View source for Miffy

{{Short description|Fictional rabbit in books by Dick Bruna}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{refimprove|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Miffy<br>(nijntje)
| image = Miffy, by Dick Bruna.jpg
| caption = Miffy
| creator = [[Dick Bruna]]
| voice = Eva Poppink (''Miffy the Movie'')
| gender = Female
| species = [[Rabbit]]
| first = {{start date and age|1955|06|21|df=yes}}
| last = 
}}
'''Miffy''' ({{langx|nl|nijntje}}, pronounced {{IPA|nl|ˈnɛiɲtɕə|}} {{respell|nain|cheh}}) is a fictional [[rabbit]] appearing in a series of [[picture book]]s drawn and written by Dutch artist [[Dick Bruna]]. The original Dutch name, ''nijntje'', is a shortening of the [[diminutive]] ''konijntje'', "little rabbit".

The first Miffy book was produced in 1955 and over thirty others have followed. In total they have sold over 100 million copies. In addition, four separate television series as well as items such as clothes and toys featuring the character followed. On 30 January 2013, a feature-length film, ''[[Miffy the Movie]]'', was released in theaters and stars Eva Poppink in the title role.

Four television series based on the character have been produced: ''Dick Bruna's Miffy Storybook Classics'' from 1984; ''Miffy: Colors, Numbers, and Shapes'' from 1996; ''[[Miffy and Friends]]'' from 2003; and ''[[Miffy's Adventures Big and Small]]'' from 2015.

==Creation and design==
[[File:MIffy Art Parade (31953278522) (cropped).jpg|thumb|A sculpture of Miffy in Amsterdam]]
Miffy was created in 1955 after Bruna had been telling his one-year-old son, Sierk, stories about a little rabbit they had seen earlier in the dunes,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/feb/15/booksforchildrenandteenagers.lisaallardice |title=Bunny love |date=15 February 2006 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |first=Lisa |last=Allardice |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709062546/http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/feb/15/booksforchildrenandteenagers.lisaallardice |archive-date=July 9, 2013 }}</ref> while on holiday at [[Egmond aan Zee]]. Miffy became a female after Bruna decided that he wanted to draw a dress and not trousers on his rabbit. 

At first Miffy looked like a toy animal with floppy ears, but by 1963, her design was changed to her current incarnation, a stylized form of a rabbit.<ref>{{cite web |title=about miffy |url=https://www.miffy.com/about-miffy |access-date=June 23, 2025}}</ref> Miffy is drawn in a graphic style, with minimalist black graphic lines.  Bruna chose to only use black, white, the primary colours (red, yellow, and blue), green, orange, brown, and grey. It is his use of primarily primary colors that makes Miffy instantly recognisable, and also popular with preschoolers, because of her bright and intense simplistic colours.

The simplicity of Miffy’s design not only appeals to young children but also reflects Bruna’s philosophy of clear and direct storytelling, which has helped the character endure over decades as a beloved figure in children’s literature.

==Books==
Almost 32 Miffy titles have been published and many more for the other characters. Bruna has produced a total of 124 picture books for children. The Miffy books each contain twelve pages of story. Each page has one illustration and four lines of verse, the last word of the second line rhymes with the last of the fourth. They are written about things that children can understand, and situations they will face such as going to the hospital and going to school, and they always have a happy ending. Some books have no text at all, such as ''Miffy's Dream''.

The books are printed in small format. Bruna considers it important that his audience feels that his books are there for them, not for their parents. Most Miffy books have an advisory reading level of age four to eight years.

Bruna's books have been translated into more than 50 different languages, and over 85 million copies have been sold all over the world.<ref name=Telegraph /> It is also translated in dialects, including in [[Zeelandic]] by [[Engel Reinhoudt]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.the-low-countries.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/TLC-1999-Dick-Bruna.pdf|title= Dick Bruna, the Fiendliest Maker of Picture Books in the Netherlands |date= 1989|author= Translatd by Wanda Boeke|publisher= boris en barbara|access-date=October 4, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251004042855/https://www.the-low-countries.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/TLC-1999-Dick-Bruna.pdf|archive-date=October 4, 2025 }}</ref> Dick Bruna has won many awards for his books, such as the Golden Brush in 1990, for ''Boris Bear'' and the Silver Brush for ''Miffy In The Tent'' in 1996. In 1997, he was awarded the Silver Slate for ''Dear Grandma Bunny'', a book where Miffy's grandmother was sick and died.

