50 Ways to celebrate the Mr. Men 50th Anniversary
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Mr. Men, created by Roger Hargreaves and we have come up with 50 ways to celebrate in 2021... Are you ready?
Happy 50th Anniversary Mr. Men & Little Miss
This year marks the golden anniversary of the much-loved and nostalgic Mr. Men and Little Miss (offically, they are celebrating their 40th anniversary) series of diverse, colourful and personality filled characters, created in the early 1970's by Roger Hargreaves. Over the years we've seen Mr. Men and Little Miss collaborations with Lazy Oaf, Tobias and the Bear, Keds, The Spice Girls and, even Transport for London. So, to mark this milestone of one of our favourite children's book series we have rounded up 50 happy ways to celebrate. Yes, 50! Why not? We could all do with seeing some sunshiny happy people in 2021!
Welcome to Happyland! 50 ways to Celebrate the Mr.Men & Little Miss, Golden Anniversary
1 - 3. Shop the Mr Men Fashion range at M&S
Head to M&S for their fun new children's clothing range featuring the cheerful world of Mr Men™ & Little Miss™. With a wide choice of exclusive designs featuring the original Roger Hargreaves’ characters, the range includes daywear, sleepwear, accessories and bedding (see below), which are sure to evoke a sense of nostalgia and capture the imagination of kids and parents alike! We love the powerful messages like "Happy Vibes Always' and "It's Cool to be Kind.' Launches today. Prices start at £7 from available in sizes 0-7 years
SHOP HERE >> Mr. Men & Little Miss at Marks & Spencer
4. Grab a golden Anniversary book
Start the celebrations by buying a special copy of the 50th Anniversary Mr. Tickle book. Mr. Tickle was the first character created by the late Roger Hargreaves in 1971. Hargreaves was inspired to write his first children's book by his son, Adam, who had asked him what a tickle looked like. Hargreaves responded with a round, orange figure with long, bendy arms and, the rest is history.
BUY HERE >> Mr. Tickle: 50th Anniversary Edition
5. Take a Mr. & Miss Test
A personality traits test game where players decide who in their group shares different characteristics with popular Mr Men and Little Miss characters with 100 different personality cards. Sure to be hours of family fun!
BUY HERE >> Personality Test Game, from £10, Amazon
6. Cast your vote for the next Mr. & Little Miss
To mark their 5oth year, for the first time ever, the general public and fans will be able to decide the next 2 characters that will be turned into classic Mr. Men and Little Miss books. The new characters to discover and choose from are: Mr. Calm, Little Miss Brave, Mr. Brilliant, Little Miss Energy and Little Miss Kind. Read more in ours special feature Mr. Men and Little Miss Children’s Books Celebrate their 50th Anniversary
>> UPDATE
7 months and 70,000 votes later
Mr. Calm and Little Miss Brave are the winners! The pair will officially join the iconic family as their books hit shelves from September 2nd. A tumultuous year has clearly fed the need for more ‘Calms’ and ‘Braves’ amongst us, as these two were selected above the strong line up of Little Miss Energy, Mr. Brilliant and Little Miss Kind. Both priced at £4.49 each.
7. Send your baby off to Happyland!
Much-loved kids clothing brand, Lil’ Cubs has unveiled a cute Mr Men and Little Miss baby and kids range, with two limited-edition prints that have been designed specially to celebrate the fun, across leggings, sleep suits, swaddles and T-shirts. Prices range from £8 and the collection is available in sizes 0-7yrs.
BUY HERE >> Lil' Cubs Mr. Men & Little Miss baby Collection
8 - 9. Shop Cath Kidston X Mr.Men Little Miss
Not one to miss an opportunity to mix its vintage florals and heritage prints with a classic character, Cath Kidston kids has a limited edition collection of pieces including pj's, washbags, shoppers, rucksacks and baby essentials all with a cheeky Mr & Miss slant.
SHOP HERE>> Cath Kidston X Mr.Men Little Miss collection
10. Have a Mr.Men & Little Miss Tea Party...
Serve up milk and cookies with these gorgeous hand-iced biscuits all wrapped up in a collectable keep-sake tin. Quick! before Mr. Greedy sees them...
