Book Review: Mr. Tickle

1:03p.m., Mon 3 Jan 2011

I was given the entire Mr. Men library for Christmas. I'm reading them books one-by-one, in order and, since there are 50 books in the entire series, I decided to read one a week. So, Sunday, just before bed, it's time for a Mr. Men book.

The Mr. Men are incredibly evocative of my childhood. I'm not sure I read many of them, but I had a Mr. Men wall frieze in my bedroom which I remember very distinctly. I also had a Mr. Strong sliding square puzzle and a clockwork Mr. Silly. These two artefacts I actually still own, I'm not sure why I've kept them for 30 years plus - they're a bit shabby and the plastic on the clockwork toy has gone very brittle, but still I retain them.

Since I'm reading the books, and in an attempt to understand why they struck a chord with my young self, I thought I'd record my feelings about them as I go. It seems like an undemanding and potentially rewarding endeavour.

First up, Mr. Tickle.

Mr. Tickle, published in 1972, was the first Mr. Man to be dreamed up by Roger Hargreaves. The story is that Roger's young son asked, "What does a tickle look like?" inspiring Roger to draw this baked-bean shaped man with incredibly long arms and a small bowler hat.

The book details a day in the life of our hero. Mr. Tickle is established as a classic anti-establishment figure in the manner of James Dean in "Rebel Without A Cause", Peter Fonda in "Easy Rider" or Marlon Brando in "The Wild One". Mr. Tickle goes about his day humiliating people in positions of authority, making them look stupid and disrupting the valuable work they are doing in the community and their contributions to the wider society.

Mr. Tickle breaks in to a school and tickles a teacher. Beyond that he attacks a policeman, a railway guard and a postman. Traffic is disrupted, trains run late and items belonging to the Royal Mail are damaged.

Tickle is a recidivist without morals or conscience. He’s an archetypal anarchist, intent on 'sticking it to the man'. It's easy to see why two-year-olds warm to him – his generation are the co-called "Terrible Twos", infants who are learning the norms of society by testing behavioural boundaries that have been established by their parents.

Mr. Tickle's motivations for disrupting these important functions of '70s society are unclear. He simply wakes up in the morning in the mood for mischief and embarks with glee on his trail of destruction. Tickle is a real sociopath but with obvious charisma and charm – a classic folk-hero figure.

At the end, it becomes clear this is a book for a parent and their child to enjoy together as the reader is encourage to spring a surprise on their audience by tickling them. It's a genius interactive ending that cements this book's place as a children's classic.

The Mr. Tickle design has, in recent years, been given a makeover. His newer form shows a character in the midst of an uncontrollable (or forced?) giggling fit – a flamboyant (or attention-seeking?) display of glee at his antics. The original rendering simply shows Mr. Tickle sporting a large satisfied grin – it's the kind of grin that, upon seeing it, makes the observer want to smile too – a natural, unforced and contagious expression of happiness. Of course, as Tickle's repeated pattern of destruction comes to light, it's the kind of calm smile that hints at hidden depths and becomes an unnerving and unsettling expression of something far more sinister and intriguing.

Related links

• Mr. Tickle on YouTube
• Buy Mr. Tickle from Amazon
• Buy the collected Mr. Men from Amazon