The other characters that appear in the books are her family: Miffy's parents, her Grandma and Grandpa, her Auntie Alice, and 'Uncle Bob', a family friend, who appears in ''Miffy Goes Flying''. A new brother or sister for Miffy is introduced in ''Miffy And The New Baby''. She also has many friends, Boris and Barbara Bear, who first appeared in 1989 and are boyfriend and girlfriend, Poppy Pig, who appeared in 1977, and her niece Grunty, Snuffy, who appeared in 1969, and other bunnies such as Aggie and Melanie.

==Television==
Miffy appeared in her first TV show in 1984, called ''Dick Bruna's Miffy Storybook Classics: The Original Series''. Directed by veteran animator [[Gene Deitch]], each episode was traditionally animated and ran for approximately five minutes. The show aired in the Netherlands on [[Katholieke Radio Omroep|KRO]], in the [[United Kingdom]] on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]], in [[Canada]] on [[TVOntario]] in [[Australia]] on [[ABC (Australian TV channel)|ABC]], and in the [[United States|USA]] on Cartoon Network's Small World block with VHS releases from Geneon USA, episodes of the show were later included as Bonus Features on ''[[Miffy and Friends]]'' DVDs.

From 2003 to 2007, ''[[Miffy and Friends]]'' aired on children's television channels such as [[Treehouse TV|Treehouse]] in Canada, and [[Noggin (brand)|Noggin]] in the USA. The show added several new characters, such as Melanie's African family and the family of Boris' and Barbara's common cousin, Umik. The series was produced by Pedri Animation BV,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pedri-animation.com |title=Pedri Animation homepage |publisher=Pedri-animation.com |language=nl}}</ref> a Dutch stop-motion animation company. It was voiced simply by a feminine storytelling narrator. ''[[Miffy's Adventures Big and Small]]'' premiered 2 October 2015.<ref>{{Citation|title=Miffy's Adventures Big and Small|date=October 2015|url=https://www.episodate.com/tv-show/miffy-s-adventures-big-and-small|language=en|access-date=2021-01-26}}</ref> It currently has a total of six seasons.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Miffy's Adventures Big and Small|url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/miffys-adventures-big-and-small/1030168463/|access-date=2021-01-26|website=TVGuide.com|language=en}}</ref> It airs on the [[Nick Jr. Channel]] in the USA.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nickelodeon to premiere two Miffy series|url=https://kidscreen.com/2016/09/19/nickelodeon-to-premiere-two-miffy-series/|access-date=2021-01-26}}</ref>

In October 2023, the fifth series was announced and will premiere in 2025 on [[Canal+ (French TV channel)|Canal+]] in France. It will be produced by [[StudioCanal]], Mercis and [[Superprod Group|Superprod Animation]]. This series will also feature the debut of Miffy's younger brother, Bun.<ref>{{cite web |title=CG-animated Miffy series hops to Canal+|url=https://kidscreen.com/2023/10/03/cg-animated-miffy-series-hops-to-canal/|website=KidScreen|first=Sadhana|last=Bharanidharan|date=3 October 2023|access-date=4 October 2023}}</ref>

==Conflicts with Sanrio==
Miffy is sometimes assumed to be a [[Japanese language|Japanese]] character, because [[Sanrio]]'s [[Hello Kitty]], introduced in 1974, is rendered using a similar line style. The Miffy brand is popular in [[Japan]], with strong sales of Japanese-made Miffy merchandise. In an interview for ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', Bruna expressed his dislike for Hello Kitty. "'That,' he says darkly, 'is a copy [of Miffy], I think. I don't like that at all. I always think, "No, don't do that. Try to make something that you think of yourself".<ref name=Telegraph>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/donotmigrate/3557810/Dick-Bruna-creator-of-the-Miffy-books-talks-about-his-life-and-work.html |title=Dick Bruna, creator of the Miffy books, talks about his life and work |date=July 31, 2008 |newspaper=[[Daily Telegraph]] |access-date=18 September 2010 |location=London |first=H. |last=Harrod |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905195923/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/donotmigrate/3557810/Dick-Bruna-creator-of-the-Miffy-books-talks-about-his-life-and-work.html |archive-date=2009-09-05}}</ref> In 1999, Miffy was the ninth top-selling character in Japan, where licensed merchandise sold {{¥|{{#expr:2100*(1.79/100)}} billion}}<ref name="Japan1999">{{cite book |last=Tsukada |first=Yuko |chapter=Action! Report No.3: 市場環境を調べる |title=クリエイターのための自営学 |chapter-url=https://jieigaku.net/report3-2.htm |publisher=Creative Work Station / [[:ja:明日香出版社|Asuka Publishing]] |date=September 7, 2001 |isbn=4756911501 |language=ja |access-date=September 7, 2018}}</ref> ({{US$|{{#expr:37590/113.907 round 0}} million|long=no}}).<ref>{{cite web |title=Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) - Japan |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/PA.NUS.FCRF?end=1999&locations=JP&start=1998 |website=[[World Bank]] |year=1999 |access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref>