BUY HERE >> Mr Men and Little Miss biscuit tin, £38 Biscuiteers
11. Or, make your own!
They may not be as (Mr.) Perfect as the ones above but you'll have lots of fun baking with the kids and icing these colourful characters. The basic cutter shape can be used to make a whole host of Mr and Miss and maybe even a few of your own design!
BUY HERE >> Mr. Men & Little Miss Cookie Cutter Set, £16.60 3DCookieCutterShop
12. And serve drinks from this!
Your very own special Mr. Tickle handled mug. We're sure this would have been Mr. Hargreaves mug of choice!
BUY HERE >> Mr. Tickle Shaped Mug from £15 Amazon
13. Treats for Little Miss or Mr. Good
Treat them to some Mr Strong, Fizzy Strawberry flavour sweets (suitable for vegetarians) or Mr Happy Cracker Fruit Jellies (vegan).
BUY HERE >> Mr. Men Sweets, from £3.99, Down Your High Street
14. Take a Mr. Men Art lesson by book..
If your kids have ever wanted to draw Mr Tickle’s extraordinarily long arms, Mr Bump with all those bandages or Little Miss Naughty’s cheeky grin, then this is the book for them. The sketchpad includes pictures to complete as well as pages for their own drawings.
BUY HERE >> How to Draw Mr. Men from £7 Amazon
15. Or, download some Mr. Men & Little Miss activity sheets
If you can't wait for the above book to arrive then head over to the official Mr.Men website and download from a number of fun actives including how to draw step-by-steps, spot the difference, dot-to-dots, colouring sheets and, even pages for kids to write their own Happyland story.
DOWNLOAD HERE >> Mr. Men.com
16. Learn to count with Mr. and Miss.
Alongside that colouring and drawing get little Mr. Men Little Miss fans to learn to count a more fun and colourful way with this fab poster.
BUY HERE >> Mr. Men Little Miss Counting Poster, £3.99, Panic Posters
17. (Plan to) Visit a work of Mr. Men Art
Mr. Tickle had a special family portrait created to reflect modern families in the UK - forgetting the traditional nuclear 2.4 kids, as research shows modern families can include 1.4 grandparents, 1 friend, 2.6 cousins and a dog! - and, it may may well still be hanging up in the National Portrait Gallery in London - we can't be sure as the gallery is closed until 2023.
18. Make your own Mr. Men Little Miss Family Portrait
For now why not have fun creating your own family artwork with the Family Portrait maker? With 50 characters to choose including your pets, you can choose your family size, background image, select the most suited character for each person - and order a print for your home.
MAKE HERE >> Mr. Men Little Miss Family Portrait Maker, from £20, mrmen.com
19. Hang some retro artwork
Add some 70’s inspired retro charm to the kids bedroom or playroom walls with a cheerful print. Funky!
BUY HERE >> Early Bird Happyland by Roger Hargreaves Drawing Print £23.99 Wayfair
20. Got the T-Shirt?
Next is always good for a cool character t-shirt - as you know how fussy we are at Junior about character clothing! We like them to have a quirky or vintage edge and, this grey printed one is just the tee! Available in ages 3mths - 8yrs.
BUY HERE >> Grey Mr Men Printed Jersey T-Shirt, from £7 Next
21. Save Up: Mr. Money and Little Miss Coin!
Hot of the press is that some new Royal Mint Mr. Men and Little Miss coins are coming soon... to celebrate their 5oth anniversary. UPDATE: The Mr. Men Little Miss commemorative coin collection features Mr Happy, Little Miss Sunshine, and Little Miss Giggles with Mr Strong on a £5 crown. All three coin designs have been created exclusively by Adam Hargreaves and these brilliant uncirculated editions of the coins will feature the latest colour printing techniques showcasing the Mr. Men Little Miss characters in all their vivid colour. (The coins will not be going into general circulation.)
SEE MORE HERE >> Royal Mint Mr. Men
22. Character Snacks
Homeschooling, weekends at the park or watching cartoons. keep their energy levels up and fill these cute lidded lunch and snack pots with some colourful treats.
