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Ladybird books introduce Peter and Jane to hipsters and hangovers Ladybird books introduce Peter and Jane to hipsters and hangovers
(about 4 hours later)
Once famous for its earnest, wholesome books that gave British children gentle introductions to topics such as space travel, nuclear power and the gunpowder plot, the publisher Ladybird is launching a series of guides to help cynical adults make sense of modern, from hipsters to hangovers. Once famous for its earnest, wholesome books that introduced British children to topics such as space travel, nuclear power and the gunpowder plot, the publisher Ladybird is launching a series of guides to help cynical adults make sense of modern life, from hipsters to hangovers.
Embracing the trend for spoof Ladybird editions that juxtapose the twee and genteel imagery with captions rewritten for comic effect, the companysaid its “kidult” range is intended to “enable grown-ups to think they have taught themselves to cope”.Embracing the trend for spoof Ladybird editions that juxtapose the twee and genteel imagery with captions rewritten for comic effect, the companysaid its “kidult” range is intended to “enable grown-ups to think they have taught themselves to cope”.
Related: Why we love the Ladybird booksRelated: Why we love the Ladybird books
The eight new books – penned by Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris, the writers of the BBC comedy show Miranda – will be published next month as part of Ladybird Books’ centenary celebrations.The eight new books – penned by Jason Hazeley and Joel Morris, the writers of the BBC comedy show Miranda – will be published next month as part of Ladybird Books’ centenary celebrations.
Illustrations of bearded, pipe-smoking men and women with immaculate hair appear alongside the large, simple script, which Hazeley has described as “light and silly and funny”.Illustrations of bearded, pipe-smoking men and women with immaculate hair appear alongside the large, simple script, which Hazeley has described as “light and silly and funny”.
One passage in the Ladybird Book of the Hipster explains:One passage in the Ladybird Book of the Hipster explains:
This is a hipster.This is a hipster.
He is childless, unaccountably wealthy, and always well turned out.He is childless, unaccountably wealthy, and always well turned out.
He likes art, porridge, scarves, anything reclaimed from French factories, like this dog rack.He likes art, porridge, scarves, anything reclaimed from French factories, like this dog rack.
The Ladybird Book Of The Hipster. pic.twitter.com/qjmyeODrxLThe Ladybird Book Of The Hipster. pic.twitter.com/qjmyeODrxL
The Ladybird Book of the Mid-Life Crisis, another of the titles, begins with:The Ladybird Book of the Mid-Life Crisis, another of the titles, begins with:
When we’re young we wonder if we’ll be a surgeon or an astronaut. We can be anything we want to be. Then one day we can’t.When we’re young we wonder if we’ll be a surgeon or an astronaut. We can be anything we want to be. Then one day we can’t.
Morris said: “That bit makes me cry. It’s too close to the bone.”Morris said: “That bit makes me cry. It’s too close to the bone.”
He told the Independent he wanted to help adults make sense of the world, just as the classic books had helped children through the decades understand how locomotives and computers work.He told the Independent he wanted to help adults make sense of the world, just as the classic books had helped children through the decades understand how locomotives and computers work.
Hazeley and Morris said they decided to use original illustrations of previous Ladybird books and to “write as if we were time travellers from the 1960s looking at stuff such as online dating and nightclubs”.Hazeley and Morris said they decided to use original illustrations of previous Ladybird books and to “write as if we were time travellers from the 1960s looking at stuff such as online dating and nightclubs”.
Going through Penguin’s vast archive of Ladybird artwork they realised that pictures depicting first dates and binge drinking were hard to come by: in the classic books, “mum is at home with the kids and dad is at work fixing a Lancaster bomber”, said Morris.Going through Penguin’s vast archive of Ladybird artwork they realised that pictures depicting first dates and binge drinking were hard to come by: in the classic books, “mum is at home with the kids and dad is at work fixing a Lancaster bomber”, said Morris.
“It’s hard to find images that have men and women in the same picture. Luckily, that’s become part of the joke.”“It’s hard to find images that have men and women in the same picture. Luckily, that’s become part of the joke.”
Other titles in the new series include The Ladybird Book of Dating, and Mindfulness.Other titles in the new series include The Ladybird Book of Dating, and Mindfulness.
Although the trend for spoof Ladybird books has been appropriated by the publisher, a search online reveals parody Ladybird artwork for titles such as Hot Dads, Ménage à trois, and The Futility of Existence.Although the trend for spoof Ladybird books has been appropriated by the publisher, a search online reveals parody Ladybird artwork for titles such as Hot Dads, Ménage à trois, and The Futility of Existence.
Last year, Miriam Elia, an artist and comedian, was ordered by publisher Penguin to stop selling her satirical work in which Ladybird characters Peter and Jane were mashed with Tracey Emin-style conceptual art. She was told her art book breached Ladybird copyright. After publishing a brief run of 1,000 privately printed books – selling them for £20 each – Elia was told that if she continued to sell copies, the courts would be rule that the books be seized.Last year, Miriam Elia, an artist and comedian, was ordered by publisher Penguin to stop selling her satirical work in which Ladybird characters Peter and Jane were mashed with Tracey Emin-style conceptual art. She was told her art book breached Ladybird copyright. After publishing a brief run of 1,000 privately printed books – selling them for £20 each – Elia was told that if she continued to sell copies, the courts would be rule that the books be seized.