Hidden Figures or elements in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles
The Jan van Haasteren jigsaw puzzles are just search books. There are a lot of fun and funny hidden elements hidden in it. I once made a list of items or people that you always or often or regularly see. Do you have an element that is missing from this list? email me him, and I'll add it!
What is YOUR favorite hidden element in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles?
I have made a list and I am also very curious what your favorite recurring elements are that you always look for in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles. Will you join us? Fill in the list!
Hidden elements in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles – drawn by Rob Derks
Robert Derks is a draftsman within the Jan van Haasteren studio (alongside the other draftsman Dick Heins). Rob again draws his own recurring elements in the puzzles he draws. In addition to the recurring elements of Jan van Haasteren, he adds several of his own! That is why I have also made a list of recurring elements in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles, drawn by Rob Derks. View the list here 'Hidden elements Rob Derks puzzles'
Hidden elements in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles – drawn by Dick Heins
Dick Heins is a draftsman within the Jan van Haasteren studio (alongside the other draftsman Rob Derks). Dick again draws his own recurring elements in the puzzles he draws. In addition to the recurring elements of Jan van Haasteren, he adds several of his own! That is why I have also made a list of recurring elements in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles, drawn by Dick Heins. View the list here 'Hidden elements of Dick Heins puzzles'
Hidden elements in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles – drawn by Mars Gremmen
Mars Gremen is a draftsman within the Jan van Haasteren studio. Mars again draws his own recurring elements in the puzzles he draws. In addition to the recurring elements of Jan van Haasteren, he adds several of his own! That is why I have also made a list of recurring elements in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles, drawn by Mars Greken. View the list with 'Recurring elements Mars Greken puzzles'
Hidden elements in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles – drawn by Wilma van den Bosch
Wilma van den Bosch is a draftsman within the Jan van Haasteren studio. Wilma again draws her own recurring elements in the puzzles she draws. In addition to the recurring elements of Jan van Haasteren, she adds several of her own! That is why I have also made a list with recurring elements in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles, drawn by Wilma van den Bosch. View the list with 'Hidden elements Wilma van den Bosch puzzles'
Hidden elements in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles – drawn by Jan van Haasteren
The list below is all fixed elements that you (almost) always see in a puzzle drawn by Jan van Haasteren:
What is always in a Jan van Haasteren puzzle: List of hidden elements Jan van Haasteren
My list of fixed elements that I see regularly, where I also added a photo. The recurring elements is what you always see with a Jan van Haasteren puzzle. Many pictures are of the puzzle'Christmas', but you will find the fixed elements on many puzzles. Some items you always encounter a maximum of 1x on a puzzle (shark fin for example), and other elements you can encounter 2 or 3 or 4 times. Here we go……
Note-1: During Jan van Haasteren's 85th birthday (March 2021) a Q&A was organized, and the question was asked 'Are there secret characters incorporated in a puzzle?' Jan van Haasteren: “My family members have been incorporated into several puzzles. These are not secret, only you do not know them.” So: if anyone knows them, I'd be happy to add them!
Note-2: During Jan van Haasteren's 85th birthday (March 2021) a Q&A was organized, and the question was asked 'What is your own favorite character and why?' Jan van Haasteren: “Actually, all the characters mean a lot to me. I can have so much fun with it… But if I really had to choose, it would be Sinterklaas. I also like to incorporate one of my cartoon characters into it.”
Name your favorite hidden element in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles!
What are your most favorite Jan van Haasteren hidden elements?
