Overview
The Mr. Men Show is an animated children's television series based on the Mr. Men series of books created by the British author and illustrator Roger Hargreaves—later continued by his son Adam Hargreaves. It is 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. The Mr. Men that appear in the show in order of the original publication of their respective books 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 of the original publication of their respective books 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.
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 (season 1), Mr. Strong, Mr. Grumpy, Mr. Bump, Mr. Quiet and Mr. Bounce * Rob Rackstraw as Mr. Happy (season 2), Mr. Tickle, Mr. Messy, Mr. Noisy and Mr. Fussy * Jo Wyatt as Little Miss Sunshine (Season 1), Little Miss Scary (season 1), Little Miss Helpful (season 1) and Little Miss Naughty (season 1) * Teresa Gallagher as Little Miss Naughty (season 2), 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 (singing voice), Mr. Lazy and Mr. Nervous * Lewis MacLeod as Mr.
Stubborn * Aline Mowat as Little Miss Calamity * Emma Tate as Little Miss Sunshine (season 2), Little Miss Helpful (season 2) and Little Miss Magic * Alex Kelly as Little Miss Scary (season 2) and Little Miss Bossy * Claire Morgan as Little Miss Curious and Little Miss Giggles * Simon Callow as The Narrator * Jeff Stewart as The Aliens (reprise roles) * Joey D'Auria as Mr. Rude and Mr. Scatterbrain (reprise roles) * Peter Rida Michail as Mr. Messy (singing voice) * Paul Greenberg as Mr. Bump (singing voice) * Richard Epcar as Mr. Noisy (screaming voice) * Alicyn Packard as Little Miss Sunshine (singing voice) * Godfrey Danchimah as Mr. Metal (reprise role)
Production
The Mr. Men Show was produced in Los Angeles by Renegade Animation and Chorion for Five and Cartoon Network, respectively. Showrunner 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." A second season was greenlit in late 2008 and aired in late 2009, it added 6 more characters to the cast, while removing the character of Little Miss Calamity in turn. The series has been said to have helped expand the Mr. Men franchise globally.
Season 1 (2008)
Note: All episodes in this season were directed by Mark Risley.
Season 2 (2009)
Note: The first 11 episodes in this season were directed by Mark Risley and the remaining 15 episodes were directed by Mark Risley and Darrell Van Citters. All episodes in this season were written by Kate Boutilier and Eryk Casemiro except "Up and Down", which was written by Mark Risley and Michael Daedalus Kenny and "Library" which was written by Mark Risley and Sean Pendergrass.
Reception
Animation Magazine wrote "Using a sketch comedy format and more than 25 main characters, the new Mr. Men Show boldly goes where few other preschool toons have dared to roam!". The Hollywood Reporter stated "Episodes pick up where Hargreaves’ pages left off...while the animation is imaginative and lively, the best part is the show's savvy sense of humor...The Mr. Men Show will touch everyone who tunes in".