Miffy!

Meet Miffy at Hangaram Design Museum

Miffy, the beloved Dutch cartoon rabbit, will meet Korean fans through the “Miffy at the Museum” exhibition at the Hangaram Design Museum, Seoul Arts Center. Shown here is “Miffy Mondrian” (1997).

/ Courtesy of Hangaram
Design Museum

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Miffy, the iconic little rabbit from the Netherlands, gets closer to Korean fans through the ``Miffy at the Museum'' exhibition at the Hangaram Design Museum, Seoul Art Center.

Created by famed Dutch artist and illustrator Dick Bruna in 1955, Miffy has delighted generations of children throughout the decades.

Miffy is originally known by her Dutch name "Nijntje," based on how a toddler pronounces the word for little rabbit, ``konijntje.'' Bruna has authored 30 Miffy books in addition to almost 100 books for other characters. His books have been translated into 40 different languages, and have sold 80 million copies worldwide.

Miffy is beloved in the Netherlands, and in Bruna's hometown of Utrecht, there is even a Nijntje Little Square, named after the character.

Bruna had hoped to visit Korea for this rare exhibition, but could not make it due to his age (he turns 82 years old next month) and the long travel time from the Netherlands.

The Seoul exhibition begins with a brief introduction of Bruna and how he created Miffy. As the story goes, in 1955, Bruna and his family were on vacation in Egmond aan Zee, when he started telling stories about a little rabbit who lived in a garden to his one-year-old son. That rabbit became the inspiration for Miffy.

Bruna used a minimalist style in creating Miffy, using only a few lines and sticking to six basic colors: red, blue, yellow, brown, gray, and black.

Visitors can see the evolution from the original sketch of a toy-like character to the adorable Miffy we all know and love.

Also on display are Bruna's works as a graphic designer and illustrator for his father's publishing company, A.W. Bruna and Zoon. These postcards, book covers, posters, and other materials were originally part of the ``2000X Dick'' exhibition, which was shown in Netherlands. These works are being shown for the first time in Asia.


Miffy (2002)Another section shows original pencil sketches and prints of Miffy that provide insight into how Bruna brings his initial ideas to paper. Even now at 81, Bruna reportedly continues to work six days a week

Miffy is not just a book character, but a popular design for toys, stationery and other items sold around the world. Organizers asked Korean artists and designers to incorporate the character in their artworks and designs for the ``Miffy the Artist'' section. The stylish Miffy lamps would be a cool item to light up anyone's home, while the wall mural is definitely an eye-catching work.

``Miffy 100 Plus 100'' features white molded Miffy dolls as designed by artists, designers, brands and celebrities. Here you can find Miffy in a traditional Korean hanbok and a Bruna-inspired Miffy made of Swarovski Crystallized Elements. One doll is even modeled after weightlifter and Olympic gold medallist Jang Mi-ran.

In ``Miffy Play,'' kids will have fun playing with the interactive multimedia works. Two walls are filled with Miffy books, along with computer screens showing animated shows.

For ``Happy Birthday Miffy,'' children can hold up cake- or gift-shaped pillows in front of a camera, and watch themselves on a big screen as Miffy and other characters pop up.

There's also a puppet show featuring Miffy and friends for children to watch and learn. Children can also learn to draw the cute character.

The exhibition is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. It is closed on July 27. Tickets are 15,000 won. Visit www.miffyartist.com or www.sac.or.kr.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr