Mr. Tickle

'You didn't know there was such a thing as a tickle, did you? Well... well, there is. Tickles are small and round and they have arms that stretch and stretch and stretch. Extraordinarily long arms!'

— Narrator, Mr. Men (1974)

'I think somebody needs a tickle!'

— Mr. Tickle, The Mr. Men Show

Mr. Tickle
Book No.	1
Release Date	10 August, 1971
Preceded by	N/A
Followed by	Mr. Greedy (UK and US) Mr. Busy (France)
First appearance	Mr. Tickle (Cartoon)

Mr. Tickle is the first book in the Mr. Men series by Roger Hargreaves.

About Him

• Colour: Orange
• Shape: Round
• Gender: Male
• Hair: None
• Family: Unknown
• Personality: Boisterous, noisy, energetic, cheerful, unruly, disorderly, disruptive, hard-to-discipline, uncontrollable, amused, enjoyable, fun-seeking, sneaky, obnoxious, caring, kind
• Friends: Mr. Happy, Little Miss Sunshine, Mr. Bump, Mr. Strong, Little Miss Chatterbox, Mr. Grumpy (sometimes), Little Miss Giggles, Little Miss Naughty, and the rest of the characters
• Rivals: Mr. Mischief, Little Miss Trouble, Little Miss Scary, Little Miss Bad, Mr. Grumpy, Mr. Grumble, Mr. Rude, Mr. Mean, (Mr. Stubborn in The Mr. Men Show)
• Likes: Tickling, making people happy or people being happy, biscuits (as shown in his story)
• Dislikes: Getting his arms tangled up, not tickling, people being sad (being threatened by Mr. Grumpy, getting tickled, darkness and Mr. Stubborn's lies in The Mr. Men Show)
• Features: Blue (green in Mr. Men Little Miss / ミスタ一メン　リトルミス) bowler hat and long arms
• Residence: Happyland (book series), Dillydale (The Mr. Men Show)
• Voice Actors: Arthur Lowe (1975-1978), John Alderton (1983), Douglas Blackwell (Mr . Men Audiocassette), Josie Lawrence (Little Miss Audiocassette), Gordon Peters (Mr. Men and Little Miss, UK), Len Carlson (Mr. Men and Little Miss, US dub), Paul Bandey (Emme/Hyptinque software series, circa 2003), Jeff Stewart (The Mr. Men Show, US), Rob Rackstraw (The Mr. Men Show, UK), Michel Elias (The Mr. Men Show, France), Yuki Ono (The Mr. Men Show, Japan), Simcha Barbiro (Mr. Men and Little Miss/The Mr. Men Show, Hebrew dub), Fouad Shamas (The Mr. Men Show; Arabic, Jeem TV), David Walliams (Storybook App), David Holt (Mr. Men LIVE!)

Story

Front cover of Mr. Tickle

Mr. Tickle's first front cover

The story begins in his bedroom, waking up in his bed and having a quick bite to eat, using his extraordinarily long arms to get a biscuit from the kitchen and go back to eat it.

He then decides that it looks like a tickling sort of a day, so he goes out to town tickling people - a teacher, a policeman, a greengrocer, a station guard, a doctor, a butcher, and a postman. He causes a lot of chaos in the process of doing this.

Mr. Tickle goes back to his home at the end of the day to reflect upon and laugh about all of the people that he tickled. The book ends with a warning that Mr. Tickle could be lurking anywhere, even your doorway, waiting to tickle you.

International publications & translations

This is a list of alternative titles for this book being published internationally:

