In an effort to appeal to a more modern audience, the line of Mr Men and Little Miss books is receiving a make-over, with a host of new characters being introduced.
The new characters include Mr Unemployed, who is depicted holding a bottle of beer and smoking a cigarette, and Little Miss Brexit, who is seen sporting a Union Jack tattoo, eating a curved banana and holding a blue passport.
The new books are set to be released later this year.
Mr Men books were created by Roger Hargreaves in 1971. A series of Little Miss books was added to the line in 1981 in order to appeal to girls as well as boys. Over the last 20 years the popularity of the books has waned, prompting the publishers to take the drastic action of a complete overhaul.
They are aiming their characters at a new generation of children, children who live in a very different world to the 70s and 80s when the original books were produced.
Adam Hargreaves, who took over from his father Roger in 1988, commented:
The world is very different today, so we need a new line of Mr and Little Miss characters to stay relevant. People are unemployed, they drink during the day, they come from broken families and they read the Daily Mail. We’ve had to move on.
Adam believes the new books will be just as popular as the originals, and will carry on the Mr Men and Little Miss line for years to come.
The confirmed characters so far include:
- Mr Unemployed
- Little Miss Brexit
- Little Miss Pyjamas
- Mr White Van Man
- Mr Daily Mail Reader
- Little Miss Drinks During the Day
- Mr Weekend Dad
- Little Miss Single Mother
Further characters have yet to be announced.
The final two characters on the list, Mr Weekend Dad and Little Miss Single Mother have already caused controversy with parent group Mumsnet, who have branded the characters ‘Outdated stereotypes’.
Angelina Aggressio, from Mumsnet, commented:
I understand they’re trying to update the characters, but Little Miss Single Mother is a pathetic joke. They could have called her Little Miss Working Mother, or even just Little Miss Mother’.
When asked her thoughts on Mr Weekend Dad, Angelina added:
He’s a typical man who doesn’t support his kids. He doesn’t deserve to be recognised. I, for one, won’t be buying his book!
What do the Bugle’s readers think of the new books? Will you be buying them? Do you have any suggestions for new Mr Men and Little Miss characters yourself? Let us know in the comments below.
