Rocket Licensing to rep Miffy in the UK and Eire

Mercis, which manages the works of Dick Bruna, has appointed Rocket Licensing to represent global icon Miffy in the UK and Eire.

Mercis has been keen to secure a new home for Miffy after previous manager DRI Licensing’s decision to wind down the company.

Marja Kerkhof, MD of Mercis, says: “Our mission is to share Dick Bruna’s work, and Miffy, with as many people as possible, but always with respect for art and the world of a child. It is never easy to make this kind of decision when working with someone’s oeuvre, but it is my belief that Miffy will be in good hands with Rob, Charlie and the Rocket team. We look forward to this collaboration and the exciting possibilities it could bring. But first let’s focus on 2023, Ýear of the Rabbit!”

Rob Wijeratna, Joint MD of Rocket Licensing, adds: “We are so excited to welcome Miffy on board at Rocket Licensing. She is a classic design brand and is instantly recognisable across generations, cultures and languages. Her iconic status is largely down to the simple, impactful design and the key core values of fun, imagination and simplicity.

“Miffy’s licensing programme spans all ages and categories and has featured some exciting collaborations and experiential events, and as we approach the Year of the Rabbit in 2023, our team is really looking forward to building on that and taking the consumer products programme to the next level.”

Miffy partners with BYBORRE for knitwear and accessories collection

Miffy – the iconic bunny character created by graphic artist Dick Bruna – is launching  a new limited-edition, responsibly sourced men’s knitwear and accessories range.

The collection has been created by BYBORRE, a Dutch textile innovation company committed to democratizing the textile industry by offering transparency, reliability and freedom in textile creation.

To achieve this, BYBORRE uses its award-winning software platform Create™ to allow the design, sampling and production of textiles all in one place in the company’s Amsterdam-based knitlab, or via its transparent ecosystem of suppliers. This approach means less waste and more design freedom for the company and the creators with which it collaborates.

Dick Bruna’s illustrative style – recognised worldwide – captures the essence of a character or story with just a few lines and a small range of colours.

BYBORRE has mirrored this style, producing a capsule collection of refined menswear where the simple designs play with the scale of Bruna’s artwork; some garments feature large-scale linework, others feature smaller repeat patterns, some just feature subtle imprints of Miffy’s iconic silhouette. The palette of colours, like Bruna’s, is limited.

The collection spans men’s staples such as a suit jacket, trousers and button tee, as well as key pieces that have featured in previous BYBORRE limited edition ranges but have evolved here – including an open-back vest, layer shirt and an A-type jacket.

The range also includes lifestyle accessories comprising a versatile everyday bag, a large woven blanket, a FIDLOCK equipped Keycord and a classic 5-Panel cap.

Marja Kerkhof, MD of Mercis, which manages the Miffy brand, says: “The new BYBORRE collection is an important step in the evolution of our global collections for the Miffy brand. Not only is the range responsibly produced – something we want more of our licensees to consider – but it also showcases Miffy’s design kudos and unisex appeal, together with the creative flexibility Dick Bruna’s work offers.”

Borre Akkersdijk, CCO of BYBORRE, adds: “It has been a privilege to pay homage to Dick Bruna’s art in our 10th Limited Edition. We hope it will inspire creators worldwide ‘to be part of something bigger’ by creating consciously bespoke textiles that don’t impact the planet.”

The Miffy BYBORRE limited edition range is now available from Selfridges in the UK and www.byborre.com

Audio storyteller Tonies welcomes Disney’s Aladdin, Peter Rabbit, and Miffy to its licensed library

The audio storytelling platform, Tonies continues to strengthen its licensed story portfolio with new additions from Disney’s Aladdin, Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, and Miffy.

Expanding its licensing partnerships with Disney, Penguin Random House, and Miffy brand owner, Mercis, Tonies has launched the three new additions to its growing collection of licensed story-telling figurines.

Each character can be placed on top of the Toniebox audio system for children to listen to their classic stories, as the firm offers children new ways to engage with their favourite characters through both screen-free play and storytelling.

Peter Rabbit introduces children to the world of Beatrix Potter with the inclusion of a collection of stories featuring The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, The Tale of Mr Tod, and The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies.

Meanwhile, Miffy’s Adventures features ten tales of adventure as Miffy and her friends learn to cope with difficult situations and discover new things.

The line-up is completed with Disney’s teling of its animated classic, Aladdin.

The latest additions have been made available to retailers across the UK from this week.

Miffy celebrates 65th anniversary with a year of licensing and collaborations success

It’s been a 65th anniversary celebrated in style for Dick Bruna’s iconic white bunny character, Miffy, whose fans have been ‘spoiled by an array of new products’ released throughout 2020.

A highlight of the milestone year – and not one to be forgotten anytime soon – has been the Miffy Design Challenge, in which brand owner Mercis invited design and fashion students from across the world to re-imagine the character by designing a new outfit for a 3D Miffy.

No fewer than 82 highly creative entries have been whittled down to 10 winners, each of which has been produced as an exclusive, limited-edition plush collection by Dutch licensee, Bon Ton Toys. Launched in the UK with a competition via the Miffy Shop. fans were given the chance to win one of the exclusive winning plush toys before it is launched to retailers across the world.

This summer saw the launch of a high-end collection of Miffy bags and purses from Strathberry, as well as a new range of craft kits from Stitch and Story that brought Miffy and friends, including Poppy Pig and Boris Bear brought to market. Licensed to Charm launched a range of silver and gold Miffy-inspired jewellery for the teen and adult market, while still to come is a new Miffy Christmas charm from the gift partner Magpie, and bamboo plates will follow recent tinware lines.

In publishing, Dick Bruna became the star of the latest edition of Thames & Hudson’s series The Illustrators which celebrates our greatest illustrators and acts as an introduction to the art and techniques of Bruna including his creation of Miffy. A new treasury of four Miffy classic stories was also published by Simon & Schuster in October. 

Translating well into fashion across the ages, Tobias and the Bear launched a new baby and toddler collection with a new distinctive and stylish unisex handwriting. A partnership with Next in girlswear has been rewarded with a Licensing Awards nomination, while another success story for this year was the Miffy NHS Heroes T-Shirts initiative.

Alicia Davenport, licensing director at DRi Licensing, said: “In spite of this year’s many challenges we were happy to be able to celebrate Miffy’s milestone birthday with so many genuinely beautiful and innovative new collections. And as we come to the end of this celebratory year, it has been a wonderful pinnacle for Miffy to be selected as a Finalist in the prestigious Licensing Awards, Classic Licensed Property category.”