Original Mr. Men character discovered in archives

(All Rights Reserved)

An original Mr. Men character by Roger Hargreaves has been discovered in archival material, announced the Egmont Publishing Group on January 29, and will be published in March 2010. According to Egmont, the new title is about the invisible Mr. Nobody and his quest to become a somebody.

Mr. Nobody was in fact published in 1985 in a limited-edition run but had since been forgotten.

Since Roger Hargreaves died in 1988, his son Adam Hargreaves has continued writing and illustrating new stories. "My father would be delighted that Mr. Nobody has returned to be enjoyed by new Mr. Men fans. He's invisible so it's no surprise that he's been elusive, and I am thrilled he has been found."

The new addition to the catalog brings the total number of classic Mr. Men books to 47.

The Mr. Men books are among the world's most successful children's books. More than 100 million Mr. Men titles have been sold worldwide since they were first published 39 years ago, beginning with the 1971 title Mr. Tickle.

Mr. Nobody will be published on March 1, 2010.