Mr Men are given a makeover

Thirty-six years after they first appeared on bookshelves, the Mr Men have had a makeover – and some have even changed sex. The children's favourites, along with their female counterparts, the Little Misses, will have their first new television outing in a decade from January. The original cast of 83 characters has been trimmed to 25 for use in the 26 new episodes launching on Five.

However, Mr Men purists may not be amused to find some of the original stars have had their genders changed to "create balance" among the 25 that survived the cull. Others, such as Mr Lazy, left, appear much thinner than their predecessors, while Mr Fussy, for example, has been renamed Mr Persnickety.

John Collins, of Chorion – the company which bought the rights to the brands in 2004 – said: "We've mixed and matched opposite personalities who, when put together, will create hilarious comedy and appeal to young boys and girls."