Taylor Herring Brand Communications have been appointed by Chorion PLC to handle trade and consumer PR for the iconic children’s brand ‘Mr Men and Little Miss’, and to stage a national campaign to coincide with their 35th anniversary in 2006. The Mr Men are a national treasure – their books have been translated into many different languages – selling over 110 million copies worldwide to date.

The agency is planning a number of initiatives over the coming 18 months in support of the brand’s birthday and the introduction of two new characters, Mr Birthday and Little Miss Birthday.

In addition to a launch event to introduce the new characters, there will be a brand new stage show, a myriad of new products from soft toys to birthday cards and two new books featuring Mr Birthday & Little Miss Birthday. The books will be written by Adam Hargreaves, whose father Roger created the Mr Men in 1971, and will be published by long-term licensee Egmont Publishing. Following the success of live shows in 2000 and 2002, Premier Stage Productions will be creating a new, birthday themed stage show to tour the UK from July 2006.

Michael Dee, Director of Children’s Strategy at Chorion PLC says “We are looking forward to building our relationship with Taylor Herring Brand Communications in what is sure to be an exciting year and a half of activity with Mr Men and Little Miss. We are confident that Taylor Herring Brand Communications will deliver us a solid campaign”.

Chorion PLC is the IP owner of some of the most popular children’s brands including Noddy and the Famous Five, and currently licenses the Mr Men and Little Miss brand to over 80 licensee partners across publishing, apparel, toiletries, new media and confectionery. Key markets include the UK, France, USA and Australia with over 100 million Mr Men and Little Miss books having been sold worldwide. Chorion PLC is also a leading owner and manager of classic literary-based brands. Its foremost properties include Enid Blyton’s Noddy, Roger Hargreaves’ Mr. Men and Little Miss series, Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, Georges Simenon’s Inspector Maigret and Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe. Visit www.chorion.co.uk

For further information and media enquiries please contact Naomi Segal at Taylor Herring Brand Communications on 0208 206 5157 or email naomi.segal@taylorherring.com