Miffy: Famous rabbit goes interactive to celebrate 70th birthday

The international phenomenon was created by Dutch artist and illustrator Dick Bruna, and the exhibition at Leeds City Museum features a collection of screenprints, films, pencil drawings, paintings, original book designs and merchandise from across the world alongside stop motion models from the TV series Miffy and Friends.

The free interactive exhibition, which is open until September 7, brings Miffy to life through giant versions of some of the illustrated icon’s most popular books, inviting visitors to enter Miffy’s world, play hide and seek among the trees and use their imaginations to create their own stories using puppets, drawings and colour.

A collaboration with Mercis bv, the global brand owner of Miffy, the concept for the exhibition began in 2022 when Leeds Museums and Galleries won a prestigious European award for its learning programmes.

The trophy awarded to the service was a bronze sculpture of Miffy created by Dick Bruna’s youngest son, Marc Bruna.

Matt Storey, Leeds City Museum’s principal keeper, said: “It’s a real joy to welcome such a world-famous character to Leeds and for the museum to be playing an important part in celebrating 70 years of both Miffy and Dick Bruna’s unique art, life and legacy.”

Originally created on June 21, 1955, Bruna first drew Miffy to entertain his young son whilst on a rainy seaside holiday in Holland, telling him stories about a rabbit which ran around the garden of their holiday home.

The acclaimed series of picture books which followed used simple illustrations and rhyming text to explore universal childhood themes, with Miffy becoming globally synonymous with friendship, innocence, fun and design.