Miffy

Miffy (Dutch: nijntje, pronounced [ˈnɛiɲtɕə] nayn-chə) is a fictional rabbit appearing in a series of picture books drawn and written by Dutch artist Dick Bruna. The original Dutch name, nijntje, written in lowercase, is a shortening of the diminutive konijntje, "little rabbit" because Dick Bruna's son was not able to pronounce konijntje. The first Miffy book was published in 1955. More than thirty others have followed, selling over 100 million copies total. The character has also appeared in four television series: Dick Bruna's Miffy Storybook Classics from 1992; Miffy: Colors, Numbers, and Shapes from 1996; Miffy and Friends from 2003; and Miffy's Adventures Big and Small from 2015. On 30 January 2013 the feature-length film Miffy the Movie was released with Eva Poppink in the title role. Miffy appears in a range of merchandise, including clothes and toys. The character has sometimes been confused with Hello Kitty. In 2011, following accusations of trademark and copyright infringement, Sanrio agreed to stop producing a Hello Kitty companion character named Cathy. The legal fees were donated to charity.