- The shark fin (9%, 28 Votes)
- Sinterklaas (8%, 23 Votes)
- super snail (6%, 17 Votes)
- The Squid (5%, 15 Votes)
- The Mother-in-law (Fat Woman) (4%, 12 Votes)
- The thief (4%, 12 Votes)
- Santa (4%, 12 Votes)
- Jan van Haasteren himself (3%, 10 Votes)
- The Eyes (3%, 10 Votes)
- The Cat / Kat (3%, 10 Votes)
- The Periscope (3%, 10 Votes)
- The police (3%, 9 Votes)
- The crab (3%, 8 Votes)
- The Dentures (2%, 7 Votes)
- The Dog (Max) (2%, 7 Votes)
- The Boy Scouts (Scouting) (2%, 7 Votes)
- Yellow stickers 'I Love Jane' (2%, 6 Votes)
- The saw (2%, 6 Votes)
- Red & White Striped Cat (2%, 5 Votes)
- Paper plane (2%, 5 Votes)
- Note '1 Milk' (2%, 5 Votes)
- Jane (2%, 5 Votes)
- The snake (2%, 5 Votes)
- The arrow (2%, 5 Votes)
- The glasses (2%, 5 Votes)
- The Hands (1%, 4 Votes)
- The Indian (1%, 4 Votes)
- Submarine (1%, 4 Votes)
- The turtle (1%, 4 Votes)
- Tinus Trotyl (1%, 3 Votes)
- Letter with 3 calls (1%, 3 Votes)
- banana peel (1%, 3 Votes)
- Tax Official (Tax Inspector) (1%, 3 Votes)
- The Father-in-law (Little Man Just Knocked Out) (1%, 3 Votes)
- The Fart (1%, 3 Votes)
- The ghost (1%, 3 Votes)
- The Plasters (1%, 3 Votes)
- The Penguin (1%, 2 Votes)
- bottle of drink (1%, 2 Votes)
- Baron van Tast Tot Zeveren (1%, 2 Votes)
- The Herringbone (1%, 2 Votes)
- Glass of wine (0%, 1 Votes)
- The SIGAR (0%, 1 Votes)
- The Frog (0%, 1 Votes)
- The Walking Stick (0%, 1 Votes)
- The umbrella (0%, 1 Votes)
- The Coat Hanger (0%, 1 Votes)
- bicycle handlebar (0%, 0 Votes)
- The stork (0%, 0 Votes)
Total number of voters: 51

A set of videos where you can see recurring elements
Do you like the videos? Subscribe to my Youtube channel!












As of January 26, 2021, the boxes around the puzzles have been completely renewed!
And the great thing is that a number of the regular recurring elements that Jan van Haasteren often hides in his puzzles are depicted on the back of the box and explained who that person is and what he or she may be called. So you will see this image on every box on the back from January 26, 2021:
The Dentures
The dentures are often difficult to find, because they are very small, they do not always appear in all puzzles.
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element dentures occurs.
The Toothpaste and Toothbrush
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element Toothpaste and toothbrush occurs.
The SIGAR
The cigar can come back multiple times in a puzzle.
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The Cigar' occurs.
The glasses
This can occur several times. Sometimes 2 or 3 times.
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'De Bril' occurs.
The Periscope
As far as I know this only happens once.
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The Periscoop' occurs.
The shark fin
The Shark Fin is also standing pictured on the back of each puzzle box from January 26, 2021 as 'Sharkfin'.
As far as I know this only happens once.
However, on the puzzle 'SafariI saw two shark fins for the first time!
The Shark Fin is definitely THE trademark of the Jan van Haasteren puzzles. Just like the Baron van Tast tot Zeveren, the shark fin comes from the eponymous comic strip 'Baron van Tast'. The Shark Fin played the leading role in the 1971 story Shark Splitting. This strip was published in December 1972. However, the shark fin 'arise' as it were as a trademark. That went as follows: the shark fin therefore comes from the comic strip Baron van Tast. For fun, Jan van Haasteren once drew the shark fin in one of his puzzles and when he had forgotten it, the puzzlers told him right away. From that moment on, Jan made sure that the shark fin is always visible in his puzzles. Nice story behind the origin of the shark fin as a trademark of the Jan van Haasteren puzzles.
However – there is also 1 puzzle in which the shark fin does NOT appear! Do you want to know which one this is? View the page 'Jan van Haasteren puzzle without shark fin'.
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'De Haaienvin' occurs.
The Indian
As far as I know this only happens once.
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The Indian' occurs.
Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas is also standing pictured on the back of each puzzle box from January 26, 2021 as 'Santa Claus'.
Tricky, can be confusing in a puzzle that includes both Santa Claus and Sinterklaas. So this is Jan van Haasteren's favorite character in his own puzzles (See above about Q&A with Jan van Haasteren)!
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Sinterklaas' occurs.
The Hands
Can certainly occur several of them!
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The Hands' occur.
The Arrows
Can certainly occur several of them!
