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:38,840 Mr Calm or Little Miss Kind. 733 00:35:38,880 --> 00:35:41,320 I can show you some early concepts, if you like? Yes, please do. 734 00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:44,320 So, this is some of the first designs. 735 00:35:44,360 --> 00:35:47,200 This was the first design I drew of Mr Calm, 736 00:35:47,240 --> 00:35:49,680 and then the developments got a little bit further 737 00:35:49,720 --> 00:35:53,200 and we did get Adam's designs, so Adam did these. 738 00:35:53,240 --> 00:35:56,880 So then I had another go because the feedback for this 739 00:35:56,920 --> 00:35:59,840 was that it looked too similar to Mr Happy. It does, yeah. 740 00:35:59,880 --> 00:36:03,200 But I said, "No, well, he's got that." He's got three hairs. 741 00:36:03,240 --> 00:36:05,760 He's got the sliders as well. 742 00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:07,920 That's quite nice. A bit like a sumo, isn't he? 743 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:09,960 Yeah, yeah, I was getting that vibe from that as well. 744 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:12,240 Go well in Japan. Bit of a top knot. Yeah. 745 00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:14,960 Little Miss Brave, which actually hasn't changed much 746 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:17,160 to the final concept, which is great. 747 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:19,840 Little Miss Kind, we did go for this look in the end. 748 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:21,680 That's lovely. Mr Brilliant. 749 00:36:21,720 --> 00:36:24,800 I like the 'tash. It's quite Village People, isn't it? 750 00:36:24,840 --> 00:36:27,960 So, Little Miss Energy, I drew at the start 751 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:29,200 and she hasn't really changed. 752 00:36:29,240 --> 00:36:30,960 Is she breaking wind? 753 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:32,360 There? Yeah. 754 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:34,040 Little Miss Trump. 755 00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:36,880 I've not heard that in ages, trump. My nana always used to say that. 756 00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:39,520 Yeah, I think we need to reclaim the word trump. 757 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:42,360 Have you ever heard "pipped?" Pipped? Oh, that might be northern. 758 00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:44,480 She was like, "Oh, you've pipped." 759 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:45,880 I'm like, "What?" 760 00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:51,120 Now over 70,000 people have voted on these new characters, 761 00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:55,120 which feel fitting for the modern world we live in. 762 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:58,480 And watching how they have evolved over the past 50 years 763 00:36:58,520 --> 00:37:01,280 from the originals has made me wonder 764 00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:04,120 how they've stayed so successful and relevant. 765 00:37:05,600 --> 00:37:08,520 I think I've found the perfect expert to help me 766 00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:11,960 negotiate the waters of modern children's publishing. 767 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:16,800 Hello, I am delighted to introduce Melanie Ramdarshan Bold, 768 00:37:16,840 --> 00:37:19,400 who is an associate professor 769 00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:23,680 and who basically spends all of her days teaching, researching 770 00:37:23,720 --> 00:37:26,720 and talking about children's books. 771 00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:30,960 Why are these books still so popular today 50 years on? 772 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:33,560 I think nostalgia is a big driving point. 773 00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:36,200 I know that certainly since I've become a mother, 774 00:37:36,240 --> 00:37:39,520 I've wanted to revisit my childhood favourites. 775 00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:41,800 Much of the children's publishing industry today 776 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:43,440 is driven by this nostalgia. 777 00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:45,840 If we look at the bestseller list, for example, 778 00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:50,640 they're populated by very familiar names and books and characters. 