Join us on a journey of discovery!

A Jan van Haasteren puzzle is more than just a jigsaw puzzle of a picture. Each puzzle tells a new adventure of the Jan van Haasteren family, and piece by piece, you discover what the family members are experiencing this time and complete their adventure. And just like with a good book or a good movie, you are curious about the next part afterwards.

Many of the characters you see in the plates almost all appear in every record and together form the Jan van Haasteren family. And as in any family, each family member has their own story. And they wouldn’t be Jan van Haasteren characters, if there wasn’t also a good dose of absurdity in the characters.

Jan van Haasteren

Jan’s drawing career began in 1961 at the Toonder Studios, and he quickly became a well-known comic artist with several series to his name. His best-known works are Tinus Trotyl, Sjaak en Oom George, and Erik en Opa. In 1977, Jan created his first illustration poster for Bokma, and from that moment, commercial assignments started pouring in.

Read more about Jan

History

During Jan’s life and the existence of the brand, there are many beautiful moments to display in a timeline.

  • 1936

    Jan was born on 24 February 1936 in Schiedam.

  • 1951-1955

    Jan studied at the Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten (Academy of Fine Arts) in Rotterdam.

  • 1955

    Jan was called up for military service and soon became the commander’s house artist.

  • 1961

    Jan went to work at the Toonder Studios, where he contributed, among other things, to the comics Kappie and Panda.

  • 1967

    Jan started out as a freelancer, but he also continued working for Toonder and Geesink.

  • 1972

    Jan began drawing his first own comic, Baron van Tast tot Zeveren. In the very first instalment of this comic, the shark’s fin made its debut.

  • 1973-1989

    During this period, Jan also created many other comics, the best-known being Tinus Trotyl, Sjaak en Oom George, and Erik en Opa. These characters still occasionally appear in his puzzle illustrations.

  • 1977

    Jan creates his first illustration poster based on the comic Baron van Tast tot Zeveren for Bokma lemon gin. It’s a resounding success.

  • 1978-2001

    The success of the Bokma poster doesn’t go unnoticed, and Jan receives more and more commercial assignments, including advertising posters. He continues working on commercial projects until his retirement in 2001.

  • 1980

    Although some of his drawings had already been turned into puzzles before, in 1980 Jumbo released the first illustration as a puzzle. It marked the start of a fruitful collaboration. After his retirement, Jan continued creating puzzle illustrations exclusively for Jumbo.

  • 2013

    Jan was awarded a royal decoration in recognition of his distinguished career and his contribution to the Dutch comic landscape. The honour was conferred by the mayor of Bergen.

  • 2013

    Due to the growing demand for new puzzle illustrations, the Jan van Haasteren Studio was established. Under Jan’s guidance, Dick Heins and Rob Derks also created puzzle illustrations.

  • 2020

    Puzzling remains as popular as ever, both in the Netherlands and far beyond. More and more people are becoming fans of Jan van Haasteren’s absurd world!

  • 2022

    Jan van Haasteren goes green! The box is no longer wrapped in plastic shrink film but sealed with a sticker, and the plastic bag for the pieces has been replaced with paper. Step by step, all 1000-piece puzzles will follow this more sustainable production method.

  • 2023

    2023 marks a special year for Jan van Haasteren. Together, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Jan van Haasteren Studio.