BUY HERE >> Mr. Men Little Miss Set Of Three Snack Boxes, £8, English Heritage Shop
23. Be like a Mr or Miss: Be Yourself!
A great positive, inclusive and inspiring book to help young children believe in their own strengths and abilities. Celebrating their differences: whether small or tall, noisy or quiet, shy or silly, kids can achieve amazing things by believing in themselves. With a little help from their friends....
BUY HERE >> Mr. Men Little Miss: You are Brilliant: Believe in what you can achieve, from £5, Amazon
24. Wash little hands...
Keep that hand washing going and make it fun with these sweet scented anti-bacterial hand washes from Carex. Featuring 8 characters to collect across the range there is also hand gel, showers washes and refillable pouches.
BUY HERE >> Carex Mr Men And Little Miss Hand Wash Antibacterial 250ml, £1,from a selection at Sainsburys - and, leading supermarkets and chemists nationwide
25. Or, use the little hand gel!
A quick drying, anti-bacterial gel to keep little hands Covid-19 free.
BUY HERE >> Carex Lemon Sherbet Fun Edition Mr Men Little Miss Hand Gel, £1, Ocado
26. And, then reward them!
Make hand washing more fun by heading over to Carex to download the hand washing reward chart and award gold stars. Share your child’s progress with them on Instagram to be in with a chance of winning lots of prizes.
DOWNLOAD HERE >> Carex Reward Chart
STILL WITH US? >> You've made it half-way! Read more about the Mr. Men Little Miss 50th Anniversary here and our interview with author Adam Hargreaves
27. Get Growing!
Do you have some of those Mr Men and Little Miss cups lying around from those McDonalds Happy Meals? (if not, you can pick them up on eBay as they have become quite collectible!). Perfect for growing cress heads, flowers or small plants.
28. Update your Little Library
Is any child's library complete with a Mr. Men Little Miss book or 10? With a calculated lifetime sales total of over 250 million books across the UK there has got to be a few in your home, school, playgroup or local library. If not, get them set up with these box sets.
BUY HERE >> My Complete Little Miss 36 Books Collection Box Set
29. And, keep them in order!
Did you know? If all the books of each series are put together in order the words ‘My Mr. Men library’ or ‘My Little Miss library’ can be read across the spines and an illustration of Walter the Worm (Mr. Men) or a flower (Little Miss) can be seen
BUY HERE >> Mr. Men My Complete Collection Box Set, £30, Amazon
30. Get Colouring
We love this high quality colouring book with each image printed on separate page - which prevents bleed-through. Meaning kids can go crazy with pencils, markers, pens and paints.
BUY HERE >> Mr. Men Coloring Book: Mr. Men Coloring Book, from £5 Amazon
31. Be a Little Artist with...
...these jumbo wax crayons.
BUY HERE >> Mr Men 10 Jumbo Wax Crayons, £9.95 Amazon
32. ...Or, these happy pencils!
Think happy thoughts and doodles with this box set of pencils. Whether they are more of a Mr. Tickle or a Little Miss Sunshine, these cheerful and colourful pencils are sure to provide hours of fun.
BUY HERE >> Mr. Men & Little Miss Pencils (set of 6), £4.99, Grind Store
33. Keep them Organised!
Keep this budding artists pens, pencils and crayons in order with one of these personalised pencil tins. Available in 3 colours and with various characters.
BUY HERE >> Little Miss Fabulous Pencil Case Tin, £12 Mr Men Store
34. Take Note!
For doodles, lists and even home schooling - we love these retro notebooks. Fit for any princess.
BUY HERE >> Little Miss Princess and Flowers Notebook (set of 2), £10, Mr. Men Shop
35. Go Retro!
Inspired by the classic 1970's Mr. Men Little Miss images. These exclusive retro designs from the Mr. Men shop mean you can decorate kids bedroom, playrooms or desks with some cheerful interior pieces, accessories and gifts.
SEE THE RETRO COLLECTION >> Exclusively at the Mr. Men shop
36. Little Interiors!
We especially love the fab retro cushions. You can also get more traditional characters cushion designs in the shop too.
BUY HERE >> Laughing Daisy Cushion £28 Mr Men Shop
37. Comic Heros
If the comic style is more your style then these exclusives collection at the Mr. men shop takes inspiration from comic strips illustrated by Roger Hargreaves in the 1970’s, with a more muted pastel colour way.