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The Arrow' occurs.
Super Snail
Super Snail is also standing pictured on the back of each puzzle box from January 26, 2021 as 'Super Snail'.
As far as I know this only happens once.
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Supersnail' occurs.
The Plasters
Can certainly occur several of them!
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'De Plaisters' occurs.
The Eyes
Can certainly occur several of them!
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The Eyes' occur.
The saw
As far as I know this only happens once.
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The Saw' occurs.
The snake
As far as I know this only happens once.
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The Snake' occurs.
The crab
The crab is also standing pictured on the back of each puzzle box from January 26, 2021 as 'Crab'.
As far as I know this only happens once.
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The Krab' occurs.
The Ghosts
Can certainly occur several of them!
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Ghost' occurs.
The cats
The cat or cat is also standing pictured on the back of each puzzle box from January 26, 2021 as 'Cat and mouse'.
Can certainly occur several of them! The cat is in the many puzzles in which he appears to hunt: a mouse, or a fish or a bird. Fun to follow this cat-and-mouse game.
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Cat or Cat' occurs.
Self-portrait Jan van Haasteren!
Jan van Haasteren is also standing pictured on the back of each puzzle box from January 26, 2021 as 'John himself'. Wonderful if you can discover Jan yourself, I often find him difficult, because doubt can sometimes dominate. You can always see Jan's self portrait on the puzzle box, and see if you can find him on the puzzle. The first puzzle on which Jan van Haasteren drew a self-portrait of himself was 'Crazy Casino'. This drawing was made in 1986 and the Crazy casino puzzle was launched on the market in 1992. Besides a self-portrait of Jan van Haasteren, Jan sometimes stands with his daughter Saskia van Haasteren on a puzzle, as with the puzzle 'Christmas Bargains'. Very nice!
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Self-portrait Jan van Haasteren' occurs.
Baron from Taste to Zeveren
Characteristic is the black hair and the blue coat. This one was previously drawn by Jan in his comics, and he was then called 'Baron van Tast tot Zeveren'. So often comes back in his puzzles.
I was also able to find a nice video on Youtube, in which you see the strip with Baron van Tasst in it, drawn by Jan van Haasteren. The comic is from September 2016 and the cover (front) is drawn by Jan van Haasteren. There is also a nice interview with him in this comic glossy – skip reading the letter in this video, which is quite long and lasts from 0.48 to 1.50:
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Baron van Tast tot Zeveren' occurs.
Jane
The mystery 'Jane' has been solved! And on April 19, 2021. The eternal question for all Jan van Haasteren puzzle enthusiasts. Who is Jane? Why is Jane called Jane? Does Jan van Haasteren know Jane? Is Jane one of Jan van Haasteren's children? Jane WAS – until April 19, 2021 – a mysterious lady who returns in some of Jan van Haasteren's puzzles. However, the mystery is now finally unraveled! Because as of today – April 19, 2021 – it has become known who Jane is! Read on and follow the timeline:
– March 3, 2021 in JvH's Q&A for his 85th birthday:
However, in honor of his 85th birthday, Jan van Haasteren answered the question in a Question and Answer: 'Who is Jane?' The exact question was 'How did the character Jane' come into being?'. His response to this was: “Jane was a secretary at the Bureau. At first she would come back in every record, but now I draw her whenever the subject of the record allows it.” For me unclear however in this answer is: what is The desk?
– April 19, 2021 I receive an email from the daughter of Jan van Haasteren (Saskia):
In it she writes the following: "Jan has in the puzzle plate The Office once drew a red-haired lady and named her Jane. She walks there with the director and has a nameplate with Jane on it. In the office are all notes from Jane (so from her). He wanted her to come back every time, but that didn't always work out. So he made it a bit of a mystery. So the first time he drew her was in The Office drawing. See the attached photo (Saskia sent along) – if you look closely at the photo, you can see the nameplate 'Jane' on her jacket -:
I came across this 'Jane' through a Facebook group, in which the fanatic JvH fans searched for Jane. When is Jane-Jane? Jane is only Jane if it says so on her T-shirt or attire, and in the case of the 'Safari' puzzle it is, almost not visible in the photo below, but on the yellow piece on her clothes it says 'Jane'. So I found her in the puzzle 'Safari', see:
Jane is not the name of one of Jan van Haasteren's daughters, because his daughters are called Saskia (Saskia de Rijk-Van Haasteren) and Petra van Haasteren. Jane also has at least blonde hair and a ponytail. There is a distinction between the 'Official Jane' and the 'Unofficial Jane'.
