Leicester business still profoundly in love with Adrian Mole

A Leicester business has secured the worldwide rights to produce and distribute the merchandise of one of the city’s great diarists.

Form Design will bring back to life the Official Adrian Mole Merchandise online shop for the first time since the 1980s.

Rakhee Townsend, director at Form Designs, said: ” In collaboration with the Sue Townsend Estate, we are thrilled to announce the release of a beautiful range of gifts and merchandise that brilliantly captures the essence of Adrian’s humour, wit, and charm.

“This carefully curated collection pays homage to the timeless appeal of Adrian Mole, offering fans an opportunity to connect with the character in a new and exciting way.”

The deal will see an online merchandise shop created, selling everything from diaries to apparel, home decor and collectibles.

Sue Townsend was Britain’s favourite comic author. For over thirty years after the publication of her iconic 1982 bestseller The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾, with great humour, style and compassion, she chronicled the lives of ordinary people in Britain through times of upheaval and social change.

The first two Adrian Mole books sold more than eight million copies in the UK alone, making her the bestselling novelist of the 1980’s. The books were translated into 24 languages and are still in print across the world today. All eight Mole books are bestsellers and acknowledged comic classics.

She wrote numerous other bestselling novels, comic and serious, and many well-received successful plays. She died in Leicester in 2014, with the final Mole book unfinished.

Rakhee Townsend added: “This launch marks a significant moment for fans who have long awaited the return of Adrian Mole merchandise. It is not just a revival but a celebration of the character’s timeless appeal, bringing the wit and charm of Adrian Mole to a new generation of readers.”