Mr. Topsy-Turvy

Character

Gallery

'Afternoon good!'

— Mr. Topsy-Turvy

Mr. Topsy-Turvy
Book No.	9 (UK and US) 16 (France)
Release Date	15 August, 1972
Preceded by	Mr. Messy (UK and US) Mr. Impossible (France)
Followed by	Mr. Silly (UK and US) Mr. Perfect (France)
First appearance	Mr. Topsy-Turvy (Cartoon)

Mr. Topsy-Turvy is the ninth book in the Mr. Men series by Roger Hargreaves.

About him

• Colour: Orange
• Shape: Bean
• Gender: Male
• Personality: Jumbled, untidy, chaotic, disorderly, disorganised, topsy-turvy
• Hair: None
• Relatives: Unknown
• Friends: Mr. Greedy, Mr. Jelly, Little Miss Contrary, Mr. Muddle, Mr. Wrong, Mr. Bump
• Rivals: Mr. Rude, Little Miss Neat, Little Miss Busy, Little Miss Tidy, Mr. Grumpy
• Features: Dark yellow bowler hat and cane (which were turned upside down)
• Voice Actors: Arthur Lowe (1975-1978), John Alderton (1983), Gordon Peters (Mr. Men and Little Miss), Neil Crone (US dub), Chen Hagai (Mr. Men and Little Miss, Hebrew dub)

Story

Mr. Topsy-Turvy in the books.

Mr. Topsy-Turvy's first front cover.

Mr. Topsy-Turvy does everything the wrong way around. One day he comes to the town where the reader lives. He rents a room in a hotel, speaking to the hotel manager the wrong way around, "Afternoon good, I'd room a like." The next day, he confuses the taxi driver with his backwards speaking, causing an accident, buying a pair of socks and putting them on his hands, then he disappears, but everything is still topsy-turvy. Everybody still speaks topsy-turvy, and the reader is asked to say something topsy-turvy.

International publications & translations

Mr. Topsy-Turvy appears under the titles:

• Mr. Popeth-o-Chwith (Welsh)
• Monsieur A L'Envers (French)
• Unser Herr Kuddelmuddel (German, 1981)
• Mister Umgekehrt (German, 2010)
• Mr. Al Revés (Castilian Spanish)
• Mr. Patasparriba (Chilean Spanish)
• Il Sig. Sottosopra (Italian)
• Meneer Opsekop (Dutch, 1976)
• Meneertje Op-z'n-kop (Dutch, 1986)
• Meneertje Andersom (Dutch, 2011)
• Ο Κύριος Φύρδην-Μίγδην (O Kýrios Fýrdin-Mígdin) (Greek, 1988)
• Ο Κύριος Ανάποδος (O Kýrios Anápodos) (Greek, 1990s)
• Fætter Omvendt (Danish, 1981)
• Hr. Modsat (Danish, 2012)
• Herr Bakvendt (Norwegian)
• Gubben Tvärtom (Swedish)
• Herra Hvolfi (Icelandic)
• Pan Opaczny (Polish)
• Mali Narobesvet (Slovenian)
• Bay Altüst (Turkish)
• ترسه به‌ی (Tərsə Bəy; Azerbaijani)
• 颠倒先生 (Diāndǎo Xiānshēng; China)
• 顛倒先生 (Diāndǎo Xiānshēng; Taiwan)
• おべこべくん (Obekobe-kun; Japanese)
• 거꿀씨 (Geokkul-ssi; Korean)
• คุณกลับหัว (Kun Glàp hǔua; Thai)
• מר איפכא (Mar Ípkha; Hebrew, 1976)
• מר הפוך (Mar Hafúkh, Hebrew, 2004)
• السيد قلاب (As-Sayyadu Qallāb; Arabic)
• آقای وارونه (Âqâ-ye Vârune; Persian, Avae Andisheh)
• آقا کوچولوی برعکس (Âqâ Kučulu-ye Bar'aks; Persian, Gohar Danesh)
• پس و پیش آقا (Pas o Piš-e Âqâ; Persian, Ghadiyani)

Trivia

• Mr. Topsy-Turvy originated from a competition run by Roger Hargreaves to find a new Mr. Men character and was an idea by Marc Penfold who created Mr. Upside Down and a story in which the character lived in a backwards world. Although the idea did not win the competition, Roger Hargreaves liked the idea so much he wrote to Marc Penfold saying he would use the idea.
  • He was supposed to be the sixth book.
• In the Japanese version of I Love Mr. Men, Mr. Topsy-Turvy was orange-reddish instead of orange and his bowler hat was gold instead of yellow.
• In the 1975 series, his hat is brown.
• In the 1983 Little Miss series in Little Miss Late's story, he is brown like Mr. Snooty.
• In his story, he went down the up escalator, which is exactly what Mr. Stubborn did in his plot in Mall.
• He's the only Mr. Man, as well the only English character, with a hyphen in his name.
• His theme song is called Topsy Turvy Land.
• He can read a book upside down.
• He eats pudding before dinner.
• When it's cold he wears socks on his hands.
• He's the only Mr. Man that carries a cane.
• In the French version of his story, he sends the letter to Mr. Sneeze.
• In the German version of his story, he sends the letter to Mr. Silly. He also reads Mr. Silly's story in the German publication of his book.
• He is the only Mr. Man with two words in his name.
• His name was misspelled "Mr. Tospy-Turvy" in one instance in the book.

Counterparts

See Counterparts Wiki.

List of characters

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

• Hotel Manager
• Taxi Driver
• Store Clerk
• Mr. Bump (mentioned)

Title character other appearances

Books

• Mr. Clever
• Little Miss Giggles
• Mr. Men on Holiday (1976)
• The Mr. Men Christmas
• My Mr. Men Counting Book
• Mr. Men in Canada
• All Back to Front and Upside Down by Mr. Topsy-Turvy
• Mr. Men - go to the Dentist
• Mr. Topsy-Turvy - The Round Way Wrong
• My Book About Me by Mr. Silly
• Tell the Time with the Mr. Men
• Mr. Men Little Miss: The Super Silly Day
• The Mr. Men ABC
• Little Miss Scatterbrain Causes Chaos
• Mr. Men - Book of Silly Rhymes
• Mr. Men - Search and Find
• Mr. Men Little Miss - Saying Sorry
• Mr. Poirot - Mischief on the Nile
• Mr. Men and Little Miss Visit the Paris Region
• I Grow Up with the Mr. Men and Little Miss

Television

• Mr. Topsy-Turvy (TV)
• Mr. Uppity (TV) (cameo)
• Little Miss Late (TV)
• The Christmas Rescue (TV) (does not speak) (cameo)
• Mr. Funny puts on a show (TV) (his first 1995 speaking appearance)
• Mr. Strong: King of the Circus (TV) (cameo)
• Mr. Brave Goes Ghost Hunting (TV) (cameo)
• Little Miss Late Beats Them All! (TV)
• Another Victory for Little Miss Splendid (TV) (cameo)
• Little Miss Scatterbrain Puts Everything in Turmoil (TV)
• Little Miss Helpful Goes to the Fair (TV)
• Little Miss Bossy Has a Busy Day (TV) (cameo)
• The Christmas Letter (TV) (cameo)

Mr. Men Little Miss / ミスターメン リトルミス

• Mr. Topsy-Turvy

Gallery

See also

• Mr. Muddle
• Mr. Topsy-Turvy's Super Slide

External links

• Mr. Topsy-Turvy's character page on the Mr. Men website

V · T · E	Mr. Men and Little Miss