You can read more about this on the page 'Who is Jane?'.
The 'Official Jane' appears in the following puzzles:
The 'Official Jane' appears in the following puzzles:
1 - safari,
2 - mini golf,
3 - Tennis,
4 - The opera,
5 - The Middle Ages,
6 - Farm visit,
7 - The office,
8 - The Elfstedentocht,
9 - The Flower Parade,
10 - NK Puzzle,
11 - Black Friday,
12 - Fun Under Water (Deep sea fun).,
13 - Old Dutch Crafts
The 'Unofficial Jane' appears in the following puzzles:
The 'Unofficial Jane' appears in the following puzzles:
1 - Round Texel: says Jane 'almost', but there is only the name 'Jane' on the bag. And "Jane" is only "Jane" if it says so on her clothes.
2 - Holiday jitters: occurs a 'Jane', but again only 'Jane' is written on the bag she is carrying.
3 - Soap box race: Appears to Jane with only a big J on her yellow T-shirt.
4 - The Art Market: here is Jane as a statue
Read everything on the page 'Who is Jane?'.Or view all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Jane' occurs.
The Squid
The Octoplus or Squid is also available pictured on the back of each puzzle box from January 26, 2021 as 'Octo'.
Can certainly occur several of them! Jan van Haasteren also really likes this one, according to 1 of the questions to him during a Q&A during his 85-year birthday. Ask JvH: 'The shark and the octopus are these special animals for you?' Answer: “The octopus has 8 arms and you can do crazy things with them. I also think the octopus is a special animal, nice pink and he has an intelligent character. The same goes for the snake, you can always do something crazy with it.”
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Squid' occurs.
The toilet
The toilet is sometimes a recurring element, you don't always see it. I also count on this that you only see the toilet trigger or the toilet rope. Here you see him:
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The WC' occurs.
The Fat woman and a little man
The Fat woman is also standing pictured on the back of each puzzle box from January 26, 2021 as 'Mother in law', in other words: Mother-in-law! And the little neatly dressed man is also depicted on each back of the box as 'Father in law', aka: Father-in-law!
The fat woman is often present and sometimes several times. A record number present is the fat woman in the puzzle'Christmas dinner(she appears in it 7 times). Almost always with her is a little man in a very neat suit.
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The Fat Woman' occurs.
Yellow Jane Stickers 'I love Jane'
Jane herself can sometimes be found in the puzzles, but especially the yellow Jane stickers with the text 'I Love Jane' on them, are often present in abundance! If you want to know why these stickers are there and why so many, read above at 'Jan van Haasteren Jane'. I like them so much that I always find and count them in every puzzle.
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Yellow Jane Stickers' occurs.
the fart
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The Fart' occurs.
The bottle of liquor and the glass
I call this the bottle of liquor and the glass, at the bottom of the fully listed list this is called 'Jenever jug with shot glass
'
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The bottle of drink and the glass' occurs.
The paper airplane
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The paper airplane' occurs.
The police and the crook
The police are also pictured on the back of each puzzle box from January 26, 2021 as 'Police Officers'.
The crook is standing too pictured on the back of each puzzle box from January 26, 2021 as 'Crook'.
Police and the crook come back very often in the JvH puzzles. Often it is a nice duo who find it difficult to find each other. And usually very close to each other, without them knowing about each other. The example below is from the puzzle 'On slippery ice':
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Police and Crook' occurs.
The Tax Inspector or Tax Official
The tax inspector is also standing pictured on the back of each puzzle box from January 26, 2021 as 'Tax Inspector'.
The tax inspector can often be recognized by his black briefcase, and you will almost always see the text 'Tax Official' on it. But why is he always on it? I don't know either, I thought the puzzle was a good exampleEurovision songfestival':
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The tax inspector or Tax Official' occurs.
Red striped cat behind pole
You do not always see these, but you often only see the legs of the cat and its tail. I have this as an example from the puzzle 'The storm':
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Red striped cat behind a pole' occurs.
