Born in 1935 in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, Charles Roger Hargreaves is Britain’s third best-selling author of all time having sold more than 100 million books, including all the familiar Mr. Men and Little Miss characters. Roger Hargreaves followed a career in advertising before becoming an author and illustrator.
He wrote the first Mr. Men book in 1971 when his 8 year old son, Adam Hargreaves, asked 'What does a tickle look like?' In response, Roger drew a figure with a round orange body and long, rubbery arms and Mr. Tickle was born.
He initially had difficulty finding a publisher, but once he did, the books became an instant success, selling over one million copies within three years and spawning a BBC animated television series, narrated and voiced by Arthur Lowe.
By 1976, Roger Hargreaves had quit his day job as creative director of a London advertising firm. In 1981, the Little Miss series of books began with Little Miss Bossy. They were also made into a television series in 1983, which was narrated by John Alderton and Pauline Collins, who voiced the Mr. Men and Little Misses respectively.
Although Roger Hargreaves wrote many other children's stories, including the Timbuctoo series of twenty-five books, John Mouse, and the Roundy and Squary books, he is best known for his Mr. Men and Little Miss books. With his wife, Christine, Roger had four children: Adam, Giles, and twins Sophie and Amelia who were the inspiration for Little Miss Twins.
Roger Hargreaves died suddenly of a stroke 11 September 1988. Adam has continued to write and draw the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters in new stories. In April 2004, Christine sold the rights to the Mr. Men characters to the entertainment group Chorion.