• Mr. Goglais (Welsh)
• Mr. Dinglis (Irish)
• Monsieur Chatouille (French)
• Unser Herr Killekille (German, 1982)
• Mister Kitzel (German, 2012)
• Don Cosquillas (European Spanish)
• Mr. Cosquillas (European Spanish, 2022)
• Mr. Pessigolles (Catalonian Spanish)
• Il Sig. Tickle-Tickle (Italian, 1975)
• Mister Solletico (Italian, 2008)
• Meneer Kietel (Dutch, 1971)
• Meneertje Kietel (Dutch, 2013)
• Senhor Cócegas (Portuguese)
• Ο Κύριος Γαργαλίτσας (O Kyrios Gargalitsas) (Greek)
• Fætter Kilderik (Danish, 1981)
• Hr. Kilde (Danish, 2012)
• Herr Kilefant (Norwegian)
• Gubben Killekill (Swedish)
• Herra Kitli (Icelandic)
• Pan Łaskotkiewicz (Polish)
• Mali Žgečkljav (Slovenian)
• Mr. Csiki (Hungarian)
• Domnul Gâdilici (Romanian)
• Господин Голицавко (Gospоdin Golicavko; Serbian)
• Bay Gıdık (Turkish)
• Пан Щекоткин (Pan Shchekotkin; Russian, 2004)
• Мистер Щекотка (Mister Shchekotka; Russian, The Mr. Men Show)
• Мистер Тикл (same transcription; Russian, 2023)
• 搔癢先生 (Sāoyǎng Xiānshēng; Taiwan)
• 挠痒痒先生 (Náo Yǎngyang Xiānshēng; China)
• 發癢先生 (Faat³ joeng⁵ Sin¹ saang¹; Cantonese in Mr. Men and Little Miss)
• 痕癢癢先生 (Han⁴ joeng⁵ joeng⁵ Sin¹ saang¹; Cantonese in The Mr. Men Show)
• くすぐりくん (Kusuguri-Kun; Japanese, 1976)
• コチョコチョくん (Kochokocho-Kun; Japanese, 2010)
• 간지럼씨 (Ganjireom-ssi; Korean)
• คุณล้อเล่น (Kun Lɔ́ɔ-lên; Thai)
• מר דיגידוג (Mar Digdoog; Hebrew)
• מר דיגדוגי (Mar Digdoogi; Hebrew Dub of the 1970's TV show only)
• أستاذ زغزغ (ʾUstāḏ Zuḡzuḡ; Arabic, 2007)
• السيد دغداغ (As-Sayyadu Daḡdāḡ; Arabic, 2014)
• السيد مازح (As-Sayyad Māzaḥa; Arabic in The Mr. Men Show, Jeem TV Dub)
• السيد مدغدغ (As-Sayyad Mudaḡdiḡ; Arabic in The Mr. Men Show, SpaceToon Dub)
• آقا کوچولوی دست دراز (Âqâ Kučulu-ye Dast-e Darâz; Persian, Gohar Danesh)
• آقای غلغلکی (Âqâ-ye Ğolğoli; Persian, Avae Andisheh)
• غلغلک خان (Ğolğolak-e Xân; Persian, Ghadyani)
• آقای قلقلکی (Aghaye Ghalghalaki; Persian, Siraf Publications)

List of characters

This is a list of Mr. Men, Little Miss and other special characters that appear in this book.

• Postman
• School Teacher
• Policeman
• Greengrocer
• Railway Station Guard
• Doctor
• Butcher

Title character other appearances

Books

• Mr. Grumpy
• Mr. Tall
• Mr. Slow
• Mr. Brave
• Mr. Moustache
• Mr. Marvelous
• Mr. No (Green hat)
• Little Miss Trouble
• Little Miss Magic
• Little Miss Shy
• Little Miss Scatterbrain
• Little Miss Contrary
• Little Miss Somersault (Green hat)
• Little Miss Yes
• Little Miss Sparkle
• Mr. Small's Colouring Book
• Little Miss Helpful's Visit to the Doctor (cameo)
• Mr. Tickle in the Park
• Mr. Men - Book of Silly Rhymes
• Mr. Tickle and the Dragon
• Mr. Men Adventure With Dinosaurs
• Mr. Men and Little Miss - The Healthy Sports Day
• My First Mr. Nosey Book
• Mr. Men and Little Miss - Sports and Exercise Day
• Mr. Tickle's Toys
• Mr. Men and Little Miss - The Hearty Party
• Mr. Tickle In a Tangle
• Mr. Men - Sports Day
• Mr. Tickle Finds a Job
• Mr. Men in Canada
• Mr. Men go Swimming
• Mr. Men Little Miss: Talent Show
• Mr. Men and Little Miss in Australia
• Mr. Men Little Miss - Caring
• Mr. Men - Adventure in the Jungle
• Mr. Men and Little Miss at the Café
• Mr. Men Little Miss: The New King
• Here Comes Mr. Tickle
• My First Mr. Men Colours
• Mr. Men and Little Miss - Mr. Tickle’s Post
• My First Mr. Men Nursery Rhymes
• My First Mr. Men 123
• Mr. Tickle and the Ghosts
• My First Mr. Men Shapes
• Mr. Men and Little Miss Visit Northern France
• Mr. Men Little Miss: The Super Silly Day
• Mr. Men Little Miss Go Shopping
• My First Mr. Tickle Book
• My First Mr. Happy Book
• Mr. Men Little Miss: The Baby Dinosaur
• Mr. Tickle’s Special Day
• Mr. Men and Little Miss Visit Provence
• Mr. Men Little Miss - Summer Carnival
• Mr. Busy's Post: A Letter Book
• Mr. Men Little Miss - Halloween Countdown
• Mr. Men Little Miss: The Baby Unicorn
• Mr. Men - Search and Find
• Mr. Men Little Miss - Museum Sleepover
• Mr. Men and Little Miss Visit the Loire Valley
• Mr. Men Little Miss - Holiday Adventure
• Mr. Men Little Miss - Happy Birthday