779 00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:53,800 Because there's something reassuring about them. Exactly, yeah. 780 00:37:53,840 --> 00:37:55,440 Do you have a favourite character? 781 00:37:55,480 --> 00:37:59,920 Um... So, the character that has had the most impact on me 782 00:37:59,960 --> 00:38:03,120 is Mr Messy and I'm still traumatised 783 00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:06,360 by his Kafkaesque fate in the book. 784 00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:10,600 The book starts off with Mr Messy 785 00:38:10,640 --> 00:38:13,520 being sort of, like, blissfully happy 786 00:38:13,560 --> 00:38:17,640 in his non-conformist, individual existence, 787 00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:22,000 and then that all changes when he meets Mr Neat 788 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:26,360 and Mr Tidy, who are essentially these two authoritarian types 789 00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:29,680 dressed in these very generic black and white suits. 790 00:38:29,720 --> 00:38:31,920 " 'Oh, we make things nice and neat.' 791 00:38:33,240 --> 00:38:36,440 " 'I don't want things neat and tidy,' said Mr Messy, 792 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:38,680 "looking downright miserable at the thought of it. 793 00:38:38,720 --> 00:38:41,800 " 'Nonsense,' said Mr Tidy." 794 00:38:41,840 --> 00:38:45,320 So he's just this really vibrant bright pink scribble, 795 00:38:45,360 --> 00:38:48,680 so Mr Neat and Mr Tidy proceed 796 00:38:48,720 --> 00:38:51,800 to thoroughly scrub 797 00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:54,160 and anonymise Mr Messy. 798 00:38:55,760 --> 00:39:00,280 They do this to his house and then they do it to Mr Messy himself. 799 00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:03,520 It's completely Orwellian, actually. 800 00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:08,320 By the end of the book, he's been so vigorously scrubbed and brushed 801 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:11,360 that he appears as this generic pink blob, 802 00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:12,720 which is very different to... 803 00:39:12,760 --> 00:39:15,600 He looks just like every other pink blob that you see. 804 00:39:15,640 --> 00:39:19,080 But the most terrifying thing about the book is that, by the end of it, 805 00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:21,360 like Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, 806 00:39:21,400 --> 00:39:25,680 he ends up loving his captors. Complete Stockholm Syndrome. 807 00:39:25,720 --> 00:39:29,000 " 'I'm going to have to change my name,' said Mr Messy, 808 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:30,480 "and he chuckled." 809 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:35,000 So you wouldn't read that to your son? 810 00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:36,400 Um, yeah, I probably would. 811 00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:39,240 He has a messy room so, you know, teach him a lesson. There you go. 812 00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:42,680 Are you OK with the fact that Mr Tickle is touching your leg? 813 00:39:42,720 --> 00:39:45,200 Mr Tickle! Mr Tickle, now, come on! 814 00:39:45,240 --> 00:39:47,560 Mr Tickle! It's not very consensual, is it? 815 00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:50,120 It's not very consensual. No, I think you should move his hand 816 00:39:50,160 --> 00:39:53,160 out of the way. Shall we? This is 2021 Mr Tickle. 817 00:39:54,840 --> 00:39:58,360 These days, Mr Tickle would probably get community service, 818 00:39:58,400 --> 00:40:01,760 but he's not the only character to have come under modern scrutiny. 819 00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:05,640 In the past few years, Mr Greedy and Little Miss Plump, 820 00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:07,520 who is now called Little Miss Greedy, 821 00:40:07,560 --> 00:40:09,600 have faced the charge of fat-shaming. 822 00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:12,640 "Little Miss Plump certainly was." 823 00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:14,760 " 'Was what?' Plump!" 824 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:17,560 And some of the Little Misses have come under fire 825 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:21,640 for female stereotypes that might be seen as lodged in the '70s. 826 00:40:23,360 --> 00:40:25,960 There have been lots of criticisms about Little Miss Bossy. 827 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:29,040 Those books have received the biggest criticism, 828 00:40:29,080 --> 00:40:30,560 just in general, calling... 