Jan van Haasteren 'Grab your cheese!' 1000 pieces

• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 

Jan van Haasteren 'Grab Your Cheese!' 1000 pieces - where to buy?

Jan van Haasteren 'Grab Your Cheese!' 1000 pieces - Specifications

Share this page!

Jan van Haasteren Puzzle 'Grab your cheese!'

I made the puzzle 'Seize the Cheese!' – this is number 1110100813, issued on March 14, 2026. This puzzle was drawn by Dick Heins Studio Jan van Haasteren. It's this puzzle:

and this is the box:

Explanation of this puzzle

I have created an explanation for this puzzle:

The explanation about the event 'Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling' and this puzzle 'Grab Your Cheese'

The *Grab Your Cheese* puzzle by Jan van Haasteren is a brand-new release that appeared in March. This puzzle is extra special because it is being released in the year Jan van Haasteren turned 90. Despite his advanced age, he still draws puzzles, which is, of course, incredibly special. To celebrate that anniversary, the puzzles released this year feature a special logo referencing his 90th birthday. As with many puzzles in the series, a different artist is responsible for the final illustration here as well. The side of the box shows that this puzzle was drawn by Dick Heins, one of the regular illustrators at the Jan van Haasteren Studio. Furthermore, on the back of the box, you can once again see the familiar Jan van Haasteren family, the recurring characters that puzzlers always try to find in the chaos of the drawing. Of course, there is much more to discover on this puzzle than just these recurring figures.

But what does the title “Grijp je kaas” actually mean?

When I first saw the puzzle, I honestly thought it said “Grab your chance.” But it really turns out to be “Grab your cheese.” That might sound a bit strange, until you discover what the drawing is based on.

The inspiration: Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling

The puzzle actually refers to a genuine English tradition: the famous Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake. This is an annual event that takes place in the village of Brockworth and has existed since the 19th century. During this unique competition, a large round cheese is rolled down a steep hill. It is usually a Double Gloucester cheese weighing approximately 3 to 4 kilograms. As soon as the cheese starts rolling, the participants run after it in the hope of catching it. That might sound simple, but it absolutely is not. The hill where this takes place, Cooper's Hill, has a slope of approximately 45 degrees. As a result, the cheese can reach enormous speeds, sometimes as high as 100 kilometers per hour. It is therefore virtually impossible to actually grab the cheese. In practice, the person who arrives at the bottom of the hill first wins.

A tradition full of spectacle and risk

Because participants run after the rolling cheese at high speed, things regularly go wrong. The event is known for its spectacular falls. Participants can stumble, roll, or collide with each other or the slope. Consequently, injuries such as broken bones, concussions, bruises, and collisions between participants occur every year. Despite the risk, the event still attracts participants from all over the world and thousands of spectators. It is usually held in late May and has grown into a kind of folk festival. Due to the speed and danger, a wooden replica of the cheese is often used nowadays instead of a real edible cheese.

The record holder of the cheese race

A name often mentioned in connection with this race is Chris Anderson. He has won this spectacular race more than twenty times and is therefore considered a legend within the event.

A video with Chris Anderson (Chris appears at 3:10 minutes, in case you only want to see that; the whole video is about 7 minutes):

Making this puzzle

I always do all the puzzles in one puzzle mat. Occasionally did some puzzling in the evening, resulting in sometimes a darker photo:

and finally I finished the puzzle:

Review video of this puzzle

How long will it take you to complete this 1000 piece puzzle?

I completed the 'Grab your cheese!' puzzle at my leisure and took several days to do it. Nicely on a puzzle mat made on the floor in the living room. I do take the time, but not very precisely, it remains a hobby that puzzles! But to give you an idea of ​​how long it took me to complete this 1000 piece JvH puzzle:

• Explaining the pieces: 20 minutes
• Laying the edges = 25 minutes
• Laying the rest of the pieces = 4 hours and 30 minutes
• Which made me do this puzzle in total = 5 hours and 5 minutes. It used to take me almost always 8 hours, but I have a special tip to be able to puzzle a lot faster

About Jumbo puzzles

Jumbo (not to be confused with our supermarket Jumbo!) makes toys, games and puzzles. Jumbo, for example, has made the very well-known games such as “Human don't get annoyed” and “Stratego” and “PimPamPet”. Games that have been around for generations and are still widely played by both young and old. Jumbo has been making and developing toys since about 1900. In the early years of the company, only toys from other countries were imported to the Netherlands. However, since about 1930 it was decided to also make their own toys, at the time manufacturing wooden toys, which was very popular at the time. Almost all toys in those years were made of wood. An important spearhead was that the toys made by Jumbo had to be of very good quality; it had to be as strong as an Elephant. An elephant had to stand on it! The red elephant has been the hallmark of Jumbo's games and puzzles for years. The name Jumbo and the red elephant together form the logo from about 1935. The Jumbo elephant is drawn by Mr. Möhr. He worked at an advertising agency and regularly signed for Hausemann & Hötte. Mr Möhr was at one point commissioned to design a beautiful new elephant logo for the Hausemann & Hötte toys. The logo has changed a bit since then. For example, the eye has grown over the years and has dropped slightly more, resulting in a friendlier elephant.

In the past, the elephant was not only used in the color red, but in all kinds of colors such as blue, yellow, black, white and green. All those colors were cozy and playful. For example, one time there was a yellow elephant on the box and the other time a red one. It was usually looked at which color best matched the color of the box. It was not until the end of the 60s that the red elephant was definitively chosen. Red is a color that stands out and attracts attention.

From 1945 Jumbo also started to focus on games made of cardboard. Jumbo has therefore been a guarantee for strong quality for years! Jumbo is a unique Dutch company with a rich history, with its head office in Zaandam. About 130 employees work for Jumbo. With a turnover of €75 million, Jumbo is a medium-sized European player in toys. Jumbo has sales offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. They export to more than 25 countries around the world.

In 1980 Jumbo starts the production of Jan van Haasteren Puzzles.

Reviews about this puzzle

Made this puzzle? Upload your photo + optionally text

If you have made this puzzle, please upload your puzzle to us, including a text, how you found it to make this puzzle.

Share this page!