Santa
Santa Claus is also standing pictured on the back of each puzzle box from January 26, 2021 as 'Santa Claus'.
Santa Claus returns very regularly in various puzzles by Jan van Haasteren. Sometimes even in a fight with Sinterklaas, a beautiful fragment from the puzzle 'Christmas tree market':
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Santa Claus' occurs.
The Penguin
You sometimes see the penguin in a Jan van Haasteren puzzle. For example in the puzzle 'The storm':
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The Pinguin' occurs.
The bomb or bowler hat on legs
The bomb or bowler hat with legs. You sometimes come across this in a puzzle. Sometimes it's a bomb on legs or sometimes it's a bowler hat on legs.
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The bomb or bowler hat on legs' occurs.
The Dalmatian dog (dog with black and white spots)
The Dalmatian dog (dog with black and white spots) is also standing pictured on the back of each puzzle box from January 26, 2021 as 'Max', apparently his name is Max!
The Dalmatian dog (dog with black and white spots) also appears very regularly in the JvH puzzles, see:
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The Dalmatian dog (dog with black and white spots)' occurs.
Boy Scouts of Scouting
The Boy Scouts or Scouting sometimes appears in a Jan van Haasteren puzzle. For example:
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Scout Scouts of Scouting' occurs.
the herringbone
The fishbone still regularly appears in the puzzles of Jan van Haasteren, see:
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Scout Scouts of Scouting' occurs.
the robot
You can recognize the robot by the eye that appears everywhere on a steel stem. Usually you don't see the robot itself, but you only see the eye appear. For example, where you do see the robot, and you have to look closely to see the eye on the iron wire:
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'The robot' occurs.
Knife or dagger
The knife or dagger is not always present, but if you see it that is of course a plus, for example:
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Knife or dagger' occurs.
Coat hanger and tie
You don't see the coat hanger and tie very often, but you do see them regularly:
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'coat hanger and tie' occurs.
Shopping Bag
You don't see the Shopping Bag very much either, but logically there is a record number of Shopping Bags in it'Jumbo goes shopping':
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Shopping Bag' occurs.
Toilet roll
The toilet roll also wants to come back sometimes, coincidentally you see the entire pallet in the following image, namely the toilet sign, the toilet pull rope and the toilet roll:
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'WC roll' occurs.
The umbrella
The Umbrella is still very common, for example:
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Umbrella' occurs.
the walking stick
The walking stick you see here on the puzzle 'Get well soon' (Hospital):
Sticker with inscription “1 milk”
I was able to find these in the puzzle 'The playground':
Black Crow
The black crow you see here in the puzzle 'The playground':
The Heron or Stork
The Heron or Stork can be seen here in the puzzle 'The playground':
The Frog
The Frog you see here in the puzzle 'The playground':
Doorbell with note ring 3 times
You can see 'doorbell with note ringing 3x' here on the puzzle 'Get well soon' (Hospital):
Hand with outstretched index finger
I got the 'Hand with outstretched index finger' from the puzzle 'The park':
Mole with molehill
The 'Mole with molehill' I have from the puzzle'The park':
The Seagull
'The Seagull' I got from the puzzle'The park':
Bicycle handlebars (out of the ground)
I got the 'Bicycle Handlebar' from the puzzle 'The park':
Black spider on thread
The 'Black spider on thread' I got from the puzzle'The park' (if you look closely you can see a lot of recurring elements in this one image, namely the 'shark fin', 'the frog', 'the plaster', partly 'the squid' and the 'bone':
Bone (Dog)
The 'Bone (Dog)' I got from the puzzle'The park':
Tinus Trotyl (and Thomas)
Tinus Trotyl sometimes appears in Jan van Haasteren's puzzles, often difficult to find. This was a cartoon character that Jan van Haasteren used to draw, together with his buddy 'Thomas'. The comics have appeared as an album but also in the comic magazines Sjors and Eppo. I just got an exact description of Wikipedia:
“The main character is Tinus Trotyl, who has a sick love for explosions. One of his typical statements is No words, but bangs. His inseparable companion Thomas invariably responds with Would you do that now, Tinus?, but of course Tinus' plans continue anyway”.
