Nijntje

Miffy is a picture book character in the form of a small rabbit drawn by Dick Bruna. Her original Dutch name is nijntje, which stems from a toddler's pronunciation of the word 'konijntje' meaning 'little rabbit'.

Miffy was born in 1955. The Bruna family was on holiday at the seaside resort of Egmond aan Zee. During this holiday, Dick Bruna would tell his oldest son bedtime stories about a white rabbit who lived in the garden of the holiday home. The rabbit was later the inspiration for Miffy.

In the first Miffy book, she looks a bit like a fabric toy animal with somewhat clumsy ears. But since 1963, she has become the Miffy we know today.

The specific use of colours (which the author selects very carefully), the simple way of drawing and painting, and the small size of the books all contribute to Miffy's success, as well as the happy stories told in rhymes. But most important in Dick Bruna's work is the clarity of what he wants to say in his pictures. For all the children in the world his dog is a dog and not a horse. Everybody immediately understands what he is saying with his simple drawing. In short, Dick Bruna simply does more with less...

Currently, there are 31 titles for Miffy, and many more for the other characters. Until today, Dick Bruna has illustrated and written 119 books in total.