If you’ve been online in the last week, you’ve probably seen them: little multi-colored blobs with smiley faces making some sort of gesture, with the text “Little Miss” or “Little Mister” highlighted above them.
But what are these illustrations and why are they suddenly on the internet?
The art is from the “Mr. Men” and “Little Miss” series of children’s books, created in 1971 and 1981 respectively by British author Roger Hargreaves. Decades later, Hargreaves’ characters are being widely posted online as memes.
In meme form, the art has become quite personal: many online use the characters as a way to confess or share details about themselves that might be considered too private for the internet. Like, “Little Miss Repressed Childhood Trauma,” “Mr. Bleached Hair Without Toning,” and “Little Miss Bipolar Disorder,” to name a few.
The meme originated on Tumblr in 2021, according to the online database. know your meme. Represents a character from “Mr. Men” or “Little Miss” series with intimate detail to describe them, including medical conditions, insecurities, and personal details.
It wasn’t until April of this year that the memes went viral on Instagram. Videos using the memes began racking up millions of views on TikTok this month, prompting even more people (and brands) to jump on the trend across various social media platforms.
@juulpuppyThe Instagram creator who is credited with making the meme go viral said she’s always looking for things to make memes of.
“I made memes for ‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,’ ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid,’ ‘Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus,’ and all these children’s books,” juulpuppy, who wanted to be referred to by name user due to privacy concerns, he told NBC News. “So, I was trying to think of a meme that was light-hearted and fun.”
The books were inspired by the illustrator’s son.
Mr. The Men” series of books was inspired by Hargreaves’ eldest son, Adam, who at age 8 had asked his father what tickling looked like. according to to the book’s website.
Hargreaves was initially amused by the question, but was inspired to write a children’s book about a character named Mr. Tickle, which sold a million copies in three years, the website said.
Several books in the series using other characters were made into a television show and comics were published in newspapers such as The Mirror and The Daily Mail. The series also had its share. songs.
The first “Little Miss” books, which included “Little Miss Bossy,” “Little Miss Naughty,” and “Little Miss Sunshine,” were published in 1981.
I like being able to see people having so much fun with such a beloved series that has such a strong resurgence.
-Meme creator, instagram user @juulpuppy
Adam Hargreaves took over the company after his father’s death in 1988. New characters were created for the series, which turned 50 last year.
Adam Hargreaves did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the popular illustrations’ recent viral fame.
Meme creator juulpuppy said she hopes the memes will benefit the series in the long run.
“I like being able to see people having so much fun with a series that is so beloved that has such a strong resurgence,” he said. “I hope some of this comes back to benefit the original creator’s estate and that they can capture this viral moment.”
Little Miss/Mr. popular online
The original “Little Miss” meme was posted June 2021 on the Tumblr blog not your gay best friendwhich was then forwarded to Twitter by the user @dreamgirltat in April 2022.
Three days later, juulpuppy posted 30 original memes in the same format which he divided into three carousel posts. The post, which has since garnered more than 45,000 likes, has inspired others to use the same template.
The largest Instagram account dedicated to “Little Miss” memes is called @littlemissnotesappwhich has garnered 1.2 million followers since its first post on July 10. The creator credits juulpuppy for the template.
On TikTok, many users have also increasingly made videos featuring the memes, often using Pharrell Williams’ song “Cash In Cash Out” in the background.
Social media accounts for lifting reeds, LinkedIn Y the philadelphia 76ers have also joined the trend.
Many people have acknowledged how intimate memes have become. making jokes about it online. juulpuppy said that she loves seeing people become so passionate about it.
“Being able to build a community is something very important to me, so I think that’s the most fun,” he said. “All these people and having fun with it.”
She said she thinks the memes are resonating because “a lot of comedy right now is about trauma, which I think is a relatively recent trend.”
“If you look at the sitcom from a while ago, it didn’t really refer to your personal issues or your struggles,” he said. “I think it’s great that the speech is so open now.”