This was the whole earlier strip, you see, drawn by Jan van Haasteren:
You see them here in the puzzle' Jumbo goes shopping', where Thomas is the one with the hair over his head and Tinus Trotyl is the one with the hat and recognizable by his black sideburns (by the way, Baron van Tast tot Zeveren looks at Tinus Trotyl with some surprise – what a beautiful meeting!):
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles in which the recurring element 'Tinus Trotyl' occurs.
Parking ban
I found the sign with the parking ban in the puzzle 'Speedy recovery:
banana peel
The Banana Peel is rare, I found it in the puzzle'Hotel':
The vulture
The Vulture is rare, I found it in the puzzle'Hotel':
The Submarine
The Submarine is very rare, I found it in the puzzle'All at Sea (Ecomare)':
Glass of wine
The glass of Wine is a regular occurrence, I found it in the puzzle'All at Sea (Ecomare)':
The list of recurring elements
The list below is taken from a post from the Facebook group 'Fan group Jan van Haasteren'. Perhaps made as complete as possible and if you have additions, mail me and I'll add them. Here they are:
Lamps dangling from the wire
Waste bin with hand
Ankers
banana peel
Baron from Taste to Zeveren
Tax man aka 'Tax inspector
Axe
crook and police
Bokser
Bowler hat
Bowler hat on legs
Bomb with burning fuse
bone (dog)
Burning tobacco pipe
Glasses
Brown spotted dog (Dalmatian)
Chinese coming out of the ground with a shovel
Cowboy with arrow through his hat
Darts
Doorbell with note 3x
Fat woman and just dressed little man
Fat black/white cat usually eating
Bagpiper in kilt
Dagger (inserted somewhere usually a wall)
Three bullet holes or peep holes
One-wheeled robot
bicycle pump
Bicycle handlebars (out of the ground)
Frenchman with baguette
roast chicken
Crossed Bandages
Yellow Jane stickers with 'I love Jane'
Yellow tennis ball
Barred cellar window with head or eyes
Vulture (scavenger)
Glass of red wine
Golf club (putter)
Golf-hole with triangular flag
Gorilla
Green claw(s)
Green or purple claw (of terrible monster)
shark fin(s)
Hand with forefinger outstretched (points to something)
Hands (many)
Men's bicycle (usually black)
Wood saw with kerf (sometimes hacksaw)
native American
Jenever pitcher with shot glass
Boy with kite
Miss from JvH puzzles (Els)
gnome
Santa Claus
Kitchen knife with twist
Frog
Claws and tail of feline predator
Clothes hanger with tie
Tack/pin under a foot
Crocodile
False teeth
loose suspenders
Matchbox
Sailor(s)
Mole with molehill
Mouse and cat/cat
Crashed sports plane
Nest box
News helicopter
Octopus (usually pink)
oil can
Olifant
Submarine
Eye on flexible stem
Grandpa (of Eric)
Open fallen can of peas
Opening manhole cover
Folding tile/hatch with head/eyes
Folded umbrella
jumping fish
Old-fashioned iron (heated by glowing coals)
A few feet from under curtains, heating radiators, etc
Boy scouts with hopman / akela
Paper plane
Parachutist
Parking ban
Periscope
Arrow (of the bow)
Penguins
Polple of grass on legs
Pencil with stuf
pencils
Men's right lace-up shoe (brown)
Advertising airplane with tow
Rainbow hot air balloon
Rainbow umbrella/parasol
rainbow beach ball
Downspout with bump
heron/stork
Knight in armor
Robot with legs
red crab
Red-blue-green bird (cat-eater)
Turtle (sometimes in love) (not turbo)
Shoes on the legs of fences, chairs, etc
Cigar/cigarette (leaning around)
Saint Bernard dog with drinking keg
St.Nicholas and his help
Snake (poisonous)
Hose that waves in and out of the ground/water
String of devices
Playful brown bear
Spook
Sticker with inscription “1 milk”
Ostrich
Superman
super snail
Toothpaste with glass and toothbrush
Tinus Trotyl
Turbo turtle
Two women fighting
World War II pilot
Twin
Hand sticking out of the ground holding sign with inscription
Eyes staring out of the dark
Retractable scissors (zigzag)
Different objects on legs
Sealed letter
Fish head with bone
Bat
Flying witch on broom
Flying saucer
Footsteps hitting the wall and ceiling
Walking stick
toilet sign/note
toilet flusher
toilet paper in holder
White bandages (on legs of chairs, etc.)
