On Saturday, June 21, the Queens Botanical Garden held a special 70th birthday event for Miffy, the beloved fictional bunny who first hopped into fans’ hearts in 1955.
The event in Flushing, featured an afternoon of fun and adorable festivities, including a meet-and-greet with the beloved character, a special scavenger hunt, flower planting, and a party featuring delicious sweets from Flushing-based bakery MochiiDo.
The special event ran from 12 to 4 p.m., giving guests the opportunity to explore the garden grounds, including the rose garden, which is in full bloom beginning this month. Miffy was at the party for a meet-and-greet for fans of all ages, including a photo op with the birthday bunny herself. There were also raffle prizes and fun activities like Miffy sugar cookie decorating.
A special highlight of the event included the assortment of handmade treats from MochiiDo bakery, which specializes in desserts and sweets with Sanrio characters like Hello Kitty, and desserts with unique flavors, like their ube tres leches. The Flushing-based bakery brought freshly made Miffy fruit sandwiches, cupcakes, and Miffy mochi donuts, to name a few. Visitors had the opportunity to enjoy the sweets amongst the beautiful garden grounds, along with singing Happy Birthday to Miffy.
Miffy was first created in 1955 by Dutch artist, Dick Bruna, with the original name, “nijntje,” meaning “little rabbit” in a series of picture books, followed by a television series, and clothing, toys, and accessories. The adorable character has become widely popular in Japan and other parts of Asia over the years, particularly after the character became picked up by a Japanese publishing house in the 1960s. The character is often confused with being part of Sanrio, for Hello Kitty’s creation in 1974 having a similar aesthetic to Miffy, but the bunny is a separate entity.
Queens Botanical Garden hosts many cultural and festive events throughout the year and is presently closing out a month filled with Pride events for all ages in the community. The garden has a roster of summer events coming up, including extended summer evenings, movie nights, volunteer opportunities, and more chances to enjoy the garden in its full bloom during the summer.
For those who missed the birthday celebration, Miffy treats from the special one-day event are still available at MochiiDo, located inside Foodie Town Flushing at 135-15 40th Rd., in Flushing.
To learn more about upcoming events at the garden, visit their website.
