The Dutch artist behind much-loved cartoon character Miffy the rabbit has died, aged 89.

Dick Bruna's floppy-eared, orange jumper-wearing bunny has delighted children since 1955.

Bruna created the character to entertain his infant son after seeing a rabbit in the dunes while on a seaside holiday and since then, over 80 million Miffy books have been sold.

Born in 1929 into a family of publishers, Bruna began his career as an illustrator of covers for books including Ian Fleming's James Bond series and the Inspector Maigret thrillers of Georges Simenon.

Miffy, known as Nijntje in Dutch, was his best known creation, enjoying great popularity in Asia and adorning lunchboxes the world over.