SEE THE COMIC COLLECTION >> Exclusively at the Mr. Men shop
38. Comic 'Strip' Tee
Hello, is it this t-shirt you're looking for? We especially love the comic tees. Like this Mr. Noisy one 'HELLO' one!
BUY HERE >> Mr. Noisy Hello Comic Tee, £25, Mr. Men Shop
39. Take the Tour!
What could be more British than a Mr. Men tour? Through a book of course! Visit the English Heritage store for lots of Mr. Men goodies. We like this exclusive book that takes Little Miss Sunshine and her friends on a double decker bus tour of Great Britain. Taking in all the famous sights, like Stonehenge, the White Cliffs of Dover, Hadrian’s Wall and Ben Nevis - and, a very special appointment with the Queen!
BUY HERE >> Mr. Men The Great British Tour (English Heritage Edition), £5.99, English Heritage Shop
40. Time for Bed, Mister!
Bath, bedtime...and Mr. Men book. We love this PJ and book set that you can pick up with the weekly shop.
BUY HERE >> Mr Men Pyjamas with Book , 12mths - 5 years, from a selection at TU at Sainbury's
41. Sleep Tight!
When hitting the land of... MisterLand do it in style! If you're going to do character bedding them make it a cool, retro print.
BUY HERE>> Mr. Men Little Miss Bedding, from a selection at Marks & Spencer
42. Keep warm with a plush pal
Keep them warm and toasty with this heatable and snuggable plush toy - or, the perfect way to soothe any little (Mr.) Bumps. Heat in microwave to warm, it comes in 6 character designs and is ideal for ages 3+.
BUY HERE >> Mr Bump Heatable Plush Toy, £9.99, Amazon
43. Bedtime Pals
If there already have the plush toy then how about knitting your own Mr. Men? There was a vintage intarsia knitting booklet containing toy patterns - by renowned toy designer Alan Dart - which is now sadly out of print. But, you can still get details and some advice on the patterns and instructions if you sign into the Ravelry website and search on Pinterest.
SEARCH HERE >> Mr. Men Toys by Gary Kennedy
44. Wakey, Wakey!
Ensure Mr. or Little Miss Lazy is always a ray of sunshine in the morning with one of these cheery clocks.
BUY HERE>> Mr. Lazy Clock, £35, Mr Men Shop
45. Watch OUT!
Or, get them their own Mr. Men wrist watch to ensure they are on time. Unlike Mr. Late and Little Miss Late!
BUY HERE >> Mr Men Little Miss Quartz Analogue Display and PU Strap Watch, from £5.45 Amazon
46. Coffee Time!
And, if they are up and at'em then pour yourself a cup of happy. And, watch the black background transform into a brilliant yellow, in the company of retro-tastic rainbows. Ensures happy thoughts all day long!
BUY HERE >> Mr. Happy Heat Change Mug, £9.99, Truffle Shuffle
47. Start the Day!
Get them ready for the day ahead too with a daily Haliborange Mr. Men Little Miss Multivitamins. With 7 essential vitamins including (Vitamin A, C, D and B12) these strawberry flavour softies are ideal for ages 3-7 years.
BUY HERE >> Haliborange Mr. Men Little Miss Multivitamins (for 30), £5.50, Boots
48. Stay strong with Mr. Chef
Last year Mr. Men Little Miss teamed up with Haliborange to educate families on the importance of healthy eating with some interactive events. If you missed them you can still catch the Mr. Chef cooking lessons along with Mr. Strong - who has helped him to prepare 4 nutritious recipes for you to try at home. Packed full of good stuff, these meals including cheese or, apple & blueberry muffins, vegetable frittata and stuffed jackets potatoes all of which are fun to make and super healthy. Why not give them a go?
WATCH HERE >> Mr. Chef Family recipes on You Tube
49. Matchy-Matchy
If you have made it this far and think you know all your Mr. Men Little Miss characters. Then this picture and name matching game can be enjoyed by all the family. Ideal for children aged 3+
BUY HERE >> Little Miss Picture Match Puzzle Cards, from £6 Amazon
50. ZZZZZZ...
If you made it this far then thank you! Time for us to... ZZZZZZZ
BUY HERE>> Mr Lazy paperback, from £3.59, Amazon