Miffy Is Crying

Dick Bruna (1927-2017) is one of the essential figures in world literature for early childhood. Among other characters, Dick Bruna created the famous bunny Miffy, who has been enchanting children and adults for generations.

Life: from book covers to posters and from posters to children's books.
Dick Bruna was born in Utrecht in 1927 and became one of the most internationally renowned Dutch artists. He began his career at his father's publishing house (Uitgeverij A.W. Bruna & Zoon) as a book cover designer, and soon after, his designs began to attract critical attention. His drawings for the Zwarte Beertjes [Black Bears] collection and for the books of Havank, Maigret, and The Saint became particularly famous.
After the covers came the posters. The famous designs created for the Zwarte Beertjes collection posters are probably the most successful. From then on, Dick Bruna's work expanded into various other areas, from designing posters for art fairs and other types of events to postage stamps and logos for foundations.
In 2000, the Centraal Museum in Utrecht inaugurated a permanent exhibition of Dick Bruna's work, as irrefutable proof that his creations deserve to be considered true works of art. This is also evidenced by the various awards he has received to date, including the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Lion, the highest distinction conferred by the Royal Family of the Netherlands upon citizens who excel in their professions.
Dick Bruna remained involved in various social causes, with his work with pediatric hospitals being widely known. He also contributed to many humanitarian organizations, doing so in a strictly non-commercial way. His donations to UNICEF, Terre des Hommes, and the Red Cross are just a few examples. The publication of many of his books in Braille is another facet of his civic and social commitment.

A unique work: simplicity above all.
Dick Bruna's books are known worldwide, and this success is due to their simplicity. Indeed, the images are reduced to their essence, transforming into pictograms recognizable by everyone, anywhere in the world.
The vibrant colors used are unique. These are colors specially designed by and for Dick Bruna (the "Bruna colors," as they are known), constituting another of the unmistakable characteristics of the artist's body of work. The Dutch landscape and the "De Stijl" art movement were the sources of inspiration for this highly original palette.
The characters generally look directly at the reader, thus capturing and maintaining their attention, and evoke a universe of spontaneity and frankness, characteristics subconsciously associated with childlike naiveté and purity.

A little bunny named Miffy
Miffy was born in 1955, during the Bruna family's vacation in Egmond aan Zee. While his son played with a cloth bunny, Dick was, as always, drawing. Suddenly, he remembered the real rabbits he himself had had as a child and, in an instant, a beautiful little bunny appeared on his sheet of paper.
For the first time, there she was: the charming Miffy, who in a few years would become the most international of all children's literature characters. A female bunny, not a male bunny, simply because Dick Bruna preferred, at that moment, to draw a dress instead of trousers!
Inspired by the work of Matisse, Dick Bruna developed his own minimalist style and, with well-defined black lines and flat, vibrant colors, created his first Miffy book that same year.
The 1955 Miffy closely resembles the cloth toy from which it originated, with its somewhat rough and drooping ears. However, from 1963 onwards, it definitively assumed the form we know today, with two graceful pointed ears and two large black eyes that give it a perpetually cheerful and playful appearance.
Although Miffy the bunny has changed form over the years, the simplicity of her lines and the vibrancy of her colors have remained unchanged. These are the main characteristics of Dick Bruna's style, which are invariably present in all his works.
Miffy isn't Dick Bruna's only creation. She also created Poppy the pig, Snuffy the puppy, and the teddy bears Boris and Barbara. Each of these characters has its own personality and they all have separate adventures that are now part of the imagination of millions of children around the world.

A surprisingly normal concept
Dick Bruna's books are presented with hard covers and in a square format, suitable for the frequent handling by young readers.
The stories are written in rhyme, which also ensures the child's attention. However, it is the drawings that constitute the "soul" of Dick Bruna's books, who considered himself "first a painter and an illustrator and only then a writer".
Dick Bruna's books encourage children to unleash their imagination and lead them to explore and experience new emotions.
The stories unfold in an environment close to everyday life, because it is often in daily routines that the most surprising things are found. They also always teach children something, as they always involve some kind of discovery. Furthermore, all the books have an educational character, ranging from learning to count to identifying animals.
Dick Bruna's books are now read all over the world, and have been published in more than 40 languages.