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	None
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 and Adam Hargreaves, and the first character of the Mr. Men franchise.

About him

• Colour: Orange
• Shape: Round
• Gender: Male
• Hair: None
• Family: None
• Species: Shaped human
• 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
• Enemies: Mr. Mischief, Little Miss Trouble, Little Miss Scary, Little Miss Bad, Mr. Grumpy, Mr. Grumble, Mr. Rude, Mr. Stubborn, and Mr. Mean
• Likes: Tickling, making people happy or people being happy, biscuits (as shown in his story)
• Dislikes: Getting his arms tangled up, not tickling, being threatened by Mr. Grumpy, getting tickled, darkness, Mr. Stubborn's lies, Mr. Rude, Little Miss Scary, people being sad
• Job: Tickling people
• 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 (2008 show)
• Nationality: Irish (UK), Canadian (US)
• 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 S ow, 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),

Story

Front cover of Mr. Tickle

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.

History

The prototype cover design

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, as said in The 50 Years of Mr. Men Show with Matt Lucas. Like all Mr. Men, Mr. Tickle has a simplistic look. He is orange with long wiggly arms and a small blue hat.

In 2001, for the 30th 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.

In 2021, for the Mr. Men 50th Anniversary Special, Mr. Tickle's book was made with a golden colour.

International publications & translations

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

• Monsieur Chatouille (French)
• Il Sig. Tickle-Tickle (Italian, 1975)
• Mister Solletico (Italian, 2008)
• くすぐりくん (Kusuguri-Kun; Japanese, 1976)
• コチョコチョくん (Kochokocho-Kun; Japanese, 2010)
• Meneertje Kietel (Dutch)
• מר דיגידוג (Mar Digdoog; Hebrew)
• Mr. Goglais (Welsh)
• Fætter Kilderik (Danish, 1981)
• Hr. Kilde (Danish, 2012)
• Gubben Killekill (Swedish)
• Unser Herr Killekille (German, 1982)
• Mister Kitzel (German, 2012)
• Herr Kilefant (Norwegian)
• Don Cosquillas (Spanish)
• Ο Κύριος Γαργαλίτσας (O Kyrios Gargalitsas) (Greek)
• 搔癢先生 (Sāoyǎng Xiānshēng; Taiwan)
• Herra Kitli (Icelandic)
• Mali Žgečkljav (Slovenian)
• Mr. Csiki (Hungarian)
• 간지럼씨 (Ganjireom-ssi; Korean)
• 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)
• 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)
• Senhor Cócegas (Portuguese)
• Пан Щекоткин (Pan Shchekotkin; Russian, 2004)
• Мистер Щекотка (Mister Shchekotka; Russian, The Mr. Men Show)
• Мистер Тикл (same transcription; Russian, 2023)
• Господин Голицавко (Gospоdin Golicavko; Serbian)
• Mr. Dinglis (Irish)
• Domnul Gâdilici (Romanian)
• 挠痒痒先生 (Náo Yǎngyang Xiānshēng; China)
• คุณล้อเล่น (Kun Lɔ́ɔ-lên; Thai)
• Pan Łaskotkiewicz (Polish)
• Bay Gıdık (Turkish)
• Mr. Pessigolles (Catalan)

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
• Little Miss Helpful's Visit to the Doctor (cameo)
• Mr. Tickle in the Park
• Mr. Tickle and his Tickling Record
• Mr. Tickle and the Dragon (Star)
• Mr. Men Adventure With Dinosaurs
• Mr. Men and Little Miss - The Healthy Sports Day
• Mr. Men and Little Miss - Sports and Exercise Day
• Mr. Men and Little Miss - The Hearty Party
• Mr. Tickle In a Tangle (Star)
• Mr. Men - Sports Day
• 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

Television series

• 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)
• 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 dub and an Irish accent in the UK dub. Jeff Stewart voices him in the US dub while Rob Rackstraw voices him in the UK dub.

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, though.
  • 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 high pitched piano keys.
• For unknown reasons, Mr. Tickle is seen with a green hat in the French 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 classmate 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 is capable of stretching out his arms to tickle people.
• In the Traditional Chinese Version of Mr Tickle his name is incorrect with a L at the end of his name.

Mr. Men and Little Miss

• The only time he didn't want to tickle anyone was in 'Little Miss Sunshine Brings A Smile', as the cold weather put him out of the mood for tickling.