829 00:40:30,600 --> 00:40:33,040 She's in here. She's over there. 830 00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:36,000 She is over there. Just be careful. Sorry! 831 00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:39,280 So, I think it's great that they've been sort of updated 832 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:41,720 for the modern environment. 833 00:40:41,760 --> 00:40:44,960 There is a new generation of books and characters, 834 00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:46,760 such as Little Miss Inventor, 835 00:40:46,800 --> 00:40:50,560 which showcase women in very different, more empowering roles. 836 00:40:50,600 --> 00:40:54,080 What future do you see for the Mr Men and the Little Miss Books? 837 00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:55,920 I can see them growing and growing. 838 00:40:57,840 --> 00:41:00,000 # She's Plump! He's Bump! They're Late! And Naughty! 839 00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:02,560 # It's Tickle! She's Trouble! I'm Shy! We're Happy... # 840 00:41:02,600 --> 00:41:04,720 And growing they are, Melanie. 841 00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:08,720 In celebration of turning 50, the Mr Men and Little Misses 842 00:41:08,760 --> 00:41:11,760 are about to welcome two new characters to the fold. 843 00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:16,960 And I'll be announcing the winners with my very own animation. 844 00:41:18,520 --> 00:41:23,360 Well, I'm very excited because I'm throwing a 50th birthday party 845 00:41:23,400 --> 00:41:26,240 for the Mr Men and Little Misses. 846 00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:30,240 I've invited some of the creatives and superfan Michelle 847 00:41:30,280 --> 00:41:35,040 and I'm going to be announcing the two winners of the competition 848 00:41:35,080 --> 00:41:37,800 for new characters as voted for by the public. 849 00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:44,520 Of course, it wouldn't be a Mr Men birthday party without... 850 00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:48,640 wibbly wobbly jelly! 851 00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:50,320 Wobble, wobble, wobble! 852 00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:06,400 Today is my Mr Men birthday party, to celebrate 50 years. 853 00:42:06,440 --> 00:42:08,200 Everyone who was invited turned up. 854 00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:14,560 Oh, it's the loveliest cake I've ever seen. 855 00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:19,360 And I'll be announcing the winners of the competition 856 00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:21,000 for two new characters. 857 00:42:21,040 --> 00:42:22,840 To the Mr Men and Little Miss. 858 00:42:22,880 --> 00:42:24,240 ALL: Cheers. 859 00:42:24,280 --> 00:42:25,280 Happy birthday. 860 00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:29,080 And, here's to my dad, to Roger. ALL: To Roger. My hero. 861 00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:34,000 So, who will be joining the colourful cast of Mr Men 862 00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:36,080 and Little Misses? 863 00:42:36,120 --> 00:42:38,480 I've prepared a little surprise. 864 00:42:38,520 --> 00:42:40,600 OK, it's time for our big announcement. 865 00:42:40,640 --> 00:42:43,000 Liam, if you could press play, please? 866 00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:48,640 We have now reached the end of the competition 867 00:42:48,680 --> 00:42:52,080 and we can reveal the two winners. 868 00:42:52,120 --> 00:42:58,120 Will it be Little Miss Kind, who believes in always helping others? 869 00:42:58,160 --> 00:43:03,080 Will it be Mr Calm with his zen-like ways? 870 00:43:03,120 --> 00:43:06,360 Mr Brilliant with his big ideas? 871 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:09,760 Little Miss Energy with her zest for life? 872 00:43:09,800 --> 00:43:14,360 Or Little Miss Brave with her fearless inner strength? 873 00:43:14,400 --> 00:43:17,320 I can reveal that the winners are... 874 00:43:19,160 --> 00:43:22,280 ..Mr Calm and Little Miss Brave. 875 00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:24,280 CHEERING AND APPLAUSE 876 00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:27,000 BANG! HE CHEERS 877 00:43:27,040 --> 00:43:28,880 Oh, I did it into me. 878 00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:31,400 It was supposed to go that way. 879 00:43:31,440 --> 00:43:33,480 I got lots of confetti on the chair. 880 00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:35,160 Hurray! 881 00:43:35,200 --> 00:43:36,520 Mr Useless. 