During the summer, the 50-year-old Mr. Men and Little Miss series returned in popularity. This time, with added dark humor into it.
The two series were first created by Roger Hargreaves, a British author and illustrator. He first created Mr. Men in 1971, where Mr. Men characters displayed the personality trait from its name, such as “Mr. Tickle”. It became so popular that variations were created through other forms of media, namely comics and songs. Following Mr. Men’s success, Hargreaves created the Little Miss series.
What made these characters so popular was that they can “identify with a multigenerational audience through self expression, colour, simplicity and humour.”
In July 2022, an Instagram account called “LittleMissNotesApp” gained popularity by posting Mr. Men and Little Miss characters, giving them names that incorporated dark humor, like “Mr. Vape Cloud” and “Little Miss Aggressive Drunk.” The account credits “Juulpuppy” for its posts, who also created similar posts, for example, “Little Miss Weed Psychosis.”
When talking about these characters, “Juulpuppy” said in an email that “[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… Visual comedy takes advantage of unexpected pairings and I love to lean into that with all the memes I make.”
When asked about why this trend became so popular, “Juulpuppy” speculated that it was because of the absurdity of the names and how relatable the characters can be because people can insert any name for the characters.
Nicole Gagilardi, one of the users of the “LittleMissNotesApp” account, added to that thought, saying in an email that “I think people resonate with this meme for the same reason they like knowing their personality type or zodiac sign: They like seeing something that they can identify with, and there’s something for everyone.”
The trend first became popular in April when a Twitter account called “dreamgirltat” shared a Little Miss character from a Tumblr account with the name “Little Miss Smokes Too Much Weed.”
Because of its popularity, businesses have also participated in the trend. Companies such as the Philadelphia 76ers, PBS, and LinkedIn are using Mr. Man and Little Miss characters in ads.
When talking about the trend, Jamie Cohen, a CUNY Queens College assistant professor, describes the trend as a “double-edged” sword because it can “fit any identity.”
Link to article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/2022/07/30/little-miss-meme/
The two series were first created by Roger Hargreaves, a British author and illustrator. He first created Mr. Men in 1971, where Mr. Men characters displayed the personality trait from its name, such as “Mr. Tickle”. It became so popular that variations were created through other forms of media, namely comics and songs. Following Mr. Men’s success, Hargreaves created the Little Miss series.
What made these characters so popular was that they can “identify with a multigenerational audience through self expression, colour, simplicity and humour.”
In July 2022, an Instagram account called “LittleMissNotesApp” gained popularity by posting Mr. Men and Little Miss characters, giving them names that incorporated dark humor, like “Mr. Vape Cloud” and “Little Miss Aggressive Drunk.” The account credits “Juulpuppy” for its posts, who also created similar posts, for example, “Little Miss Weed Psychosis.”
When talking about these characters, “Juulpuppy” said in an email that “[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… Visual comedy takes advantage of unexpected pairings and I love to lean into that with all the memes I make.”
When asked about why this trend became so popular, “Juulpuppy” speculated that it was because of the absurdity of the names and how relatable the characters can be because people can insert any name for the characters.
Nicole Gagilardi, one of the users of the “LittleMissNotesApp” account, added to that thought, saying in an email that “I think people resonate with this meme for the same reason they like knowing their personality type or zodiac sign: They like seeing something that they can identify with, and there’s something for everyone.”
The trend first became popular in April when a Twitter account called “dreamgirltat” shared a Little Miss character from a Tumblr account with the name “Little Miss Smokes Too Much Weed.”
Because of its popularity, businesses have also participated in the trend. Companies such as the Philadelphia 76ers, PBS, and LinkedIn are using Mr. Man and Little Miss characters in ads.
When talking about the trend, Jamie Cohen, a CUNY Queens College assistant professor, describes the trend as a “double-edged” sword because it can “fit any identity.”
Link to article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/2022/07/30/little-miss-meme/