Mr. Men Show Blog

Hey everyone. Kurt here.

I'm an Executive Producer on the new Mr. Men Show and the sad guinea pig who will attempt to keep you entertained and informed over the next few months as we prep, produce, and deliver the series. It'll be on Channel 5 in the UK and Cartoon Network in the US beginning January 2008 but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I should probably begin by saying I didn't grow up with the book series. As far as I can tell, MMLM didn't cross the pond in a big way until quite recently so American kids of my generation (regrettably, I'm a yank), particularly those stuck in the middle boondocks (regrettably, I'm a hick), never knew what they were missing. I'm reminded of this deficiency almost daily by my many British colleagues on the show who can't imagine a childhood (or adulthood for that matter) spent without the books. I think we're starting to see a shift in the US and our hope is that the launch of this little show will build broader awareness outside the UK and Europe. Our goal is certainly to broadcast on a global level and we'll keep you posted as we fail or succeed with this aim.

As for the blog, I hope it will provide a reasonably truthful window into the process of creative adaptation and the machinery of TV production--and most importantly act as a forum for conversation about all things Mr. Men! Oh yeah--with plenty of sneak peaks along the way. That's it for now. Will be back in a few with, hopefully, a decent snapshot of where we've landed with the TV format and how we got there.

Until then I leave you with THE MR. MEN SHOW PARLOR TRICK #1 (as recently taught to me by the illustrious Dino Burbidge, a member of our Mr. Men Squad). Just click Video on Japanese T-shirt folding for the reveal.
 

CHARACTERS I MOST IDENTIFY WITH: MR. MESSY and LITTLE MISS SCATTERBRAIN (an unholy alliance for any self respecting producer and no doubt a rich source of comedy for many installments to come).

A note from Adam Hargreaves

To all you Mr. Men and Little Miss fans, it is with pleasure that I personally want to welcome you to the very first ‘Mr. Men Show’ production Blog! I am delighted that you are taking such an interest in my dad’s creations and know that he would have been over the moon to see how dedicated his fans really are.

Just so you understand how the ‘Mr. Men Show’ came about; in 2004 we decided to partner with Chorion on the Mr. Men and Little Miss. We knew that in order to grow the success of these loveable characters and expand into new territories it was vital that the Mr. Men and Little Miss received the kind of  investment, professional attention, and support that we were not in a position to provide - primarily this needed to take the form of a new TV series…So with all of that in mind, I am very excited that Kurt, Di and the team at Chorion are so close to achieving this and know that they are as equally excited as me!

I have seen some short clips which look great and can’t wait to see the completed series. I think the format of the show is going to be really fun and I know that the team have put a lot of energy, passion and careful thought into the creative process which has really impressed me and proved our trust in them.

I hope you enjoy this site and I look forward to reading Kurt’s posts and listening in to your discussions.

Yours sincerely

Adam

24 May 2007