Mr Maria and Miffy...

Everyone knows Miffy.

But much less familar is the story of her creation...

Miffy was created in 1955 after Dutch artist Bruna had been telling his one-year-old son Sierk stories about a little rabbit they had seen earlier in the dunes, while on holiday at Egmond aan Zee.

Miffy became a female after Bruna decided that he wanted to draw a dress and not trousers on his rabbit. Depending on the story, Miffy can be a baby or four years old.

At first Miffy looked like a toy animal, with floppy ears, but by 1963 she looked the way we see Miffy today. Miffy is drawn in a minimalist style, requiring only a few lines and one or two primary colors. There are some colors that are never used, and Bruna can be picky about a certain shade of color, brown and grey for example, and will search for it until he is happy. Even though the things that he draws are not realistic, they are instantly recognisable, and Miffy is obviously a rabbit.

Many think that Miffy is Japanese, because Sanrio's Hello Kitty and friends are rendered using a similar line style. In addition, the Miffy brand is popular in Japan and there is a lot of Japanese-made Miffy merchandise. In an interview for the British paper The Daily Telegraph, Bruna expressed his dislike for Hello Kitty. "'That,' he says darkly, 'is a copy of Miffy, I think. I don't like that at all. I always think, "No, don't do that. Try to make something that you think of yourself".

Now Miffy has been given a new lease of life or should that be light by the wonderful Mr Maria

Mr Maria is a Dutch design studio based in Amsterdam. The studio was founded by Jannes Hak and Lennart Bosker. They aim to create eye-catching products for children of all ages. Shaping clouds into pure, clean and warm creations is their main goal as designers.

I adore their Fairy Tale Lamps.

They don’t just look like they’re straight out of a children’s story book—they are. These cute animals are the most treasured characters in Dutch children’s literature. For kids and adults alike, there’s no nicer way to keep bad dreams at bay.

Miffy XL 209 euros Miffy Dream 159 euros