Two Mr Happys: Council Leader Pat Lally celebrates the return of Glasgow's Miles Better plus the city's victory in winning the title United Kingdom City of Architecture and Design 1999. The photograph appeared in the December 1994 issue of Glasgow City Council's newspaper The Bulletin.
Mr Happy was one of the first characters created by cartoonist Roger Hargreaves for his Mr Men series of children's books, first published in 1971. The first animated cartoon series was produced in 1974. Mr Happy was adopted as the symbol of the "Glasgow's Miles Better" campaign by Lord Provost Sir Michael Kelly in 1983.
Pat Lally had his own reasons to be happy in 1994, the year he won back the post of Council Leader - one of several comebacks in his career which earned him the nickname "Lazarus". He re-launched the "Glasgow's Miles Better" campaign and channelled his boundless energy into supporting Glasgow's bid to be designated City of Architecture and Design 1999. The city's bid was successful in competition with those from Liverpool and Edinburgh.
Reference: Bulletin photographs, Box 11, December 1994
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
Bulletin, cartoonists, cartoons, children's books, Christmas, City of Architecture and Design 1999, councillors, Glasgow's Miles Better, lord provosts, Mr Happy, Mr Men, public relations