Miffy ’s Global Explorations

Miffy’s creator Dick Bruna was born on the 23rd of August in 1927 ‘Year of the Rabbit’ which, in hindsight, was a curious coincidence. From humble beginnings dating back to 1955 his bookbased bunny miffy has evolved into the icon we know today.

Friendship, curiosity, uncomplicated fun and focus on essence are the cornerstones of Miffy’s world and continue to resonate with people from all ages and walks of life.

Colour your world with Miffy does not only refer to the colour palette used in Miffy’s original books but is a much more inclusive call to embrace the colour of the world in a broader sense.

Miffy’s world is about the uniqueness of each and every individual and leaving room for the imagination. The element of surprise and differences are embraced without compromising on quality whilst still making it accessible to all.

Australia and New Zealand have embraced Dick Bruna’s work since the 70s and continue to support the program through long-term media, publishing and licensing partnerships.

form. Bringing these ideas to audiences and to instil a love of art, as Bruna did over his lifetime, was done in collaboration with seven contemporary Australian artists.

Both long-term partners The Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Children’s publisher Hardy Grant continue to broadcast the television series and re-issue new book formats in combination with Dick Bruna’s original square book titles respectively.

Categories like plush, gifting and lifestyle are firmly established through collaborations with Jasnor and Rhino Rhino with extensions into other categories like gifting and flowers with Interflora Australia.

The recent partnership with Erstwilder has seen the creation of a collection of wearable art for anyone with a leaning towards nostalgia, adventure, and the innocence of their youth which nicely compliments the Miffy X Sarsparilly collection. This retro style collection is an expression and call to “Wear Your True Colours” which aligns with Miffy’s overarching colour your world theme.

Cotton On has launched a special Year of the Rabbit capsule collection available in multiple territories and supported by a dedicated social media campaign.

The global brand collaborations with Tommy Hilfiger and Mulberry are also leaving a big footprint through their physical and online stores where the Miffy limited edition collections have been made available.

Miffy was ‘born’ on 21 June 1955, when Dutch artist Dick Bruna first drew the character to entertain his young son whilst on a rainy seaside holiday in Holland.The series of picture books which followed used simple illustrations and rhyming text to explore the universal experiences of childhood, immediately

With some delay due to COVID, the first major Miffy exhibition recently visited Brisbane’s QUT Art Museum and Melbourne’s Bunjil Place Gallery. It evolved around concepts that Bruna and other artists have grappled with over the ages, including colour, line and earning Bruna international critical acclaim as an author and artist.

DTR partnerships are an indispensable part of Mericis’ efforts to share Miffy with as many people as possible and their collaborations with Peter Alexander and Cotton On have over the last few years seen multiple launches of well-coordinated male, female, baby, toddler, kids and adult Miffy collections. Not only do these collections perform well in their home territory but they also resonate greatly in Asia and Southern-Africa.

68 years later, the Miffy books have sold more than 85 million copies, and are currently published in more than 50 languages. Merchandise is available across five continents and highly integrated business units in the fields of publishing, media and licensing support Miffy’s global explorations.

For more information about Dick Bruna’s life and work, visit www.miffy.com or contact info@mercis.nl

For the Australian and New Zealand Miffy licensing program please contact vincent.Jones@centaip.com