Roger Hargreaves (9 May 1935 – 11 September 1988) was a British cartoonist, illustrator and writer of children's books. He created the Mr. Men series, Little Miss series and Timbuctoo series, intended for young readers. The simple and humorous stories, with bold, brightly coloured illustrations, have sales of more than 85 million copies worldwide in 20 languages.
Early life
Charles Roger Hargreaves was born in a private hospital
at 1 Bath Road, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, England, on 9 May 1935 to Alfred Reginald Hargreaves and Ethel Mary Hargreaves. He grew up at 703 Halifax Road,
Hartshead Moor, Cleckheaton, outside of which there now is a commemorative plaque.
Hargreaves attended Sowerby Bridge Grammar School (now Trinity Academy Sowerby Bridge).
Career
Also, in 1971 while working as the creative director at a London firm, Hargreaves wrote the first Mr. Men book,
Mr. Tickle. Initially, he had difficulty finding a publisher, but once he did, the books became an instant success, selling more than one million copies within three years. In 1974,
the books spawned a
BBC animated television series narrated by
Arthur Lowe. A second series the following year saw newer titles transmitted in double bill format with those from the first series.
By 1976, Hargreaves had quit his day job. In 1981, the Little Miss series of books was launched and in 1983, it also was made into a television series narrated by Pauline Collins and her husband, John Alderton. Although Hargreaves wrote many other children's stories—including the Timbuctoo series of 25 books, John Mouse and the Roundy and Squary books—he is best known for his 46 Mr. Men and 33 Little Miss books.
Personal life
Hargreaves and his wife had four children:
Adam Hargreaves, Giles and twins Sophie and Amelia. The first of the Mr. Men characters was allegedly created when Hargreaves' son Adam, then aged 8, asked his father what a tickle looked like. Hargreaves drew a figure with a round orange body and long arms which became Mr. Tickle.
Death
Between 1975 and 1982, Hargreaves lived with his family on
Guernsey. Then, they settled at Sussex House Farm near
Cowden, Kent. Hargreaves died on 11 September 1988 at the age of 53 and at the Kent and Sussex Hospital in Royal Tunbridge Wells following a stroke. He was buried in
Cowden, East Sussex. He had bought the adjacent field to the graveyard at Cowden Church so that he could be buried there.
After his death, his son, Adam Hargreaves, continued writing and drawing the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters with new stories (while signing the covers in his father's signature). In April 2004, Hargreaves' widow Christine sold the rights to the Mr. Men characters to the UK entertainment group Chorion, for Pound sterling28 million.
On 4 March 2021, Hargreaves was Posthumous award a gold Blue Peter badge.
Series by Roger Hargreaves
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Mr. Men
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Little Miss
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Walter Worm
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Once Upon a Worm
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John Mouse
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Things
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Albert Elephant, Count Worm and Grandfather Clock
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I am...
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Timbuctoo
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Hippo Potto and Mouse
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Easy Peasy People (also by Gray Jolliffe)
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Roundy and Squarey
Appearances in other books
Some
Mr. Men books have Hargreaves drawn in them. He appears in:
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Mr. Small
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Little Miss Star
Legacy
Google celebrated what would have been his 76th birthday, 9 May 2011, with a series of 16
on its global homepage.
See also
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Mr. Men, one of the creations by Roger Hargreaves
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Adam Hargreaves, Roger Hargreaves' son
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Timbuctoo, one of the creations by Roger Hargreaves
External links
