Plenty, it turns out.
Mr. Bean has been duckwalking his way through Rowan Atkinson's imagination since Atkinson was studying for a degree in Electrical Engineering at Oxford. Bean (yes, his first name is "Mister") came out of an early comedy sketch. In his television series, he literally falls out of the sky, while a choir intones (in Latin): "Behold the Man who is a Bean."
If you've never seen Mr. Bean episodes, you're in for a treat. His pushy, juvenile ways are very, very funny. (Mr. Bean episodes can be accessed via Youtube here.)
I've learned a few things from this strange little man.
*Don't be afraid to improvise. When Bean's suitcase can't hold a pair of long-legged pants, he turns them into shorts. When he can't find a paintbrush, he uses his Teddy. And when that takes too long to paint his apartment, he plants a large firecracker in the paint can. (Okay, that is a little weird.) The point: he's not afraid to try something unusual. Often it works!
*Frugal is as frugal does. Mr. Bean takes advantage of sales. He's careful to spend only what he can afford. Which means that his main present in his Christmas stocking is...the second one! ("Christmas socks," he exults, as he tries them on.) He also wears the same outfit, over and over...it may get a little boring, but it becomes his trademark look. (And saves money, to boot.)
*Take joy in the little things. A fish sandwich enjoyed on a park bench (albeit from a live goldfish!); a cupcake, topped with a cherry, munched in the park. Christmas carolers at your door, and a platoon of marching soldiers. Mr. Bean enjoys it all.
*Value the people in your life. This lesson's learned the negative way -- Bean is more apt to take advantage of his friends...the dentist...his fellow churchgoers and exam-takers. If only he showed a little more consideration, he wouldn't be alone so much of the time! (Or get his car smashed up as often.) Truth is: we need others, just as much they need us.
*Be yourself. Maybe Bean is strange -- but his odd dealings with life's problems have translated into dozens of episodes, both live and animated, plus two popular movies. (It also gave Atkinson entree into other movie roles, including his James Bond-mocking stint as Johnny English.) The series won several international awards, and is considered one of the most popular English comedies ever.
In 2012, Atkinson announced that Mr. Bean was retiring. "The stuff that has been most commercially successful for me – basically quite physical, quite childish – I increasingly feel I'm going to do a lot less of," Atkinson told the Daily Telegraph's Review. "Apart from the fact that your physical ability starts to decline, I also think someone in their 50s being childlike becomes a little sad. You've got to be careful."
He's got a point...but I'm going to miss Mr. Bean.
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