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Did you know that some of the most iconic children’s characters come from the Netherlands and Belgium? Miffy was born in a small seaside resort called Egmond aan Zee more than 65 years ago when her creator Dick Bruna drew a little rabbit for his son. Since then Miffy has become a famous and recognisable character across the world with books, TV shows, toys and more. In Utrecht there is a whole interactive child friendly museum dedicated to her! Over in Belgium the character Tintin and of course the famous Smurfs are testament to the comic book culture and their books are still enjoyed to this day by children around the world.
We’ve selected a few of our favourite toys and books with a connection to the Netherlands and Belgium. These are the perfect Christmas gifts to inject a bit of the Low Countries into your homes! Any purchases made via these links may gain us a small commission from Amazon.
A 30cm x 30cm Miffy calendar with a different picture each month. So you get to look at Miffy all year round! A lovely, happy calendar to hang in your kitchen or do as the Dutch do and hang it in your toilet with everyone’s birthdays noted on. Also perfect for counting down the days to your next Little Clogs holiday!
This cute rucksack measures 30 x 24 cm so an ideal size for nursery or going out and about. Or a perfect bag for your little traveller to put all their holiday bits and bobs in for a car journey or flight and ideal for a day trip!
We love the Miffy books. They are bright, a nice length to read to young children and simple language so that early readers can enjoy reading them too! Miffy was born at the seaside and the Netherlands beaches are the ideal location for a child friendly holiday. They are some of the safest and cleanest beaches in Europe and stretch on for miles. Perfect for building sand castles, running free and collecting shells. Many have playgrounds and some even have Miffy orientation poles. See if you can spot one next time you are in the Netherlands! If you like this book there is a whole collection!
SEARCH ALL MIFFY
We love this quirky Smurf jigsaw puzzle house and the red toadstool makes us think about all the magical woodland walks in the Netherlands and Belgium. The Smurf jigsaw has 48 pieces and is perfect for little hands!
Join Tintin, the world’s most famous travelling reporter, on his worldwide adventures with this set of 2 cars. Suitable for ages 14 months and up. A perfect gift for a car loving child or grown up!
The Adventures of Tintin series 2 is a collection of 5 paperback books. These books are suitable for independent readers ages about 9 up but can be enjoyed by little ones too as part of their story time. the books are full of pictures too. These are fun books with an educational value teaching children about history and geography.
This one isn’t Miffy, Tintin or Smurfs related but Bumba the Clown is a well known character in Belgium and features heavily in baby and toddler toys and books. Bumba is one of the Plopsa characters you will find at Plopsaland theme park on the Belgian Coast! We have one of these soft baby comforters (called Snuffeltjes in Dutch) and our little boy loved it as a baby!
