Innocent kiddie-lit characters from the well-known Mr. Men and Little Miss franchises from a half-century ago have become trending memes on social media for infectiously darker laughter this summer. A character like “Little Miss Jealous” from the official series finds herself transformed into “Little Miss at My [Expletive] Breaking Point.”
Roger Hargreaves, a British author and illustrator, launched his Mr. Men series in 1971 after his eldest son Adam, 8, asked, “What does a tickle look like?” Hargreaves responded by creating “Mr. Tickle,” the first in a cast of many simple, brightly-colored Mr. Men.
The New York Times wrote, “The warmhearted books — in which readers see how a title character’s personality trait affects their life — spawned comics, songs and BBC adaptations through the decade. Hargreaves then began publishing his spinoff Little Miss books, building a growing stable of characters who ‘identify with a multigenerational audience through self-expression, color, simplicity and humor,’ says the website. Adam Hargreaves has overseen the series since his father’s 1988 death, more recently adding characters such as ‘Mr. Calm,’ as well as celebrity inspiration like ‘Little Miss Spice Girls.’”
Fast-forward to this month, an Instagram account named “LittleMissNotesApp” has attracted nearly two million followers by posting the Hargreaves’ characters with captions such as “Little Miss Lexapro,” “Mr. Vape Cloud” and “Little Miss Aggressive Drunk.” Additionally, this account gives credit to the user “Juulpuppy,” who last spring began posting such memes as “Little Miss Weed Psychosis.”
In April, “A lot of the memes I was making were pretty dark and I wanted to make a relatable meme that didn’t take itself too seriously,” says “Juulpuppy” via email, speaking on the condition of anonymity out of concern for her privacy. “Visual comedy takes advantage of unexpected pairings and I love to lean into that with all the memes I make. This trend is so infectious because the pairings are so ridiculous and relate to so many people. Any caption can be applied to a Little Miss image, so no one has to feel like the odd one out from this trend.”
This trend, which is spreading all over the Instagram platform, has made users feel as though they are not the only ones with dark senses of humor, allowing them to feel connected with others across the globe.
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659267252858x656912773115314600/%E2%80%98Little%20Miss%20%5BBlank%5D%E2%80%99_%20How%20a%20kid-book%20meme%20became%20viral%20comedy%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
Roger Hargreaves, a British author and illustrator, launched his Mr. Men series in 1971 after his eldest son Adam, 8, asked, “What does a tickle look like?” Hargreaves responded by creating “Mr. Tickle,” the first in a cast of many simple, brightly-colored Mr. Men.
The New York Times wrote, “The warmhearted books — in which readers see how a title character’s personality trait affects their life — spawned comics, songs and BBC adaptations through the decade. Hargreaves then began publishing his spinoff Little Miss books, building a growing stable of characters who ‘identify with a multigenerational audience through self-expression, color, simplicity and humor,’ says the website. Adam Hargreaves has overseen the series since his father’s 1988 death, more recently adding characters such as ‘Mr. Calm,’ as well as celebrity inspiration like ‘Little Miss Spice Girls.’”
Fast-forward to this month, an Instagram account named “LittleMissNotesApp” has attracted nearly two million followers by posting the Hargreaves’ characters with captions such as “Little Miss Lexapro,” “Mr. Vape Cloud” and “Little Miss Aggressive Drunk.” Additionally, this account gives credit to the user “Juulpuppy,” who last spring began posting such memes as “Little Miss Weed Psychosis.”
In April, “A lot of the memes I was making were pretty dark and I wanted to make a relatable meme that didn’t take itself too seriously,” says “Juulpuppy” via email, speaking on the condition of anonymity out of concern for her privacy. “Visual comedy takes advantage of unexpected pairings and I love to lean into that with all the memes I make. This trend is so infectious because the pairings are so ridiculous and relate to so many people. Any caption can be applied to a Little Miss image, so no one has to feel like the odd one out from this trend.”
This trend, which is spreading all over the Instagram platform, has made users feel as though they are not the only ones with dark senses of humor, allowing them to feel connected with others across the globe.
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1659267252858x656912773115314600/%E2%80%98Little%20Miss%20%5BBlank%5D%E2%80%99_%20How%20a%20kid-book%20meme%20became%20viral%20comedy%20-%20The%20Washington%20Post.pdf
