By: William Tian
This summer, a children book goes viral on across social media like Instagram and TikTok, with many artists putting new silly and relatable captions under the name “Little Miss”
The series Mr. Men was started by a British author and illustrator Roger Hargreaves in 1971. After his son asked what a tickle look like, Hargreaves was inspired to create the character “Mr. Tickle.” Mr. Tickle became one of the first characters in his first book. Hargreaves’s book included many bright colorful Mr. Men characters. Children loved it, and after three years, he sold over a million copies.
After Mr. Men’s success, Hargreaves started his second project, Little Miss. He added more characters to expand the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters, like “Mr. Calm” and “Little Miss Spice Girls”. According to the official Mr. Men and Little Miss website, the books were supposed to “identify with a multi-generational audience through self expression, colour, simplicity and humour,”
In 2014, Max Knoblauch, a writer, illustrator, and comedian, had ideas for new Mr. Men and Little Miss characters. He created the “Mr. Men Children’s Books Reimagined for Millennials,” a series of Mr. Men character pictures with contemporary toned captions for adults. Some characters created were “Mr. Student Loan Debt” and “Little Miss Underemployment”. He loved the characters style and friendliness. “It’s a blob with a smile and it was so positive.” Knoblauch said.
8 years later, in the summer of 2022, an Instagram account “LittleMissNotesApp” made Hargreaves’s characters go viral with new character captions like Little Miss Lexapro,” “Mr. Vape Cloud” and “Little Miss Aggressive Drunk.” The creator of the account, Nicole Gagliardi wrote an email talking journalist Michael Cavna about what the purpose of her account was and why she started it. “I think people resonate with this meme for the same reason they like knowing their personality type or zodiac sign: They like seeing something that they can identify with, and there’s something for everyone.” The account has gained over 2 million followers.
Now the Mr. Men and Little Miss series started their own franchise, selling merchandise like T-shirts, cups, and figurines. The series also started many fun attractions like the “Mr. Men Little Miss Giant Maze” at the York Maze. They are also in the Museum of Brands, celebrating their 50th year anniversary.
Credit:
https://mashable.com/article/reimagined-childrens-books-millennials