Why I Love Maisy the Mouse Even More Than My Kid Does

Nov 20, 2024

There’s a good chance that if you’re reading this, you have probably read a Maisy book at some point in your life. You may have had one read to you as a child, or read one to your own child – or both! Maisy is a cartoon mouse created by the author and Illustrator, Lucy Cousins.

I love everything Lucy has created. Her paintings are so fun, the animals she depicts are never creepy or weird looking, and her books have a very design forward art style. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Lucy is an artist first, author second that really sets her work apart. The stories are charming, but they are simple—almost acting as a vehicle for the creation of new, fresh, and adorable illustrations.

However, this post is more than just a book review. I actually have some questions, so, while I do plan on telling you why I love Maisy, I also want to know, among other things, where are her parents, and where is all the merch?!

Who is Maisy?

Maisy is a white cartoon mouse who walks around upright on two legs. She looks like she dresses exclusively in STATE and has even been described on reddit as a “butch icon”. Lots of things in her life are very vague, but it appears that she lives in Europe, she has a good core group of friends, and very eclectic interests. She also has a ton of free time and disposable income. In an interview I watched with Lucy Cousins, she discloses that Maisy is supposed to be three years old which makes sense; she goes to pre school, rides a tricycle with an attached wagon and carries around a stuffed panda with her everywhere she goes. However, if you are familiar with Maisy, you might be wondering how is it that this three year old mouse lives alone, hosts all the holidays at her place, travels solo, and drives heavy machinery on the reg?

While I absolutely adore Maisy, I do have some questions. Why do these inconsistencies and conspiracy theories that I have devised from from a children’s book series live rent free in my head? Perhaps in a world full of big questions, worries and responsibility, fixating about this small cartoon mouse is just easier – and more fun.

So, without further ado, here are all the things about Maisy that distract me during story time. Lucy, if you ever read this, please know that 1. I am one of your biggest fans and 2. this is actually a love note to Maisy – not throwing shade, I swear!

Just to reiterate, HOW old is Maisy?

So the adventures of Maisy really run the gambit of everything from watching Broadway shows to morning farm chores, to preschool. I really can’t make any argument for her being a certain age because for all the adulting that Maisy does, she turns around and is a child again. Maisy does a lot of hosting of friends for all holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Lunar New Year, and Halloween. She knows how to clean the house all by herself and even grocery shops—very mature. However, when she goes to the shops she takes her tricycle and wagon with Panda (her stuffed toy) in her lap. There is a whole book where she goes to preschool and then a board book spinoff series where she drives various heavy machinery. She owns a sailboat, a digger, a firetruck, and recycling truck to name a few.

In one book, she adopts a cat who sleeps in the laundry room where Maisy has her own appliances. I sometimes hope she’s supposed to be a child because I would feel much less weird about the pages where she remembers to use the potty before bed if she is only four years old and not 34. However, there are also times where you hope that she is grown up because it makes the whole waking up to an empty house on her birthday and walking herself home from school thing less sad.

Who do you know that throws their own Halloween party and then ends it in time so all the guests can go trick or treating? Certainly not someone who is capable of cooking their own thanksgiving turkey! Either way, I go through a little bit of an emotional whiplash with this mouse ranging between deep pity and immense jealousy!

Why are flightless birds doing all the labor?

Every job in Maisy’s universe appears to be held by a flightless bird. Most commonly you will see ostrich and peacock, however, there are also penguins, chickens, and flamingoes. They drive trains and busses and fly planes but they are also waiters and teachers. They also work the checkout counter at the grocery store. Is this a coincidence? Is there something special about flightless birds? Are they in power? Or is it the opposite? Are they part of an inferior caste that has to wait on all of the other animals?

What kind of animal is Talullah?

Tallulah is a puzzle. She is some kind of bird but it’s hard to tell what. There is alliteration with most of the supporting characters between their name and species: Charlie is a crocodile, Maisy is a mouse, Eddie is an elephant etc. but then what kind of yellow bird starts with a T? It is true that squirrel doesn’t start with a C, but the sound in Cyril is the same as an “S” sound, so I think that still counts. We also see Dotty the donkey occasionally. The only other outlier I know of is Ella the koala. Anyway, whatever kind of bird she is, she is the party girl of the group. She’s a little wild—she once knocked over a cake, and in one of the Christmas books, you can lift her dress up as a paper flap and she is wearing shiny silver underwear that says merry Christmas—so we aren’t really sure what’s up with her.

Are Charlie and Cyril a couple?

After reading Maisy almost nightly for a few years, I can’t help but wonder if Cyril and Charlie are in a relationship. They often show up together (sometimes holding hands), they are sharp dressers, they are the only friends to remember to bring a host/hostess gift, and they have a small dog that they sometimes travel around with.

Looking DASHING at Penguin and Ostrich’s wedding

Is Charlie keeping a secret?

In the book “Maisy Goes Shopping“, she goes to visit Charlie and his house and fridge are totally empty – this guy has literally nothing to eat. Does he even live there? It’s a good thing Maisy brought her wagon so they can haul some food home for him because he will need a lot of it! Maybe he just lives with Cyril and doesn’t spend much time at home? Or could he be in the CIA?

Is Eddie ok?

Eddie is the class clown of the group, but you sometimes wonder if he likes it that way. Looking at these books through a more modern lens, I wonder if there’s some inadvertent fat shaming going on with Eddie. Yes Elephants are large, but if a mouse can be the same size as a crocodile, why cant the elephant be small enough to participate?

Why do some animals get to wear pants and others don’t?

It’s very inconsistent which animals wear pants and which ones don’t. Some animals wear full outfits, some wear just pants, and some wear nothing at all. It makes you think that they are just a fashion statements which makes swimsuits, or the occasional wearing of underwear even stranger.

Why are there human shaped dolls?

This doesn’t need any explanation. It’s an animal world – why would they want to play with a human shaped doll. It’s like in Bluey when they have a stuffed dog or say the word “puppy” you’re left wondering if they mean “baby” or “pet”. If there aren’t humans in their world, why do they have toys shaped like them?

Some animals are still animals.

It’s a common thing in series with anthropomorphized animals, that occasionally you will run into other animals that are animals – not humanoids and this is strange. In Maisy, this happens all the time. Not only does Cyril own a dog, but Maisy in one book adopts a cat who is in almost all of the stories. He is named “little black cat” which I guess is accurate because compared to this mouse, he sure is very tiny. There are a few books where Maisy works on her farm, feeding pigs and milking cows, and we see the characters go fishing from time to time – not to mention there is a fish tank at the library.

But most importantly, where’s the merch?

I’ll just go out and say it. I want to buy some Maisy stuff! I know that isn’t very green of me, but I love Maisy and I want to show the world! I’m talking t-shirts, bedsheets, towels, dishes, and stickers! For kids AND grownups please! However, my ultimate dream is a Hanna Andersson x Maisy collab. Just picture it – colorful basics that mimic the wardrobe of Maisy and her friends. A line of graphic tees with adorable animated characters doing cute things. Pajamas with fun repeat patterns with motifs of bugs, toys, flowers, food, and whatever other adorable illustrations grace the pages of Maisy’s world. Who do I have to contact to make this happen?

Perhaps its the combination of freedom and childhood that is why I keep pulling these books off the shelf. Maisy’s life is just fun. She is spontaneous, well supported, seems to have her finances under control, and there are no limits to what she can do.

In Maisy’s world you can be a ballet dancer and a construction worker and still make enough money to hang out with friends in the big city – and have enough spare time to keep up with a farm.