Your post about the speculative Mr men biology immediately got me interested- and it also made me curious about the biology of the Mr men that got bodies that are more out of the norm of most Mr men, like Mr tickle, Mr small, or even Mr tall.
Hi hi!!! Sorry for the late response, and thanks for taking interest in my project!!!
Mirabil biology is inseparable from magic unfortunately, so they cannot warrant an explanation that is scientific alone, this includes mutations that would not be feasible in regards to Earthly physical/biological constraints.
The Mr. Men and Little Misses (or just mirabils/dillies/etc for brevity) have no common ancestors or related species, however they are semi-domesticated. Meaning humans have successfully created certain "breeds" based on body type.
These body types are as follows:
- Orb (compact body, short limbs, disproportionately large head)
- Egg (head is typically 1/3 size of body, body can be either compact or elongated, limbs can vary in length)
- Tube (head is typically 1/4 size of body, limbs tend to be longer, body tends to be slender and otter-like unless otherwise)
Mirabils in the 'Egg', and 'Tube' body types are mostly referred to as 'Standard' mirabils because they were not usually targeted for selective breeding that is present in many of the specimens of the 'Orb' body type. Because of this, all known mirabil "breeds" branch off of those with 'Orb' genetics.
These "breeds" are as follows:
Tickles
'Tickles' are a breed of Orb Mirabil that are defined by their small, round bodies and long, retractable arms. While the full length of their arms and the speed at which they can extend are dictated by their own magical abilities, all members of the Tickle breed are defined as being able to stretch their arms to at the very least twice the length of the entire body, legs included.
Mirabils naturally lack bones in their arms, and so through repeated selective breeding, 'Tickles' were able to come into existence, originally bred to work alongside humans in workplaces that require exceptional dexterity and flexibility.
Known 'Tickles' are Little Miss Hug and the man himself, Mr Tickle
Stilts
Stilts are defined as the "polar opposites" of tickles, with long, slender legs and an usually compact body. While most mirabils can stretch their arms to around the length of their extended legs, those in the Stilt breed can only elongate their arms to around 5% past their unstretched length, making their arms abnormally short in comparison to others in the species.
Stilts were bred for the purpose of harvesting crops and shepherding. Their abnormally tall statures would frighten herd animals and force them into groups similar to shepherd dogs, though they were faster and more intelligent.
However, such long legs usually put them at risk of injury, and to them it is a blessing that Mirabils naturally have magical regenerative abilities, otherwise the Stilts would've become extinct.
Known 'Stilts' are Mr Tall, and Little Miss Somersault
Poms
Now we get to the more ornamental, "designer" breeds. Mirabils have dense, silky fur that was once coveted by humans. Early mirabils would be hunted and skinned for their rabbit-like pelts, but it was then discovered that it would be possible to "shear" them like sheep. Thus, the 'Pom' breed was created.
Poms are defined by their extra long, Angora-like fur, extra compact bodies, abnormally long and slender legs, and the ability to retract their arms entirely into their bodies, generating a "waddling head" effect.
Unfortunately, due to their long, high-maintenance coats, Poms tend to have difficulty doing normal mirabil things such as swimming and grooming. Some even need the assistance of others just to keep their fur maintained, or it could mold, harvest parasites, or mat (which can easily tear away at their delicate skin)
Known 'Poms' are Little Miss Sparkle, Little Miss Jealous, Mr Sneeze, Mr Messy, Mr Daydream, among others.
Minnies
Finally we get to the 'Minnies'. Unlike the other breeds of mirabil, members of this breed once occurred naturally. Mirabils on average are anywhere between 2 and 3 feet/0.6 and 0.9 meters tall, but some members can be exceptionally little, some only the size of guinea pigs and hamsters. Those with these kinds of extremely reduced size traits were selectively bred and coined as 'Minnies' for their small, colorful, almost cartoonish appearances.
Out of all the breeds however, this one is the rarest and also has some of the darkest history regarding specific breed heritage. 'Minnies' were commonly kept as pets for children (one can imagine how that went), or used in laboratory research since the breed was too small to do a whole lot of damage to humans, so long as they weren't bitten nor did they ingest any of the specimen's blood.
Known 'Minnies' are Mr Small and Little Miss Tiny.
Magic Generated Specimens
While there are 4 known breeds of mirabil that explain some of the odder traits that the species can carry, there are ways of magically generating mirabils with exceptional traits without ever having to rely on breeding (you can thank wizards for that). Currently, and besides the wizards that can turn themselves into mirabils, there exists one specimen who was never born, but created. One that goes in the complete opposite direction in terms of size.
This specimen, Mr Snow, is the only one of his kind. There will never be a naturally occurring mirabil that has his size trait. Compared to other mirabils on the taller end of the spectrum like Mr Uppity (who is 3'10, or 1.17 meters tall), Mr Snow is about triple that height (11'6, or 3.51 meters tall).
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