"Miffy" 70th Anniversary Exhibition: A Gentle Gift for People of All Ages
"Rabbit with a cross (X) on its mouth" has an impressive orange, blue, and yellow outfit and background.
Everyone has probably seen Miffy at least once. Miffy has long been loved as both a picture book character and a character in itself.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the creation of Dick Bruna (1927-2017), a Dutch-born graphic designer and children's book author.
A commemorative exhibition will be held at the Sogo Museum of Art in Yokohama from September 13, 2025 to November 4, 2025.
With the theme "More, More Miffy," over 200 original drawings and sketches from all 32 picture books in the Miffy series are on display, including original drawings that are visiting Japan for the first time.
This time, I attended the preview one day before the event, so I'll share what it was like!
But before that, let's review the basics about "miffy."
Bruna had already begun his career as a picture book author with "de appel" (The Apple Boy) in 1953. In 1955, he published "NIJNTJE" (The Little Bunny), which he wrote to tell his son about a baby rabbit he saw while on a trip to the beach with his family. From there, he released a total of 32 "miffy" works into the world. (Incidentally, if you include works other than the Miffy series, there are over 120 books!)
"NIJNTJE" is a combination of the Dutch words "konijn" (rabbit) and "tje" (small and cute). While Dutch speakers have no problem understanding the meaning, it is difficult to pronounce for speakers of other languages, and each language has its own unique meaning for "little rabbit." When publishing the English version, Bruna searched for a better term than "Little Bunny" together with the translator, and after much deliberation, they finally came up with "miffy." In the past, different names were used in different languages, but since 1996, "miffy" has become familiar outside of the Netherlands.
However, in Japan, the first translated book, "Little Bunny," was published in 1964, and in the picture book she is called "Bunny."
"Miffy" is a girl rabbit aged 0 to 6. The picture book depicts events involving her family (father, mother, baby, grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunt) and her friends at school from various angles and themes.
The commemorative exhibition begins on the coast where Bruna got the idea for Miffy.
Next, after passing through a zone showcasing Bruna's work as a graphic designer, the exhibition moves on to a number of original drawings and sketches arranged according to themes, such as "The Birth of Miffy," "Establishing the Bruna Style," "Family," "For All Children," and "More, More Miffy," while generally following the publication dates of the picture books. Handwritten notes of story ideas are also on display, giving a sense of the thoughts behind the stories. The latter half of the exhibition, in particular, features stories about themes you'll want to think about with your children, such as "death" and "diversity."
There are also videos throughout the film that give you a glimpse of the moment when Bruna creates Miffy.
The final event was a video of Bruna reading "The Bunny and the Sea" for the first time in 20 years. The reading in Dutch was easy on the ears, and not only the text but also Bruna's questions to the children listening provided clues as to how Miffy's gentle worldview was created, leaving the venue feeling happy.
Once you leave the exhibition zone, you'll find yourself in the exciting merchandise sales zone. There are many original goods for this commemorative exhibition, and you'll want to buy them all.
Not only Miffy fans, but also fans of the picture book "Usako-chan," Bruna fans, design lovers, children, and parents alike... Why not come and visit this exhibition, which will leave a warm feeling in everyone's hearts?
