Happyland is a place where Mr. Men and Little Miss, and a whole cast of characters from the mind of artist Roger Hargreaves, reside.

The characters now have official currency, thanks to the Royal Mint, which just launched the first coin in a series intended to mark the 50th anniversary of the cartoons.

The Mr. Men Little Miss commemorative coin collection features Mr. Happy, Little Miss Sunshine, Little Miss Giggles and Mr. Strong.

All three coin designs were created exclusively by Adam Hargreaves, son of character creator Roger Hargreaves, to celebrate the characters’ 50th anniversary.

Created by prolific illustrator Roger Hargreaves in 1971, the Mr. Men Little Miss books and their ever-growing world of “Happyland” have become a global favorite. The inspiration for the cartoon came in the form of a simple question: what does a tickle look like?

The answer was Mr. Tickle, who is now one of more than 90 characters in an ever-growing collection, read in multiple languages in more than 24 countries around the world. Today, the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters are illustrated by Adam Hargreaves, son of Roger, captivating a new generation of fans with each passing decade.

Celebrating characters

Clare Maclennan, divisional director of commemorative coins at the Royal Mint, spoke with Adam Hargreaves in a Zoom call, where they discussed the designs and characters, the excitement around the Mr. Men, Little Miss concept turning 50 and what steps the Royal Mint takes to produce a coin that celebrates an occasion such as this.

She said, “Each year we celebrate British icons, anniversaries and moments from history on commemorative coins, and this is a fun new addition to the collection. With this year marking the 50th anniversary since the Mr. Men Little Miss characters were introduced to the world, it felt right to celebrate the loveable characters on their own commemorative coins.”

Adam Hargreaves said, “It is an absolute honour to not only have the Mr. Men Little Miss characters feature on official UK commemorative coins but to have the opportunity to create the designs that feature on the coins too. Over the past 50 years, Mr. Men Little Miss characters have grown to become a global favourite amongst many and I am delighted to be celebrating 50 years of fun with The Royal Mint and I hope fans of the Mr. Men Little Miss series will be just as thrilled with this commemorative coin collection as I am.”

The first coin in the series features Mr. Happy and is available in six versions, ranging from a Brilliant Uncirculated copper-nickel £5 coin to a Proof 1-ounce .999 fine gold £100 piece.

All of the coins feature the Jody Clark effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse.

Specifications

The copper-nickel £5 coin is available plain or with color added. The £5 coins weigh 28.28 grams and measure 38.61 millimeters in diameter. The plain coin has an unlimited mintage and retails for £15 each. The colorful version is limited to a 15,000-coin mintage and retails for £22.50.

Two Proof .999 fine silver versions are offered: a plain half-ounce £1 coin and a colorful 1-ounce £2 piece. The £1 coin weighs 15.71 grams and measures 27 millimeters in diameter, with a mintage limit of 9,000 pieces, and retails for £65. The £2 coin weighs 31.21 grams and measures 38.61 millimeters in diameter; its mintage limit is 6,500 pieces and it retails for £97.50 each.

Two Proof .9999 fine gold coins are part of the program, and neither has color. The £25 coin weighs 7.8 grams and measures 22 millimeters in diameter, with a mintage of 750 pieces, retailing for £605 each. The £100 coin weighs 31.21 grams and measures 32.69 millimeters in diameter; it has a mintage limit of 275 pieces and retails for £2,370.

Visit www.royalmint.com/MrMen to view the full commemorative coin range.

The coins are not intended for general circulation.

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