Jan van Haasteren

Profile

Jan van Haasteren was born on February 24, 1936, in Schiedam, the Netherlands, and is the eldest son of Albert van Haasteren and Elizabeth Tilman.

Jan has two brothers, Herman (1939) and Cor (1949). He married his wife Romi, and together they had two daughters, Saskia (born 1968) and Petra (born 1971). Jan lives in Bergen, North-Holland, and enjoys playing tennis and chess. He has built a successful career as a cartoonist, resulting in the Netherlands’ most popular jigsaw puzzles in collaboration with ‘Jumbo’.

Childhood and Education

Jan discovered his passion for drawing at a young age. During his childhood, comics were always present, and the absurdity in them already appealed to him. He grew up in a period marked by social and political turmoil, as his childhood was during and immediately after World War II. This led to a turbulent youth for Jan; his schooling was interrupted, and he even lived in England for a short period before returning to his family in the Netherlands. But throughout it all, Jan never stopped drawing.

Jan spent two years  at a craftsmen school specializing in house and decoration painting to become a house painter. He decorated the bedroom that he shared with his brother, where his iconic ‘little hands’ first appeared. From 1951 to 1955, Jan attended the Academy of Visual Arts and Technical Sciences in Rotterdam, where he followed his father’s advice and decided to pursue a degree in advertising design.

Career

Jan began his career at the advertising agency Grijseels, after which he obtained a job at Nijgh & Van Ditmar. Jan worked as an assistant to Loek van Delden on the strip "Smidje Verholen," making his debut as a cartoonist. His career as a cartoonist really took off when Jan started working at the Marten Toonder Studios. Jan contributed to strips such as "Kappie," "Tom Poes," "Donald Duck," "de Boze Wolf," and "Hiawatha.

Jan made a move to Geesink Studios, where he worked in the Geesink Artists department and contributed to "Rick de Kikker." Additionally, Jan continued to work as a freelancer for Toonder Studios. In 1967, he transitioned to working as a freelance cartoonist from home. During this time, his own work started to gain more recognition. Jan has collaborated with many people and has drawn numerous strips and advertising posters. His work is extensively described in the book  "Jan van Haasteren van striptekenaar tot puzzelfenomeen’’ ("Jan van Haasteren: From Cartoonist to Puzzle Phenomenon." Only available in dutch.) In 2006, Jan was honoured by Het Stripschap with the 'Bulletje en Boonestaak Schaal', and in 2013, he was appointed a Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau.

Some famous works

For the strip “Sjors and Eppo”, Jan brought the character Tinus Trotyl to life. Tinus Trotyl had a morbid love for explosions; one of his characteristic phrases is: “No Words, Just Bangs”. His inseparable companion Thomas consistently responds with: "Should you really be doing that, Tinus?" But of course, Tinus's plans go ahead regardless.

Together with Patty Klein, Jan created many comics, including “Bartje en Opa”. This collaboration continued with strips such as “Sjaak en Oom George” and “Erik en Opa”. The strip is considered one of the first Dutch family comics.

Baron van Tast, in full Baron van Tast tot Zeveren, is a comic that Jan started drawing for the comic magazine ‘Pep’. The stories revolve around the absurd adventures of Baron van Tast, who sees things others do not. The comic's absurd nature is emphasized by the many background gags that Jan includes into the drawings, such as the famous shark fin slicing through solid ground. Baron van Tast was highly successful among readers. Years later, several standalone comic albums of Baron van Tast were also published. The comic led Jan to start creating posters, which eventually led to the Jan van Haasteren jigsaw puzzles.