The Mr. Men Show
The Mr. Men Show is an animated children's television series based on the original series of Mr. Men books created by the British author and illustrator Roger Hargreaves—later with his son Adam Hargreaves. Adapted from the published source material into a variety program—unlike the original basis for the show, it primarily features comedy sketches, pantomimes, dance numbers, and music videos.
The series aired in the US on Cartoon Network in 2008, and aired in the UK on Channel 5's Milkshake! on February 25, 2008. The series ended on October 19, 2009.
Summary
Loosely based on the classic children's book series Mr. Men and Little Miss, the show focuses on the Mr. Men and Little Misses and their everyday adventures in the fictional town of Dillydale. Each episode is composed of sketches centred around a theme, location or object, interspliced with short pantomime skits and music videos.The Mr. Men that appear in the show in order are: Mr. Tickle, Mr. Happy, Mr. Nosey, Mr. Bump, Mr. Messy, Mr. Small, Mr. Nervous, Mr. Noisy, Mr. Lazy, Mr. Funny, Mr. Fussy, Mr. Bounce, Mr. Strong, Mr. Grumpy, Mr. Quiet, Mr. Tall, Mr. Rude, along with 2 new show-exclusive Mr. Men: Mr. Scatterbrain and Mr. Stubborn. The Little Misses that also appear in order are: Miss Bossy, Miss Naughty, Miss Sunshine, Miss Giggles, Miss Helpful, Miss Magic, Miss Chatterbox, Miss Curious, Miss Scary, Miss Whoops, along with 2 new show-exclusive Little Misses: Miss Calamity and Miss Daredevil.
Voice cast
Original American version
- Donald Corren as Mr. Happy, Mr. Grumpy and Mr. Bounce
- Jeff Stewart as Mr. Tickle and the Aliens
- Paul Greenberg as Mr. Bump and Mr. Quiet
- Alicyn Packard as Little Miss Naughty, Little Miss Sunshine and Little Miss Whoops
- Phil Lollar as Mr. Lazy, Mr. Small and Mr. Strong
- Katie Leigh as Little Miss Chatterbox, Little Miss Daredevil and Little Miss Helpful
- Peter Rida Michail as Mr. Messy
- Joey D'Auria as Narrator, Mr. Fussy, Mr. Rude and Mr. Scatterbrain
- Richard Epcar as Mr. Noisy
- Susan Balboni as Little Miss Scary
- Rick Zieff as Mr. Nosey and Mr. Nervous
- Godfrey Danchimah as Mr. Stubborn, Mr. Tall and Mr. Metal
- Kamali Minter as Little Miss Calamity and Little Miss Magic
- Cheryl Chase as Little Miss Bossy and Little Miss Curious
- Rebecca West as Little Miss Giggles
British re-dubbed version
- Simon Greenall as Mr. Happy, Mr. Strong, Mr. Grumpy, Mr. Bump, Mr. Quiet and Mr. Bounce
- Rob Rackstraw as Mr. Happy, Mr. Tickle, Mr. Messy, Mr. Noisy and Mr. Fussy
- Jo Wyatt as Little Miss Sunshine, Little Miss Scary, Little Miss Helpful and Little Miss Naughty
- Teresa Gallagher as Little Miss Naughty, Little Miss Chatterbox, Little Miss Daredevil and Little Miss Whoops
- Keith Wickham as Mr. Small and Mr. Tall
- Steven Kynman as Mr. Nosey
- Tim Whitnall as Mr. Strong, Mr. Lazy and Mr. Nervous
- Lewis MacLeod as Mr. Stubborn
- Aline Mowat as Little Miss Calamity
- Emma Tate as Little Miss Sunshine, Little Miss Helpful and Little Miss Magic
- Alex Kelly as Little Miss Scary and Little Miss Bossy
- Claire Morgan as Little Miss Curious and Little Miss Giggles
- Simon Callow as The Narrator
- Jeff Stewart as The Aliens
- Joey D'Auria as Mr. Rude and Mr. Scatterbrain
- Peter Rida Michail as Mr. Messy
- Paul Greenberg as Mr. Bump
- Richard Epcar as Mr. Noisy
- Alicyn Packard as Little Miss Sunshine
- Godfrey Danchimah as Mr. Metal
Production
The Mr. Men Show was produced in Los Angeles by Renegade Animation, who were well-known for producing Cartoon Network's Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, and Chorion in New York City and London for Five and Cartoon Network, respectively. Preproduction of the show began in 2004, when Christine Hargreaves sold the franchise rights to Chorion. According to Adam Hargreaves, "in order to grow the success of these loveable characters and expand into new territories", a new television series would need to be produced. The show's art style was inspired by the television series Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and the works of United Productions of America. Eyrk Casemiro stated "we wanted a nod to the '70s, when the books were originated. A lot of the songs in the show have a funkdelic/disco/Bootsy Collins quality to them. A lot of props look like they're out of The Mike Douglas Show, like the microphones and chairs on set for the talk show segments."Artistic license was taken in order to adapt the books for television, including name changes, design alterations, and the creation of several new characters. Little Miss Calamity, Little Miss Daredevil and Mr. Metal were created exclusively for the series. Little Miss Fickle, Little Miss Fabulous and the Little Miss Twins were originally planned to be in the series as well, but they were removed per request by Cartoon Network for fear of turning off boy audiences. A second season was greenlit in late 2008.
In Roger Hargreaves' original book series, each of the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters were given a separate hometown: Happyland, Tiddletown, Nonsenseland, etc. In the television series, all of the characters live in the same city, the township of Dillydale. The name "Dillydale" was coined by series producer Peggy Regan. To commemorate the historic naming, she was presented with a plaque and the honorary title of "The Mayor of Dillydale".
Staff credits
- Kate Boutilier and Eryk Casemiro – Executive producers
- Mark Risley – Director
- Darrell Van Citters – Co-director
- Mike Hollingsworth – Storyboard artist