In addition, on 26 August 2010, Mercis BV, representing Bruna, brought suit against Sanrio with the claim that one of Hello Kitty's companion characters, a rabbit named Cathy, infringes on the copyright and trademark of Miffy.<ref name=miffysuit>{{cite press release | url=http://www.sanrio.co.jp/rs/english/corporate/ir/detail/20101104.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930032019/http://www.sanrio.co.jp/rs/english/corporate/ir/detail/20101104.pdf |archive-date=2011-09-30 |url-status=live | title=Announcement of Provisional Disposition Order Against Sanrio | publisher=Sanrio Company, Ltd. | date=November 4, 2010 | access-date=July 25, 2011}}</ref> On 2 November 2010, a Dutch court ruled against Sanrio and ordered the company to stop marketing Cathy products in [[Belgium]], [[Luxembourg]], and the Netherlands.<ref name=miffysuit /><ref>{{cite news | last=Kollewe | first=J. | title=Miffy biffs Cathy in Kitty copycat case | newspaper=The Guardian | url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2010/nov/04/cathy-infringes-miffy-copyright-case | access-date=May 16, 2011 | location=London | date=November 4, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Dawson | first=C. |author2=K. Takeuchi | title=Miffy, Hello Kitty Take Bunny Beef to Court | newspaper=Wall Street Journal | url=https://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2010/11/04/miffy-hello-kitty-take-bunny-beef-to-court/ | access-date=May 16, 2011 | date=November 4, 2010}}</ref> On 7 June 2011, following the [[2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami|Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami]] in Japan, Sanrio and Mercis reached an out-of-court settlement requiring Sanrio to halt production of merchandise that features Cathy. Instead of continuing the court battle, the two companies announced that they would donate the legal fees to help the earthquake victims.<ref>{{cite press release | url=http://www.sanrio.co.jp/rs/english/corporate/ir/detail/20110607.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930032026/http://www.sanrio.co.jp/rs/english/corporate/ir/detail/20110607.pdf |archive-date=2011-09-30 |url-status=live | title=Announcement Regarding Legal Dispute Settlement | publisher=Sanrio Company, Ltd. | date=June 7, 2011 | access-date=July 25, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/japans-hello-kitty-resolves-bunny-battle-miffy | title=Japan's Hello Kitty resolves bunny battle with Miffy | publisher=Radio Netherlands Worldwide | access-date=June 16, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016224635/http://www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/japans-hello-kitty-resolves-bunny-battle-miffy | archive-date=October 16, 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Sculptuur 'Nijntje' door Marc Bruna, Nijntjepleintje, Utrecht.jpg|thumb|right|260x260px|Miffy statue at the Nijntjepleintje ("Little Nijntje Square") in [[Utrecht (city)|Utrecht]], the Netherlands.]]
In the early 1990s, an image of Miffy holding an [[adjustable spanner]] coyly behind her back appeared on flyers produced by people taking [[direct action]] against the [[UK]] government's road building program. This unauthorised use of the character spread<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/2879 |title=Miffed by Miffy, Earth First! Action Reports |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301140718/http://www.earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/2879 |archive-date=2012-03-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and Miffy became a [[mascot]] for groups involved in radical ecological direct action.

In Bruna's hometown, [[Utrecht (city)|Utrecht]], a square was named after Miffy (Nijntje), the Nijntjepleintje (lit: Little Miffy Square, the diminutive for square in Dutch: plein''tje'' retains the rhyme with nijntje as the ij and ei digraphs are pronounced identical in Dutch {{IPA|nl|ɛi|nl|Nl-IJ.ogg}}). In 2006, the [[Centraal Museum]] opened a permanent exhibition, the ''dick bruna huis'' (Dick Bruna house). Bruna distributed all DVDs from miffy with [[Warner Home Video]]. In 2015, Bridge Entertainment DVD acquired bruna's home videos.<ref>[http://centraalmuseum.nl/en/visit/locations/dick-bruna-house/ ''dick bruna huis''.]
{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150420070814/http://centraalmuseum.nl/en/visit/locations/dick-bruna-house/ |date=2015-04-20 }} Centraal Museum, Utrecht.<!--PLEASE LEAVE THIS IN LOWER CASE! check reference for explanation--></ref>