882 00:43:36,560 --> 00:43:37,960 Mr Useless. 883 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:39,880 Mr Idiot. 884 00:43:42,520 --> 00:43:44,320 So, how do you feel about that, Adam? 885 00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:47,800 Excited. Overwhelmed. 886 00:43:47,840 --> 00:43:51,600 My initial thought is now I've got to finish the stories. 887 00:43:51,640 --> 00:43:55,760 For the last nine months, I've been trying to come up with 888 00:43:55,800 --> 00:43:58,600 stories for five characters, without knowing which two of them 889 00:43:58,640 --> 00:44:01,400 were going to be published, but, no, that's perfect, isn't it? 890 00:44:01,440 --> 00:44:04,280 Michelle, you wanted Mr Calm, didn't you? I wanted him, yeah. 891 00:44:04,320 --> 00:44:06,080 Why did you like Mr Calm? 892 00:44:06,120 --> 00:44:09,640 Just because of the situation we're in at the moment, I think everyone 893 00:44:09,680 --> 00:44:13,080 just needs to be calm and crack on and look after everyone else. 894 00:44:13,120 --> 00:44:15,680 Well, said. Think about what you're doing. Quite right. 895 00:44:15,720 --> 00:44:21,560 This brand staying alive has kept Roger alive in some way, hasn't it? 896 00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:24,800 It's also made me realise what a good idea he came up with, 897 00:44:24,840 --> 00:44:26,680 I think that's what really struck me, 898 00:44:26,720 --> 00:44:28,040 is that prior to his death, 899 00:44:28,080 --> 00:44:30,960 I hadn't really given him credit for what he had created. 900 00:44:31,000 --> 00:44:34,920 Whenever I talk to people, they just assume, because of the books 901 00:44:34,960 --> 00:44:38,560 having his name on, that he's still around and still doing them, really. 902 00:44:38,600 --> 00:44:41,120 I could never have imagined being involved 903 00:44:41,160 --> 00:44:43,760 but I've ended up with the best job in the world. 904 00:44:43,800 --> 00:44:45,880 Hear, hear, I had the best job in the world too. 905 00:44:45,920 --> 00:44:48,320 No, I had the best job in the world. There you go. 906 00:44:48,360 --> 00:44:50,600 No, I loved every minute of it. 907 00:44:50,640 --> 00:44:54,120 GENTLE MUSIC PLAYS 908 00:45:03,080 --> 00:45:06,000 Well, that's it, that's the end of the documentary. 909 00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:07,920 Sorry to go all meta on you. 910 00:45:07,960 --> 00:45:13,840 Er... It's been a real privilege to meet some of the people 911 00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:16,560 behind the Mr Men and Little Miss Characters. 912 00:45:16,600 --> 00:45:20,760 I've learned so much about this brilliant phenomenon. 913 00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:24,480 I love their simplicity and their directness. 914 00:45:24,520 --> 00:45:30,040 I love their diversity and how they bring kids out of themselves. 915 00:45:30,080 --> 00:45:34,360 I think they're really witty charming, very British, 916 00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:38,640 and it all came from an ad man and a farmer. 917 00:45:38,680 --> 00:45:40,520 Amazing. 918 00:45:43,240 --> 00:45:47,200 I thought I'd say goodbye to Misterland with a little treat - 919 00:45:47,240 --> 00:45:50,040 I caught up with the Mr Men at 50 to ask how the phenomenon had 920 00:45:50,080 --> 00:45:54,560 changed their lives, socially distanced, of course. 921 00:45:54,600 --> 00:45:56,480 OK, everyone unmute themselves. 922 00:45:56,520 --> 00:45:59,080 Great. Well, it's an interesting question 923 00:45:59,120 --> 00:46:01,360 and one I've been thinking about an awful lot. 924 00:46:01,400 --> 00:46:05,040 And may I say thank you for asking me to appear in your documentary. 925 00:46:05,080 --> 00:46:08,200 I think it's wonderful that you're making this documentary 926 00:46:08,240 --> 00:46:10,560 because documentaries are fascinating, aren't they? 927 00:46:10,600 --> 00:46:12,440 Mr Lazy, have you, er... 928 00:46:12,480 --> 00:46:15,040 I do think some documentaries are a bit long though 929 00:46:15,080 --> 00:46:18,240 and sometimes the contributors go on and on and on and on, 930 00:46:18,280 --> 00:46:20,400 and you wonder if they are ever going to stop. 931 00:46:20,440 --> 00:46:22,520 So, anyway, it's a very interesting question... 932 00:46:22,560 --> 00:46:24,520 Bye. ..which is good news because... 933 00:46:25,960 --> 00:46:27,960 # Daydreaming 934 00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:30,880 # Daydreaming 935 00:46:30,920 --> 00:46:35,000 # Daydreaming the days away 936 00:46:35,040 --> 00:46:38,480 # Daydreaming 937 00:46:38,520 --> 00:46:41,520 # Daydreaming 938 00:46:41,560 --> 00:46:45,560 # Daydreaming the days away 939 00:46:45,600 --> 00:46:48,160 # Day. #