A taste of happy at Mr Men and Little Miss tea launch at Bird & Blend Tea Co shop in Cambridge
It was all (Little Miss) Sunshine and smiles as the Bird & Blend Tea Co shop on Green Street in Cambridge marked the launch of its Mr Men and Little Miss-themed teas.
The British institution, loved by children and parents since the 1970s, has teamed up with the independent tea company to launch what it calls “the world’s happiest tea”.
A new orange chocolate-flavoured Mr Happy Tea and fruit-infused peach and orange Little Miss Sunshine Teas were on offer at the launch, where guests met Little Miss Sunshine herself.
Author and illustrator Adam Hargreaves, son of the late Mr Men and Little Miss creator, Roger Hargreaves, delighted guests by signing goods and drawing them personalised Mr Men and Little Miss characters.
“I like to think of it as a collaboration between two great British icons – tea and Mr Men have a certain Britishness to both of them,” said Adam.
“There’s a natural synergy in terms of having Mr Men tea. We’ve done many products over the years, but this is a first for tea.”
Why does Adam, who took over drawing the characters and carrying on the legacy following his father’s death in 1988, think that Mr Men and Little Miss endure?
“I think my dad managed to come up with an idea that is taking little bits of human beings – all our characteristics and emotions – and then personifying them, and so people can identify with them automatically,” he replies.
“And there’s something about that that never ages; I mean even though the look of it might be very 1970s, happiness and grumpiness, all the characters, that never ages.
“Every new generation that comes along can always liken themselves to each of the characters and identify with them and see themselves in it.
“It’s a nice way of small kids learning how human beings work, in a way – in a kind of silly, daft way.”
Available to buy in-store and online now, the Mr Happy and Little Miss Sunshine teas are priced at £10 and contain 12 single-serve tea blends.
