Flipje Tiel, the raspberry character of the jam factory

Flipje originated as a promotional character for the jam factory ‘De Betuwe’. This factory was located at the end of the 19th century on the Grotebrugse Grintweg in Tiel. Under the name ‘Tielsche Koffiesiroop Fabriek’, coffee syrup was produced as a substitute for the then expensive coffee. This coffee syrup was made from apples, pears, beets, and carrots, allowing the manufacturer to gain experience in fruit preservation. In 1888, the name of the factory was changed to ‘Nederlandsche Fabriek van Verduurzaamde Vruchten Maatschappij de Betuwe NV’.

The factory started producing jam, as well as apple drinks, tomato juice, and apple syrup. The fruit for production was readily available in the Betuwe. After World War I, several jam factories emerged, increasing competition. The factory, which had acquired the predicate of Royal Supplier, fought for its market share. A modernization drive followed, with a new factory installation, a change in the company’s name to ‘Maatschappij de Betuwe N.V.’, and the search for new advertising methods. From this Flipje emerged.

‘De Betuwe’ had already been producing small children’s booklets promoting their products. In 1935, the management of ‘De Betuwe’ asked the advertising agency ‘Van Alfen’, with which they had been working for years, to come up with a character.

Philip van Alfen conceived a character in 1935 with a thick raspberry body and arms and legs made of red berries. A name was desperately sought until Van Alfen exclaimed, “we’ll call him Flip if necessary!”

The fruit character, with the name ‘Flipje’ on his hat, was to become the recognizable logo of the Tiel jam factory.

The adventures of Flipje, or Flipje is a Dutch comic series with Flipje in the lead role. This comic was drawn as a text strip from 1935 to 1953. The stories show the development of Flipje from his birth in Kabouterland (Gnome Land), where he accidentally (by hot air balloon) permanently leaves after a few episodes.. He then ends up in Dierenland (Animal Land), where he feels comfortable and stays there.

In the first comic, you can read that he was born from an enchanted raspberry. Flipje ensures that a little problem is solved in every adventure, and when everything is resolved, he naturally treats himself and his friends. With what? With lemonade, jam, or apple juice from “maatschappij De Betuwe te Tiel” (the De Betuwe company in Tiel), the sponsor of all this.

Fifty comic strips of Flipje and his friends were published until 1954, released by the Tielse jam factory De Betuwe.

From 2002 to 2010, five new comic albums were released on the market.

In Dierenland (Animal Land), Flipje makes many friends. The following friends are often encountered in the booklets, but Flipje knows many more:

Flapoor Olifant (Flap-eared Elephant), a bit clumsy and heavy, easily falls through things. Typically dressed in a suit with yellow pants and a black jacket.

Bertje Big, dressed in yellow pants with a red check, and a green jacket. He is a bit lazy and loves to eat a lot.

Jasper Aap, with a beret, blue puffy pants, and an orange jacket. He plays naughty pranks and is sometimes sternly punished for it.

Juffrouw Schaap (Miss Sheep), a strict landlady, always busy with cleaning, knitting, and other typically female activities, and sometimes assigns unpleasant tasks to the aforementioned youngsters. Her actual name is Mien, but it is rarely used. Although dressed in a somewhat dull black dress, she is quite vain, especially when it comes to hats.

Oom Klaas (Uncle Klaas), a ram, usually dressed in sailor clothes and carrying his inseparable pipe. He is Juffrouw Schaap’s (Miss Sheep’s) brother, went to sea as a lamb, and returned as an old ram after twenty years. He is extremely stubborn, especially when it comes to boats and the like.

Kroesje Beer (Curly Bear), appears in a blue sailor suit and is a bit braver than the rest of the group.

Mauwmauw, a cute cat girl in a pink dress with a white apron, but less cute when she chases after mouse Spitsneus. Her little brother is named Grijs and he is also dressed in a blue sailor suit.

Flipje is not only visible in the Flipje en Streekmuseum. You can also encounter him in the city of Tiel. Flipje even has his own statue and his own mosaic. And rightfully so. Because Flipje, along with the famous Michelin Man, is one of the oldest marketing symbols in Europe.

Originating from the minds of advertising makers at the Alfen agency in 1935, his adventures are recorded in comic booklets by illustrator Eelco Marinus ten Harmsen van der Beek, with rhyming texts by his wife Freddie Langeler. The strips had an educational and virtuous character. From the 1950s, there developed a true, almost un-Dutch, merchandising of Flipje, with a Flipposcoop, keychains, and badges. In December 2006, Flipje retired. However, he still makes a guest appearance in a comic strip in the fight against childhood obesity, and he can be admired at the Flipje en Streekmuseum in Tiel.

Source: Mijngelderland.nl

In 1935, Philip van Alfen conceived a little character with a chubby raspberry body and arms and legs made of red berries. A name was searched for until Van Alfen exclaimed, “We’ll call him Flip if necessary!”

The fruit character, with the name “Flipje” on his cap, was to become the recognizable logo of the Tielse jam factory. Flipje had his first adventures in Gnome Land, but after a while, he accidentally ended up in Dierenland (Animal Land) with a hot air balloon. There, he meets Bertje Big, Jasper Aap, Olifant Flapoor, Kroesje Beer, Mauwmauw, Juffrouw Schaap, and many others.

Together with his friends, he experienced many adventures, always with an educational moral attached, and of course, the products of “De Betuwe” played a role.

Since 2002, new adventures of Flipje have been published in comic book form. Arie van Vliet illustrates, and Alexandra van Steen writes the stories. In 2010, the first read-aloud storybook of Flipje and his friends was published by the same creators.

Today, Flipje is illustrated by Arie van Vliet, from Tiel. www.arievanvliet.nl. Adjacent to this text, you can see a video in which Arie talks about his work.

Artist Arie van Vliet has created a beautiful coloring page of Flipje and his friends.

You can download the coloring page here. Click on the image of the coloring page or on this link: Flipje-coloring-page-2