The Mr. Men Show

• His first appearance was in 'Physical'.
• His last appearance was in 'Pests'.
• Mr. Tickle tickled Mr. Bump and Mr. Grumpy the most.
• His design resembles that of Mr. Cheerful.
• 'Amusement Park' was the first time where another character tickled him, being Mr. Grumpy. He was later tickled by a bubble version of himself in the episode 'Bath and Bubbles'.
• His arms have been tied up several times, such as in the UK version of the opening sequence where Little Miss Naughty tied up his arms.
• He was seen twice without his hat in the episodes 'Hats' and 'Sun and Moon'.
• The only time he didn't want to tickle anyone was in 'Night', after being scared when seeing Mr. Stubborn as a werewolf.
• In the original US broadcast of The Mr. Men Show, his own catchphrase is heard with the Chorion logo.
• He is one of the characters where that the other Mr. Men and Little Misses (except Mr. Bump, Mr. Nervous, Mr. Lazy, Mr. Fussy, Mr. Bounce, Mr. Grumpy, Mr. Quiet, Mr. Rude, Mr. Stubborn, Miss Bossy, Miss Naughty, Miss Scary, Miss Whoops, and Miss Calamity) enjoy being tickled by him.

Counterparts

See Counterparts Wiki.

The Mr. Men Show episodes where Mr. Tickle tickled people

This is the list of episodes in The Mr. Men Show where Mr. Tickle tickled people.

• Opening Theme - Mr. Strong, Little Miss Whoops, Mr. Nervous (UK only), Little Miss Helpful (Season 1 only)

Season 1

• Physical - Little Miss Chatterbox
• Boo-Boos - Mr. Bump
• Farm - Cows, Mr. Grumpy
• Mall - Mr. Lazy
• Inventions - Mr. Fussy, Little Miss Calamity, Mr. Bounce
• Canned Goods - Mr. Bump, Little Miss Whoops
• Jobs - Mr. Fussy
• Chores - Little Miss Calamity
• Food - Little Miss Naughty
• Bugs - Little Miss Calamity
• Parade - Little Miss Calamity, Little Miss Scary
• Games - Mr. Noisy, Mr. Fussy
• Superstore - Little Miss Calamity, Mr. Rude
• Hotel - Mr. Grumpy
• Dance - Mr. Bump, Little Miss Whoops
• Sightseeing - Mr. Bounce
• Circus - Mr. Fussy
• Ships - Little Miss Helpful, Mr. Grumpy, Little Miss Sunshine, Mr. Bump, Little Miss Scary, Mr. Nosey, Mr. Messy

Season 2

• Driving - Mr. Fussy, Mr. Nervous
• Outer Space - Little Miss Helpful, Mr. Bump
• Clean Teeth - Little Miss Chatterbox, Mr. Grumpy
• Shoes - Mr. Grumpy
• Arts and Crafts - Little Miss Giggles, Mr. Scatterbrain
• Game Shows - Mr. Bump
• Garages - Mr. Quiet
• Eyeglasses - Mr. Scatterbrain
• Toys - Mr. Fussy
• Reptiles - Mr. Nervous
• Hats - Little Miss Sunshine, Mr. Nosey, Mr. Small, Mr. Grumpy
• Up and Down - Little Miss Chatterbox, Mr. Happy, Little Miss Helpful, Mr. Scatterbrain
• Dining Out - Mr. Grumpy
• Gifts - Mr. Grumpy, Mr. Strong
• Sun and Moon - Mr. Bump, Mr. Strong
• Telephone - Little Miss Daredevil, Mr. Bump
• Seashore - Little Miss Chatterbox, Mr. Messy
• Sneezes and Hiccups - Mr. Fussy
• Fruit - Mr. Lazy, Mr. Bump
• Skyscrapers - Mr. Grumpy
• Cinema - Mr. Bump
• Getting Around - Mr. Grumpy
• Clocks - Mr. Bump
• Post Office - Mr. Bump
• Dance, Dance, Dance - Mr. Grumpy
• Library - Little Miss Helpful, Mr. Bump
• Pirates - Mr. Rude
• Goo - Mr. Scatterbrain, Mr. Grumpy
• Trains and Planes - Little Miss Sunshine, Little Miss Whoops, Mr. Scatterbrain, Mr. Grumpy
• Birds - Mr. Bump
• Sand and Surf - Little Miss Chatterbox, Mr. Bump, Mr. Nervous, Seagull
• Travel - Little Miss Sunshine
• Bad Weather - Mr. Fussy
• Pests - Mr. Stubborn, Mr. Bump

Gallery

External links

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

V · T · E	Mr. Men and Little Miss