Mr. Bliss: Tolkien’s Secret Book Written for His Children

J. R. R. Tolkien is a world-famous author, and if you ask anyone, they can probably name at least one of the books or the characters attributed to him. Very few of them, however, will say Mr. Bliss… The great Tolkien penned this bizarre character and story, and yet it often goes unnamed and unmentioned when it comes to lists of his work. So who is Mr. Bliss, and what is his tale?

The Story of Mr. Bliss

Mr. Bliss is an eccentric man who lives an equally eccentric life. He lives in a tall, thin house, wears tall, thin hats, and has a bizarre pet called a Girabbit. The Girabbit has a long neck, rabbit ears, legs and tail, and the skin of a mackintosh. The Girabbit and Mr. Bliss talk often through Mr. Bliss’s bedroom window, as the Girabbit lives in the garden.

The book Mr. Bliss follows the titular character as he goes out to buy his first motorcar (having first checked with the Girabbit that it was a fine enough day to do so, and donning a suitable fine tall hat). He proclaims that he wants a car that is yellow ‘inside and out’ to replace his pedal-less bicycle. 

Once he’s got his brand new motorcar, he sets out to visit his friends, the Dorkins. But, unfortunately, as soon as he turns the car, he runs straight into a man called Mr Day and damages his barrow and his cabbages with the car. Setting back off again, Mr. Bliss then runs into Mrs. Knight and her donkey cart full of bananas.

Eventually, the three of them (Mr. Bliss, Mr. Day, and Mrs. Knight) are joined in the motorcar by three fierce bears, Archie, Teddy, and Bruno. Together they crash into the Dorkinses at a picnic! The bears immediately raid the Dorkinses picnic and escape into the woods, pursued by the characters. 

After all of the shenanigans, Mr. Bliss is frightened. He heads home, but is followed by Mr. Day, Mrs. Knight, the Dorkinses and the bears, and even the motorcar salesman whom he forgot to pay! All of them demand money from Mr. Bliss, which he hands over, and decides it best to ride a donkey cart instead.

Inspiration for the Story

The general consensus is that Tolkien wrote Mr. Bliss for his children: John, Michael, Priscilla, and Christopher. The short story and its accompanying illustrations were written just after 1932, although the exact date is unknown. 

The exact basis for the stories and the characters isn’t entirely agreed upon, but there are two theories. Humphrey Carpenter, a Tolkien biographer, believes Mr. Bliss is based on Tolkien’s own automobile accidents. Alternatively, Joan Tolkien, Michael Tolkien’s wife, argued that Mr. Bliss’s car was based on Christopher Tolkien’s favorite toy growing up. Likewise, the three bears in the tale are thought to be based on teddy bears that Tolkien’s sons loved at the time.

Printing and Publication

Despite being written in the 1930s, the book was not published until 1982 when Christopher Tolkien and the Tolkien Estate worked together to release unpublished Tolkien work. This was not because Tolkien had not wanted it published, though. In fact, in 1936, Tolkien submitted Mr. Bliss to his publishers in the hopes of placating the readers who were hungry for more of his work following The Hobbit.

The publishers were willing to go ahead with the project, but the illustrations (which are tied heavily to the text) were too costly. Tolkien agreed he would alter them to improve and make them simpler, but unfortunately, he never got around to it. So, instead, the tale was first published by George Allen and Unwin fifty years or so after it was written.

The first copies of the story have the drawings and narrative exactly as Tolkien’s draft had them, and then have a typeset version on the opposite page to make the story easier to read. This version of the tale had approximately 50,000 printed copies. 

Then, later on in 2007, the story was revised and redesigned for the 25th anniversary. This happened again in 2011, and a hardback was released.

Reception and Adaptation

The books, much like everything else written by J.R.R. Tolkien, were highly praised. Many people have compared their style and silliness to Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows, and, even, Lewis Carrol’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The story is simple but fun and humorous, and it has all the hallmarks of a story written for children, even though Tolkien famously said there was no writing ‘for children’, it very definitely has the youthful adventure and excitement that makes similar nonsensical children’s tales so popular.

In 2006, a group of Russian Tolkien fans made Mr. Bliss into an animated film using Tolkien’s drawings themselves. This was shown at multiple conventions, including Tolkien Thing 2006 and Ring*Con 2006. It might not be the same as three Oscar-worthy Peter Jackson films, but it’s something!