Miffy pops up at Westfield London this summer

Miffy’s first UK food pop-up launches this summer at Westfield White City, when Dick Bruna’s classic character takes over Ichiba, Europe’s largest food hall, on 11 July (until 30 September 2022).

This summer’s take-over of Ichiba aims to delight Miffy’s broad audience – from families with young children to adult design fans, Westfield shoppers, London tourists and Instragrammers looking for the latest foodie vibe.

Located in Westfield’s new extension on the lower ground floor, Ichiba will deck out its 17,400 sq ft of dining and retail space with Miffy’s familiar form, including eye-catching window vinyls, brightly coloured POS and backdrops, plus a giant 2m high Miffy lamp (the perfect prop for selfie-lovers).

For the in-store dining experience, Ichiba’s chefs will serve up Miffy-shaped buns filled with red bean paste, carrot-shaped buns filled with matcha custard, matcha buttercream Miffy cookies, plus a range of Miffy-inspired lattes.

An exclusive Japan Centre x Miffy tote bag will be available in-store at Ichiba and online at japancentre.com, plus other Miffy merchandise including on-the-go coffee mugs, plush, books, interior gifts and cooking utensils. Bunny-shaped baking pans and cookie cutters will be available to purchase so visitors can recreate the Ichiba x Miffy cookies at home.

Highlight PR, which brokered the 12-week pop up, is supporting the activation with an extensive marketing campaign, including a giant display unit filled with Miffy plush located in Westfield’s parenting area (part of a #FindMiffy social challenge to drive footfall to Ichiba), a paid influencer partnership with Great British Bake Off finalist Kim-Joy, plus a day of free family activities in-store on Saturday 23 July, comprising origami craft activities and a costume appearance.

Marja Kerkhof, MD of Mercis bv, which manages Miffy creator Dick Bruna’s worldwide copyrights, says: “Despite her Dutch roots, there is nevertheless a great synergy between Miffy and Japanese culture. This promotion with Ichiba will give the brand fantastic exposure in the UK within a luxury retail environment. It is also perfect timing ahead of the Year of the Rabbit in 2023.”

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

Next gen home and lifestyle platform Fy! partners with Mercis for official Miffy collection

The next gen home, living, and lifestyle retail platform, Fy!, has detailed a new collaboration with Mercis BV to launch an official Miffy collection this week, spanning wall art, textiles, and tech accessories.

The collection will land on the platform on Wednesday, April 28th.

Molly Pusey, Fy! VP of supply, commented: “At Fy!, we’re passionate about building our global community of brands and artists. We’re thrilled to welcome Miffy and friends to our platform. The much loved illustrations have captured our hearts and are a fantastic addition to our current product offering. We hope our customer loves the nostalgic designs as much as we do.” 

Marja Kerkhof, managing director at Mercis, added: “We are very pleased to welcome Fy! to the Miffy family and love the designs of the products they will be offering. The vibrant colours are a true prelude to a lovely spring/summer season.” 

Fy! works directly with over 2,500 independent brands and artists to bring their unique home and living products to a new audience of mobile native shoppers. It has been developed with the 25 to 40 year old shopper in mind, tapping into what it believes is a market under-served by traditional retail. 

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.”

WildBrain CPLG partners leading Italian design school to celebrate 65 years of Miffy

The entertainment, sport, and brand licensing agency, WildBrain CPLG has teamed with the Italian design school Istituto Europeo di Design for a new fashion project that celebrates the 65th anniversary of Mercis BV’s character brand Miffy.

The project has seen students from award-winning design schools in the UK, Hong Kong, Italy, Mexico, and the Netherlands create limited edition Miffy plush, which are now on display in an exhibition titled ‘Miffy: 65 Years a Source of Inspiration’ at Centraal Museum in Utrecht.

Massimo Giacon, tutor and professor at IED, said: “I was delighted to oversee this design project – the Miffy character is known and loved all over the world, and it was an invigorating creative challenge. My priority was to demonstrate the story behind Miffy, and emphasise the character’s innocence and magic – harnessing the youthful energy and hope of our students as a lens for the project.

“Even if in our contemporary world there seems to be no space for simplicity and goodness, actually there is a great need for beauty. The final results created by IED students were so amazing they inspired me to create my own Miffy designs, and I’m sure all visitors to the exhibition will feel the same type of magic from this adorable character.”

Maria Gurrieri, managing director at WildBrain CPLG Southern Europe, added: “It has been a real pleasure to collaborate with Mercis BV and IED Milano on this project to celebrate young artists and design excellence as part of Miffy’s 65th anniversary. Creative partnerships such as these are an integral part of our strategy for Miffy in Italy as we look to build upon the brand’s legacy while also introducing Dick Bruna’s iconic creation to a new generation.

“We are delighted to see all the fantastic designs the students have created, which are testament to the inspiration Miffy has provided for designers over the last 65 years.”

In total, 86 Miffy plush designs were created by the international design students and are now on display at Centraal Museum Utrecht. This includes 20 designs from the 15 students involved at IED, across the institution’s Visual Arts, Fashion, Design and Communication courses.

The designs selected for the exhibition include Miffy in a space suit inspired by the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Miffy in an haute couture dress. The ten best designs have been selected by a jury of prominent fashion designers.

A compilation of ten designs from all participating academies will form the limited edition collectible collection which will be made available later this year.

Miffy celebrates 65th anniversary with exclusive Maggie & Rose partnership

Maggie & Rose, the global family members’ club, has teamed up with Dick Bruna’s classic children’s character, Miffy, to celebrate the little white bunny’s 65th anniversary this Easter.

The collaboration launches in London on Mother’s Day, Sunday, March 22, with a Miffy-themed afternoon tea available at the newly opened Maggie & Rose public café in Islington.

Set against a backdrop of Dick Bruna’s signature artworks on display in the café, guests can nibble on savoury sandwiches, Miffy cookies and orange macarons, washing the treat down with a healthy carrot shot.

The Miffy Afternoon Tea costs £12 each for adults (£15 to include a glass of Prosecco), and £5 each for children. Available from March 22 to April 14.

From March 30, the partnership will roll out into the classrooms and brasseries of the Maggie & Rose London clubs in Islington, Chiswick, and Kensington. Members and non-members can enjoy Miffy-themed art and cooking classes, storytelling and dressing up. The activity will run until April 14.

Maggie & Rose’s head of marketing, Anna O’Riordan, said: “We aim to bring families together in ways that are creative, educational and fun – whether that be through our clubs, classes or nurseries. Dick Bruna believed in allowing space for a child’s imagination.

“This mirrors Maggie & Rose’s approach to learning which centres around the process of creativity as being key to a little’s one development.”

The Maggie & Rose clubs located in China and Hong Kong will also be celebrating Miffy’s 65th birthday later in the year.