Miffy celebrated her fiftieth birthday in 2005. This was marked in cities across the globe, for example, at the [[Manchester Art Gallery]] in England. She also serves a "celebrity character spokesperson" for [[UNICEF]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nls.uk/news/press/2007_03_16.html |title=Miffy exhibition comes to Edinburgh |date=March 16, 2007 |publisher=[[National Library of Scotland]] |access-date=20 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711114730/http://www.nls.uk/news/press/2007_03_16.html |archive-date=July 11, 2009 }}</ref>

Miffy's namesakes include a new species of [[Psocoptera|booklouse]] from [[Peru]]. The insect was given the scientific name ''Trichadenotecnum miffy'' in 2008, because its epiproct, an appendage on its abdomen, resembles a small rabbit.<ref name=booklouse>Yoshizawa, K., et al. (2008). [https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20081031165306/http://insect3.agr.hokudai.ac.jp/psoco-web/pdf/2008zjls/Tricha-New%20World-revised%20ms.rtf.pdf Systematics and biogeography of the New World species of ''Trichadenotecnum'' Enderlein (Insecta: Psocodea:"Psocoptera": Psocidae).] ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'' 153(4) 651-723. (pg. 87)</ref>

In July 2014, Bruna announced his retirement; the rights to the Miffy character were not sold.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nltimes.nl/2014/07/30/nijntje-creator-dick-bruna-retires/ | title=Nijntje creator Dick Bruna retires | work=NLTimes | date=30 July 2014 | access-date=31 July 2014 | author=Zech, Maxime}}</ref> On 16 February 2017, Dick Bruna died at the age of 89.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://nos.nl/artikel/2158702-tekenaar-dick-bruna-89-overleden.html | title=Tekenaar Dick Bruna (89) overleden | publisher=Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) | access-date=17 February 2017}}</ref>

In 2021, Miffy collaborated with Converse<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-23 |title= Pop Trading X Miffy|url=https://www.converse.com.au/pop-trading-x-miffy |website=Converse}}</ref> to capsule menswear collection in the Netherlands to celebrate the creator of Miffy, Dick Bruna. In December 2022, Tommy Hilfiger announced its new collection with Miffy<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elizabeth |first=Joanna |date=2022-12-20 |title=Tommy Hilfiger & Miffy Take on the Lunar New Year in Style |url=https://www.fashiongonerogue.com/tommy-hilfiger-miffy-lunar-new-yar-2023/}}</ref> as the main attraction for the new partnership in celebration of the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit.

==See also==
{{Portal|Children's literature}}
* [[Musti (character)#Musti, Miffy and Hello Kitty|Musti]]
* [[Sanrio]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.miffy.com Official ''Miffy'' website (English)]
* [http://www.nijntje.nl Official ''Nijntje'' website (Dutch)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090518073246/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3656988/I-saw-Matisse---and-came-up-with-Miffy.html "I saw Matisse - and came up with Miffy"], article by ''The Telegraph''
* [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3642536/The-little-rabbit-with-a-big-audience.html "The little rabbit with a big audience"], article by ''The Telegraph''

{{Miffy}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1955 children's books]]
[[Category:Dutch children's books]]
[[Category:Dutch picture books]]
[[Category:Series of children's books]]
[[Category:Female characters in literature]]
[[Category:Child characters in literature]]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic rabbits and hares]]
[[Category:Dutch novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:Dutch novels adapted into television shows]]
[[Category:Dutch novels adapted into plays]]
[[Category:Children's novels about rabbits and hares]]
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1955]]
[[Category:1980s British children's television series]]
[[Category:1990s British children's television series]]
[[Category:1980s British animated television series]]
[[Category:1990s British animated television series]]
[[Category:1980s Dutch television series]]
[[Category:1990s Dutch television series]]
[[Category:1984 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1996 British television series endings]]
[[Category:1984 Dutch television series debuts]]
[[Category:1996 Dutch television series endings]]
[[Category:1980s preschool education television series]]
[[Category:1990s preschool education television series]]
[[Category:Animated preschool education television series]]
[[Category:British preschool education television series]]
[[Category:British television shows based on children's books]]
[[Category:British English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Dutch-language television shows]]
[[Category:Television shows based on Dutch novels]]
[[Category:Animated television series about rabbits and hares]]
[[Category:Animated television series about children]]
[[Category:Fictional Dutch people]]
[[Category:Short stories about talking animals]]