Studio Jan van Haasteren
The lead-up to the studio
The collaboration between Jan van Haasteren and Royal Jumbo began in 1980 with the puzzle Sportsday. This was the first Jan van Haasteren puzzle released by Jumbo. The puzzle was an immediate success, and more releases soon followed.
In the early years, there was no fixed approach to creating the puzzles. Jan mainly worked on advertising posters for various clients, and Jumbo selected illustrations that were suitable for publication as puzzles. This way of working continued for around fifteen years and proved successful for both parties.
Around 1995, demand for new Jan van Haasteren puzzles increased significantly. Waiting for new advertising posters took too long, leading Jumbo to commission Jan specifically to create puzzle illustrations. From that moment on, Jan began designing new drawings especially for the puzzle series, laying the foundation for the world that would later grow into Studio Jan van Haasteren.
The brand Jan van Haasteren
Over the years, the puzzles became increasingly popular, and people soon began referring to the well known “Jan van Haasteren puzzles”. As the number of releases continued to grow, there was a need for a recognisable identity for the puzzle series. For that reason, the brand was given an official logo, which has been redesigned several times over the years. Since 2014, the logo has been used not only for the puzzles but also for various merchandise and other products.
From that period onwards, the now familiar family members and recurring characters also began appearing more frequently in the puzzles. Think of the shark fin, Santa Claus, the thief, police officers and many other hidden details that fans enjoy searching for.
When Jan van Haasteren turned 65, he decided to stop doing other illustration work and focus entirely on creating puzzles for Royal Jumbo. Since then, he has worked on several new puzzle illustrations each year. Thanks to his lifelong collaboration with Jumbo, Jan continues to draw for as long as he enjoys it.
Fan base
Over the years, the Jan van Haasteren puzzles became increasingly popular and built a large and loyal fan base. Due to the growing demand for new puzzles, Jan’s eldest daughter, Saskia, became more and more involved in the creative process. She created enlarged pencil sketches, allowing Jan to begin working on new designs in the meantime.
In addition, father and daughter regularly hid funny details and little jokes for each other within the puzzle illustrations. In this way, the puzzles retained their recognisable humorous atmosphere, while more and more hidden elements emerged for fans to search for and enjoy.
In 2012, demand for new puzzles became so great that Jan van Haasteren and his eldest daughter Saskia could hardly keep up with the pace of enthusiastic puzzlers. This moment sparked the idea of working with multiple illustrators, laying the foundation for Studio Jan van Haasteren.
''Drawing is like speaking through a different medium, it's a language on it's own.''
Illustrators of Studio Jan van Haasteren
Before the creation of Studio Jan van Haasteren, Jan van Haasteren himself suggested approaching Rob Derks and Dick Heins as new illustrators for the puzzle series. Jan already knew both artists from previous meetings and workshops and had great confidence in their sense of humour and drawing style. After successful trial illustrations, Rob and Dick officially joined the illustration team, and Studio Jan van Haasteren became a reality in 2013.
To preserve the recognisable style of the puzzles, recurring characters, family members and familiar hidden elements became increasingly important within the illustrations. Since then, well known details such as the shark fin, Santa Claus, the thief, police officers and other hidden jokes have appeared in almost every puzzle. Although, every now and then, an illustrator still accidentally forgets to include a familiar element.
In the years that followed, the team expanded further. In 2021, Mars Gremmen joined Studio Jan van Haasteren, and a year later Wilma van den Bosch also strengthened the illustration team. Together, the illustrators ensure that Jan van Haasteren’s characteristic humour, chaos and recognisable style are preserved in every new puzzle.
Anniversary
In 2023, Studio Jan van Haasteren celebrated a special milestone: the studio’s tenth anniversary. The occasion was marked with several special projects and activities for fans and puzzle enthusiasts.
To celebrate the anniversary, Jan van Haasteren was invited by his good friend and artist Marius van Dokkum to take part in an exhibition at the Stadsmuseum Harderwijk. The exhibition Alle gekheid op een stukje was officially opened on 25 May 2023 and gave visitors an extensive look into the world of Jan van Haasteren, his illustrations and the history of the puzzles.
In addition, a remarkable XXXL puzzle containing no fewer than 30,200 pieces was released. This enormous edition consisted of ten separate puzzles of 3,162 pieces each, which together formed one gigantic image measuring approximately six metres wide and 1.8 metres high. The complete puzzle weighed more than twenty kilograms.
Especially for the anniversary, Rob Derks created the puzzle Jan van Haasteren Studio 10 Years. This illustration was not only included as part of the XXXL puzzle, but was also released as a separate 1000 piece puzzle. In addition, this anniversary puzzle was used as the final puzzle during the NK Legpuzzelen 2023.
Studio Jan van Haasteren
Studio Jan van Haasteren is not a physical studio where all illustrators work together every day around one large drawing table. Each illustrator works from their own home studio or workspace, each with their own methods and creative process.
The illustrators stay in contact through email, WhatsApp and shared meetings. Every quarter, they come together to discuss new puzzle themes, exchange ideas and provide feedback on each other’s work. The final planning and themes for the puzzles are determined by Koninklijke Jumbo, the publisher of the puzzle series.
Although each illustrator adds their own style and details, preserving the recognisable Jan van Haasteren atmosphere always remains central. Humour, chaos, hidden jokes and the familiar family members continue to be an important part of every puzzle.
Saskia, Jan’s eldest daughter, is no longer actively involved in drawing puzzles, but she remains closely connected to the studio. She helps safeguard the recognisable Jan van Haasteren style and also supports various activities surrounding the brand and puzzle series.
