By Isla Quinn
Small black eyes, two pointy ears and chubby cheeks: that is how the rights-holder’s own site describes the Miffy of today. She did not always look that way.
Where she came from
The rights-holder, the company Mercis, says Miffy was “born” in 1955. On holiday in Egmond aan Zee, Dick Bruna told his eldest son bedtime stories about a little white bunny who scampered round the garden of their holiday home. The official nijntje site gives Bruna’s dates as 23 August 1927 to 16 February 2017, both in Utrecht.
The name
Nijntje comes from the Dutch konijntje, “little bunny”, Mercis says. Outside the Netherlands the rabbit had a different name in each language, “le petit lapin” in French and “kleintjie” in Afrikaans among them, until 1996. Since then she has been Miffy everywhere outside the Netherlands.
What changed on the page
In the early years, Mercis says, Miffy looked a bit like a fluffy toy with floppy ears. From 1963, when the books were first published in square format, she took the look she has today. In Miffy’s Dream (1979) and the stories after it, her ears and face are slightly rounder and more balanced. After Miffy in the Tent (1995) her appearance stayed much the same until 2001, when the proportions of her head and body changed slightly in Miffy the Ghost, making her look more like a toddler. After a new baby arrives in Miffy and the New Baby (2003), she becomes a big sister.
How many books
Mercis says Miffy features in more than 30 books.
A note on the brand
Miffy is a living brand and this page is a history of a character, not a buying guide. Official information about Miffy comes from the rights-holder.
Dates in order
- 1927: Dick Bruna born in Utrecht, according to the official nijntje site.
- 1955: Miffy is “born”, according to Mercis.
- 1963: the books are first published in square format, according to Mercis.
- 1979: Miffy’s Dream; her ears and face slightly rounder, according to Mercis.
- 1996: the name Miffy becomes standard outside the Netherlands, according to Mercis.
- 2001: the proportions of her head and body change slightly, according to Mercis.
- 2003: Miffy and the New Baby, according to Mercis.
- 2017: Dick Bruna dies in Utrecht, according to the official nijntje site.
What we left out
Auction sums, museum arrangements, retail claims and every price.
Quick answers
What does Nijntje mean? According to Mercis, it derives from the Dutch konijntje, meaning “little bunny”. Outside the Netherlands she has been called Miffy since 1996.
When was Miffy created? Mercis, the rights-holder, gives 1955.
Who drew Miffy? Dick Bruna, born in Utrecht on 23 August 1927 and died there on 16 February 2017, according to the official nijntje site.
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