Bag of Saint Nicholas (inscription Spain)
Seal
Mermaid
Seagull
Self-portrait Jan van Haasteren
Black monster in glass bottle
Black Crow
Black spider on thread
black and white doggy
black and white cat
black and white football
Swimmer's head with snorkeling equipment
Hidden elements in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles – drawn by Rob Derks
Robert Derks often makes puzzles with historical elements in them. That is a completely different way of drawing and making puzzles. But he still allows a lot of recurring elements of Jan van Haasteren to come back in the puzzles. It seems there are more and more 🙂
The characteristic elements that you almost always see coming back are:
The blue pen
The ZZ top guys (yes, that band from the 1970s-1980s)
A blue trunk
Many figures in the puzzle squint or squint
A fat boy eating
The letters AC/DC (yes, from another band from the 1970s-1980s)
The Twins
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles drawn by Rob Derks in which the recurring element 'The Twins' occurs
Freddie Mercury - Queen
Man in his bare buttocks
Hidden elements in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles – drawn by Dick Heins
Until now I know that Dick Heins a caricature of his father draws in the puzzles drawn by him. His father passed away in March 2020. Sometimes you also see Dick Heins himself on his puzzles. It is also characteristic that the puzzles drawn by Dick Heins are slightly brighter, because he colors his puzzles digitally. The characteristic elements that you almost always see coming back are:
Dick Heins' father
The father is easily recognized by the sideburns and the large white mustache/beard. For example from the puzzle 'Children's party':
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles drawn by Dick Heins in which the recurring element 'Vader van Dick Heins' occurs
Dick Heins himself
Dick Heins is bald himself and can be easily recognized by that, as an example you can see him in the puzzle 'Round Texel':
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles drawn by Dick Heins in which the recurring element 'Self-portrait Dick Heins' occurs
Dick Heins and the Cactus
Dick Heins often draws a cactus in his puzzles, which is sometimes difficult to find. I have two examples:
I found this cactus in the puzzle'The Tomatina':
The next cactus can be found in the puzzle 'Children's party':
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles drawn by Dick Heins in which the recurring element 'The Cactus' occurs
Dick Heins and his good friend Maurice
Maurice van den Hout is a good friend of Dick Heins and he is in a wheelchair. With him, the dog is a Golden Retriever and his name is Loetje – Loetje is Maurice's assistance dog. These persons in the puzzles of Dick Heins also exist in real life. Maurice and Loetje appear in every puzzle drawn by Dick Heins from the puzzle NK Puzzle. Here you can see them in a Youtube video and hear the story why Maurice is in a wheelchair:
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles drawn by Dick Heins in which the recurring element 'Friend Maurice and Dog' occurs
Dick Heins and the pickpocket
The pickpocket is a regular recurring element at Dick Heins. I got the pickpocket out of the puzzle'Round Texel':
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles drawn by Dick Heins in which the recurring element 'The Pickpocket' occurs
Dick Heins and the butterfly
Because Dick Heins' wife is crazy about butterflies, you always feel like a butterfly in Dick Heins' puzzles. I got the below butterfly from the puzzle'Blocker 125 Years':
Check out all Jan van Haasteren puzzles drawn by Dick Heins in which the recurring element 'The Butterfly' occurs
Hidden elements in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles – drawn by Mars Gremmen
Until now I know that Mars Gremen a small red Jumbo Elephant and a Kingfisher often appear late in his puzzles. FYI, this is what the Kingfisher looks like:
The characteristic elements that you almost always see coming back are:
The Red Jumbo Elephant with a dice
At first I thought that Mars only drew the red Jumbo elephant, but now I always see a dice.
A Kingfisher
Hidden elements in the Jan van Haasteren puzzles – drawn by Wilma van den Bosch
Until now I know that Wilma van den Bosch a black hand with the text 'The black hand was here' often appears late in her puzzles. The black hand can appear as text, but the black hand can also be shown as an image. The characteristic elements that you almost always see coming back are:
The Black Hand