TV

• Mr. Tickle (TV)
• Mr. Grumpy (TV)
• Little Miss Shy (TV)
• Little Miss Magic (TV)
• Little Miss Trouble (TV)
• Little Miss Scatterbrain (TV)
• The Christmas Rescue (TV)
• The Great Alphabet Hunt (TV)
• The Joke is On Little Miss Naughty (TV)
• Mr. Funny puts on a show (TV)
• A Special Friend For Little Miss Lucky (TV) (cameo)
• Little Miss Sunshine Brings A Smile (TV)
• Mr. Bounce Finds Paradise (TV)
• Mr. Tickle Saves the Day (TV) (His own episode of the 1995 cartoon)
• Little Miss Late Beats Them All! (TV)
• Mr. Cheerful Doffs His Hat (TV)
• A Very Happy Day for Mr. Happy (TV) (cameo)
• Mr. Skinny's Incredible Bet (TV)
• Mr. Chatterbox and the Parrot (TV) (cameo)
• Mr. Noisy, the music man (TV) (cameo)
• Little Miss Helpful Goes to the Fair (TV)
• Mr. Bump Has an Accident (TV)
• Mr. Small Finds a Job (TV)
• Little Miss Trouble and the magic paint (TV) (cameo)
• Mr. Clever Flies His Kite (TV)
• Little Miss Shy Goes to the Fair (TV)
• Mr. Jelly Goes Time—Travelling (TV)
• The Christmas Letter (TV) (cameo)

Mr. Men Little Miss / ミスタ一メン　リトルミス

• Mr. Cheerful
• Little Miss Contrary
• Little Miss Trouble
• Little Miss Scatterbrain
• Little Miss Somersault
• Little Miss Magic
• Mr. Grumpy
• Little Miss Shy
• Mr. Tickle
• Mr. Slow
• Mr. Tall

Mr. Men Mini Cinema

• Little Miss Princess Dinner Party
• Mr. Tickle's weather forecast
• What Time is it, Mr. Tickle?
• Little Miss Fabulous' bad hair day
• Hide-n-Tickle

The Mr. Men Show

Mr. Tickle in The Mr. Men Show

In the 2008 TV series The Mr. Men Show, Mr. Tickle remains relatively the same in looks as he kept his orange colour and blue bowler hat, however his shape has changed to a circle and is smaller, his arms are normally sized (but can stretch out when needed), and his hat has an aqua ribbon around it floating above his head.

However, he tickles other Mr. Men and Little Misses due to the absence of the humans of Dillydale. As far as character traits go, he is still determined to tickle everyone he interacts with, but instead of doing it for mischief, he does it to make people happy and will stop when nobody wants him to tickle them, save for when the opportunity knocks with Mr. Grumpy, who appears to be his favourite target.

He also gets his own catchphrase, which is 'I think somebody needs a tickle!' He has a Canadian accent in the US and an Irish accent in the UK. Jeff Stewart voices him in the US, while Rob Rackstraw voices him in the UK.

Trivia

General/book

• Due to him being the first character created and published, his story contains several differences compared to later Mr. Men and Little Miss books:
  • The town Mr. Tickle lives in is established as just another town, rather than Happyland, like in his other appearances.
  • His house isn't a reflection of what he is, being simply a one-story house with a chimney on the centre of its roof.
  • The beginning of the story states that he belongs to a species of creatures known as "tickles". This is not stated in any other book he appears in.
  • The story itself has no real plot; instead, it is primarily Mr. Tickle tickling the people around town.
  • There is no moral to his story, leaving it with Mr. Tickle getting away with his tickling habit in the end.
• His book was initially rejected by UK publishers until Fabbri picked it up in 1971.
• In the 1970s-1980s series, the sound he makes when tickling people sounds like a high pitched flute sound, but in Mr. Grumpy's episode, it was changed high pitched piano keys.
• For unknown reasons, Mr. Tickle is seen with a green hat in the French originated Mr. Men and Little Miss books, with the exception of Mr. Brave.
• He made a cameo on an episode of Mike & Molly along with Mr. Messy as plush toys.
• In the book app released in 2014, Mr. Chatterbox, Mr. Nosey, Mr. Busy, Mr. Silly, and Mr. Rush made a cameo, although they were all published after his book.
• In the Mr. Tickle episode from the 1974 television series narrated by Arthur Lowe, Mr. Tickle reaches his extraordinary long arms to tickle a student named Peter. However, his name wasn't mentioned in the book.
• Mr. Tickle's arms have the ability to become 20 bananas long.
• Mr. Tickle's favourite food is fish and chips.
• Mr. Tickle is a champion table tennis player
• In the traditional Chinese version of Mr. Tickle, his name was spelt incorrectly with the L at the end of his name, making it "Tickel".
• His arms are 20 bananas long.
• In 2021, for the Mr. Men 50^th Anniversary Special, Mr. Tickle's book was made with a golden colour.
• In 2001, for the 30^th anniversary of the Mr. Men, Mr. Tickle's book was released as a collector's edition hardback. This hardback also included a foreword by Adam Hargreaves.
• The character of Mr. Tickle was created when a 7-year-old Adam Hargreaves asked, 'What does a tickle look like?', which was one of his most impossible questions. This statement is currently in dispute.
  • According to John Malam, who wrote Roger Hargreaves' entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, the inspiration for his initial creations came while doodling at work.

Gallery

External links

• Mr. Tickle's character page on the Mr. Men website

V · T · E	Mr. Men and Little Miss