Over the years, we have received a lot of questions about Dick Bruna and his Miffy character. This little rabbit has been tugging at our heartstrings for some time now, so we wanted to find out more about who Bruna is and where Miffy comes from.
Dick Bruna is a Dutch artist who was born in the Dutch province of Utrecht in 1927. He came from a long line of publishers, as his great-grandfather started a publishing company called A.W. Bruna & Zoon in 1866, which was then passed down through the family for many generations. It grew to be one of the largest publishing companies in the Netherlands under the management of Bruna’s father, Albert Bruna. Bruna’s first job was as an artist, creating covers for books at his father’s publishing company.
In the late 1950s, the Miffy (Nijntje in Dutch) character was born. Bruna has said that his inspiration for the white, Hello Kitty-esque rabbit was from a rabbit that he observed hopping around his vacation home while he was with his children and his wife. Bruna wanted to take the image of the rabbit and turn him into cartoon form. From there, the image of Miffy was born. Of course, Miffy has gone through a number of subtle transformations throughout the years, yet Bruna has still stuck to the same basic, happy-go-lucky rabbit that so many people have fallen in love with.
Bruna went on to create more than 120 books, most of which are about the fluffy bunny that is Miffy. Readers have come to truly identify with this female rabbit because she is drawn in a very simplistic style. She is not complicated for children to identify with, and her sweet stories have inspired millions. Bruna’s style is defined by simple, clean lines and basic shapes that are very non-threatening for children.
Miffy is now a popular character, not only on books but on greeting cards and postcards as well, bringing cheer wherever she goes. For more about Bruna and Miffy, visit Miffy’s website. And if you’re ever in Utrecht, don’t miss the Dick Bruna museum!
