THE Royal Mail has released a special Mr Men and Little Miss series of stamps - and the Cambrian News has 10 commemorative sets to give away.

Characters that feature in the set are: Mr Happy; Little Miss Naughty; Mr Bump; Little Miss Sunshine; Mr Tickle; Mr Grumpy; Little Miss Princess; Mr Strong; Little Miss Christmas and Mr Messy.

Launched 45 years ago, the idea for the first character arose when eight-year old Adam Hargreaves asked his father, Roger Hargreaves: “What does a tickle look like?”. The advertising copywriter went on to visualise a tickle in the shape of a small orange man with incredibly long arms, and Mr Tickle was born.

The idea for a series of books exploring different characters in Happyland developed and led to the publication of six initial titles: Mr Tickle; Mr Greedy; Mr Happy; Mr Nosey; Mr Sneeze and Mr Bump – in August 1971. They were an instant success.

Following the publication of Mr Tickle in 1971, a total of 50 Mr Men characters have been created and have been enchanting children across the world ever since.

In 1974, a number of the books were brought to life on the small screen. First broadcast by the BBC, the short animated stories were narrated by Dad’s Army actor Arthur Lowe.

The television adaptations proved very popular and a total of 28 stories were filmed.

For your chance to win one the 10 special sets of stamps, pick up a copy of this week’s Cambrian News to find details of how to enter. Usual Cambrian News competition terms and conditions apply, and the editor’s decision is final.