Weirded out by the Roger Hargreaves 'little' color books

Ever since I was a kid, everytime I looked at one of these books I would get a queasy feeling like I was being hypnotized. The same thing happens as an adult.

I dunno, I get a weird feeling from these books like they're some sort of weird mind control tool like jelly beans are something. Am I the only one who gets weirded out by these books? Seriously, take a look at these for a while, what feeling do you get?

reply to post by Amelie


I'm sorry, but the Mr & Miss books do nothing for me but put a smile on my face. And I'm forty five years of age. They are nothing more than the clever creation of a happy mind, and are designed to entertain and amuse small children (and the big ones, like me).

If you find them uncomfortable and disturbing, then maybe, with the utmost respect, there are psychological issues you have to deal with, ie, you have developed a new phobia? Can't find anything that suggests this may be an existing phobia. Perhaps you could name it Greavesaphobia?

Would it be appropriate at this time to inform you that I wear a Mr Grumpy t-shirt? My wife insists that it is highly suitable. But then again, she would...



[edit on 12-9-2008 by Beamish]

Just look at barney, and you may get the same feelings. If there is not mind control in that, you must be kidding.

I'm no psychologyst, but perhaps the books are an inadvertent 'anchor' to a situation/time that was bad. Ie: you were reading the book as a child when something bad happened and now the memory of the visual aspect of the book is what has stuck, therefore associating with negative feelings.

Just a thought...

[edit on 12-9-2008 by Xeros]

I'm not familiar with the books in the OP, but I understand what the original-poster means, I think.

When my children were young, I bought a game for them that had a US patent (we're in Australia). The game was all the rage at the time -- widely advertised on tv ---and looked like harmless fun to me. I can't remember it in detail but the game consisted of maybe a dozen or dozen and a half faces -- different hair do's, colouring, male and female. They were drawings, not photos. I think they had professions .. for example, 'Betty the Nurse'. They popped up when you pressed something and I think you had to team up the faces into pairs, based either on their appearance or profession. None of the faces looked 'threatening' .. at least not to an adult.

My daughter had really wanted the game. However, shortly after receiving it, she ceased to play with it. I assumed she'd grown tired of it or whatever. She was about six or seven at the time.

Only when she was say, twelve or so years old, did she reveal that she'd found the faces disturbing, unsettling, uncomfortable, depressed. ' I hated the feeling they gave me ' she said, explaining that at first glance, the faces looked like harmless little cartoon-type things. But, she said, they had an effect on the mind and the longer you stared at them (when trying to complete the game) the more sinister they grew.

The children also had a small selection of cassettes especially made for children. These included compilations of nursery-rhymes and popular kiddies' songs, a Robin Hood story complete with read-along book, another about Cinderella, etc. A couple of the cassette tapes broke, so I was always on the lookout for replacements or something new for them.

One day, in a supermarket, I bought a no-name Mother Goose type compilation. I'd pass by their room and they'd be in there with friends, the cassette-player playing in the background as the kids chatted and played. And I remember a couple of times thinking something sounded weird (with one of the tapes I mean), but it didn't bother me to a great extent .. I just thought it sounded a bit 'gloomy and 'off' .. probably because it had been cheap, cheaply made.

It was only when she was older and we were throwing unwanted items away, that my daughter included one of the tapes I'd bought a couple of years earlier. It was the cheap replacement one. At first I thought she was throwing it out because she'd outgrown that sort of thing now, but she told me that she just wanted it out of the house. Then she told me that she and her brother had always hated that tape and explained that it began like all the other kids' tapes -- but several minutes into the songs and stories, etc. 'other' voices joined in. She said they made her feel dizzy and afraid and the music became eerie .. not the way kids' tapes were 'supposed to sound'. Then she reminded me of an incident which had occurred a few years earlier. While all the kids were together playing, one of them had found that particular tape and played it. My daughter had screamed, ' Turn it off ! Turn it off ! '

I'd heard the commotion and had run into the room to find my daughter looking very tense and anxious. The child who'd put the cassette in the player was looking very wounded and confused. I'd thought at the time my daughter was being a bit 'precious' and had sorted the situation out.

My daughter, older now, reminded me of the incident and said the offending tape had been the disturbing one. She could still remember the ' bad feeling' she experienced from the tape. We've discussed it briefly a few times since then and if I had those years to live over again, I'd be much more vigilant and would make sure to vet any toy, book or recording etc. that claimed to be suitable for children, before exposing my children to them. I was too trusting back then and regret it.