Harvest mouse becomes unlikely star by enjoying mini versions of meals eaten by human owner
- last year
A tiny harvest mouse has become an unlikely star with millions of TikTok fans - by enjoying mini versions of meals eaten by his human owner.
Mr Jingles is an adorable fluffy brown mouse living in King's Lynn, Norfolk, with his devoted owner, Martin Critchlow.
Videos show Mr Jingles tucking into a slice of toast with a single baked bean, next to Martin's plate on his kitchen table.
Another shows the two inch high rodent on a little microfibre towel at the beach tucking into a single piece of popcorn, next to a cocktail umbrella.
Mr Jingles shot to fame after Martin's grandson, age 10, convinced him to get a TikTok account.
Now Mr Jingles and his wife Mrs Jingles live a celebrity lifestyle, documented going on shopping trips with Martin and riding in his lorry and forklift truck.
The couple has since accrued over 341,000 TikTok followers and 9.6 million likes.
Martin, a 55-year-old father to three adult daughters, said: "I'm gobsmacked.
"I only started doing it because of my grandson. I started putting the videos on TikTok and the numbers just kept going up.
"Reading people's comments, some people say how much the videos have brightened their day, so I can't stop now."
The popular meal videos show Mrs Jingles tucking into a tiny portion of Martin's own meal, such as a chicken pie with mash and gravy, Martin giggling softly in the background.
One video shows a curious dog, Martin's father's, taking the two mice on a jaunt around the living room on his head.
Another video shows Mr Jingles accompanying Martin on a trip to the shops to pick out their meals for the week.
It all started when Martin went to a pet shop with a friend five years ago and spotted Mr Jingles sitting for sale for a modest £10.
A short while later Martin, a scaffolder, walked out of the shop with Mr Jingles and £300 worth of "unnecessary" items to make the mouse feel at home.
He decided to name him after the mouse in Stephen King's the Green Mile, who befriended guards and inmates in the book and film adaptation.
A few months later Martin decided to get Mr Jingles a friend, but the shop had stopped selling harvest mice.
After researching Martin discovered harvest mice populations are declining in the UK, spurring Martin on in his mission.
After an 11-hour round trip to a breeder in Wales, Mr Jingle had his companion.
Martin currently has an estimated 50 mice in his house he shares with Mr Jingles in King's Lynn. He regularly releases the new litters of mice into the Norfolk countryside each spring.
Instead of being overwhelmed by the popularity of his videos, Martin is pleased with his new hobby.
He said: "Mr Jingle has brought me joy and happiness. I'm making people happy as well and I like that.
"They're only 30-second videos so it doesn't take long. The food ones are easy."
Mr Jingles is an adorable fluffy brown mouse living in King's Lynn, Norfolk, with his devoted owner, Martin Critchlow.
Videos show Mr Jingles tucking into a slice of toast with a single baked bean, next to Martin's plate on his kitchen table.
Another shows the two inch high rodent on a little microfibre towel at the beach tucking into a single piece of popcorn, next to a cocktail umbrella.
Mr Jingles shot to fame after Martin's grandson, age 10, convinced him to get a TikTok account.
Now Mr Jingles and his wife Mrs Jingles live a celebrity lifestyle, documented going on shopping trips with Martin and riding in his lorry and forklift truck.
The couple has since accrued over 341,000 TikTok followers and 9.6 million likes.
Martin, a 55-year-old father to three adult daughters, said: "I'm gobsmacked.
"I only started doing it because of my grandson. I started putting the videos on TikTok and the numbers just kept going up.
"Reading people's comments, some people say how much the videos have brightened their day, so I can't stop now."
The popular meal videos show Mrs Jingles tucking into a tiny portion of Martin's own meal, such as a chicken pie with mash and gravy, Martin giggling softly in the background.
One video shows a curious dog, Martin's father's, taking the two mice on a jaunt around the living room on his head.
Another video shows Mr Jingles accompanying Martin on a trip to the shops to pick out their meals for the week.
It all started when Martin went to a pet shop with a friend five years ago and spotted Mr Jingles sitting for sale for a modest £10.
A short while later Martin, a scaffolder, walked out of the shop with Mr Jingles and £300 worth of "unnecessary" items to make the mouse feel at home.
He decided to name him after the mouse in Stephen King's the Green Mile, who befriended guards and inmates in the book and film adaptation.
A few months later Martin decided to get Mr Jingles a friend, but the shop had stopped selling harvest mice.
After researching Martin discovered harvest mice populations are declining in the UK, spurring Martin on in his mission.
After an 11-hour round trip to a breeder in Wales, Mr Jingle had his companion.
Martin currently has an estimated 50 mice in his house he shares with Mr Jingles in King's Lynn. He regularly releases the new litters of mice into the Norfolk countryside each spring.
Instead of being overwhelmed by the popularity of his videos, Martin is pleased with his new hobby.
He said: "Mr Jingle has brought me joy and happiness. I'm making people happy as well and I like that.
"They're only 30-second videos so it doesn't take long. The food ones are easy."