Royal Mail Stamps Guide 2016 - Mr Men & Little Miss, 20 October 2016

Royal Mail marks the 45th anniversary of the launch of the Mr Men series with ten stamps featuring Mr Men and Little Miss characters, each of which has their own memorable and endearing personality.

It all began with a child’s question ‘What does a tickle look like?’ – a query which would lead to one of the world’s most popular book series which has continued in popularity for 45 years, during which time many other children’s characters have come and gone.

The child who asked the question was named Adam Hargreaves and his father was Roger Hargreaves, a Yorkshire cartoonist and author who created the character Mr Tickle in 1971 in response to Adam’s curiosity, going on to invent Mr Greedy and Mr Nosey whilst waiting to hear back from publishers about the fate of his Mr Tickle short story.

Now, 45 years on, there are fifty Mr Men characters, who were joined by a cast of Little Miss personalities from 1981. Over the decades, more than 85 million Mr Men and Little Miss books have been sold and the stories have been translated into twenty different languages. 

The first of the ten stamps features Mr Happy, the bright yellow character with the happy grin. Next comes his opposite number – the perpetually frowning Mr Grumpy who provides an entertaining foil for Mr Happy’s cheerfulness.

Little Miss Naughty is the first of the Little Miss characters in the set, here she’s shown giggling over her latest prank. Little Miss Princess looks demure and pretty in pink, with a crown atop her blonde hair, and the final two Little Miss representatives are Little Miss Sunshine and Little Miss Christmas.

The other four Mr Men are Mr Bump, walking along wearing his bandages; Mr Strong, Mr Messy – created as a mess of bright pink squiggles, and finally Mr Tickle, the long-armed orange character who launched the Mr Men books. 

Stamp details

Mr Men & Little Miss

1st: Mr Happy

1st: Mr Grumpy

1st: Little Miss Naughty

1st: Little Miss Princess

1st: Mr Bump

1st: Mr Strong

1st: Little Miss Christmas

1st: Little Miss Sunshine

1st: Mr Tickle

1st: Mr Messy

Issue date: 20 October, 2016

Design: Supple Studio

Format: Square

Size: 35mm x 35mm

Printer: International Security Printers

Print Process: Lithography

Perforations: 14.5 x 14.5

Phosphor: Bars as appropriate

Gum: PVA

Feature extracted from an in-depth article on the Mr Men and Little Miss stamps, in the latest issue of Stamp & Coin Mart magazine.