kikkerland 20 year retrospective
DESCRIPTION
20 Year Retrospective of Kikkerland Design IncTRANSCRIPT
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A basement on the Upper West Side served as a storage and shipping facility,
and many of the clients were in New York City. So, in those early days, Jan van
der Lande delivered most orders personally, and by bike. This was the base of
operations for Kikkerland from 1992 until 1995.
After studying agriculture and environmental studies, Jan changed course com-
pletely and started working at the design store Gallery 91 in Soho (1989 - 1991).
He learned a lot about the design business there and met a number of designers.
Jan also had friends from Holland who were active in the design world. Dick
Dankers and Cok de Rooy from the Frozen Fountain and Rob Dashorst from
Daskas introduced him to many other designers and products from Holland.
In fact, Jan has represented independent self-producing designers since 1987.
During his research and scouting trips to Holland, Jan met many designers who
had recently finished art school. People like Hella Jongerius, Richard Hutten and
others. It led Kikkerland to start importing their designs to the USA.
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1994 Bottle Opener designed by Gert Jan Vogel
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Jan helped produce these lamps designed by Martha Davis and Lisa Krohn in
New York during his years at Gallery 91.
A great recycling project avant la lettre!
These lamps turned out to be a precursor to Kikkerland. Besides their design
sensibility, these lamps foreshadowed things that define Kikkerland today:
originality, humor, affordability, and environmental concern.
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First trade show booth at the Javits Center in New York.
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V vase, designed by Rob Dashorst, was one of the early successes for Kikkerland.
Jan and Rob went to the same kindergarten in Holland, so they had known each
other for a long time! Originally Rob wanted Kikkerland to produce these vases in
the United States to save on shipping, but it turned out to be a bit more compli-
cated than expected. So, they were ended up being imported from Holland.
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Bowl B/V by Vincent de Rijk.
Combination of porcelain inside and translucent resin outside. This product is in
the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection. The exact formula for making
the bowls was lost in a tragic fire at de Rijk’s studio and the bowls can no longer
be produced.
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Wander Stool, designed by Ruud Jan Kokke.
This product is also in the permanent design collection of the
Museum of Modern Art.
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“De Jonge Reus” (Young Giant), designed by Hella Jongerius.
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Richard Hutten’s No Sign of Design furniture and Table upon Table Barstool,
plus the DK clock from Designum, designed by Paul Schudel.
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First printed catalog
This catalog was loosely
divided into 2 sections:
arts and design. Although
there was some overlap
between the categories,
the arts section featured
then popular rustic glass
and ironware from Europe.
The design section was
more similar to what
Kikkerland is today.
Prior to this catalog (with black/white
interior), the promotional material was
photocopied, and handed out in combi-
nation with color photos.
Firefly, designed by Chris Koens,
first appeared in the 1996 catalog.
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First original product
The critter designed by Chico Bicalho. Shown here is the first 1997 version pro-
duced by Kikkerland with pink key and white booties. Originally Chico produced
and sold the critters himself with windup mechanisms he purchased on Canal
Street in New York’s Chinatown. The product was so successful that the mecha-
nisms became impossible to find -- Chico had used them all! That’s when Jan set
out on his search to find a factory that could make them again. It was not easy
and he almost gave up, but at the last minute he found the company in Hong
Kong. To this day Mr. Cheung is still instrumental in bringing the designs from
Chico to life. It is hard to imagine today the huge gamble this project constituted
for Kikkerland at the time, buying a whole container full of windup toys! Not only
did it turn out to be a success, it actually changed the course of the company.
First color catalogs
The critter made its appearance in the first color catalog in 1997. Kikkerland was
starting to become a real company! There would be one more Xeroxed catalog
after this one, but from then on, the catalogs were printed in full color. Kikker-
land relies on these semi-annual catalogs, as well as trade shows, web sites,
and packaging for promotion.
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Harlem Office
The building in Harlem was the Kikkerland home from 1994 until 2009. Shown
here in 2007, with David Kucharsky at his desk. Photo by Jaeyulee (aka Jay Lee).
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Mxyplyzyk
In the late 1980s and early 90s, many
designers produced and distributed their
designs in small quantities to design stores
and museum stores. One of those stores,
Mxyplyzyk, in the West Village of Manhattan,
was a client of Kikkerland and became an
important source of information. Owner
Kevin Brynan introduced Jan to a number
of the designers whose products he sold in
his store. Later on he joined Jan on several
scouting trips to Asia and even now reports
trends from the retail perspective to Kikkerland.
In 1996 he introduced Jan to Chico Bicalho,
who, in turn, introduced him to former class-
mates at the Rhode Island School of Design
(RISD) David Dear and Jozeph Forakis. These
seemingly small events turned out to have a
big influence on the direction and success of
Kikkerland.
RISD students fltr
Jozeph Forakis, Maria
Dombrowski, David
Dear, Victoria Kann,
and Chico Bicalho.
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Critter family anno 2001
Clockwise Sparklz, Critter,
Spinney, Katita and Cosmojetz
Duck Mirror, designed by David Dear. Produced by
Kikkerland in 1998 and still in the collection! Originally
it was going to be a chicken mirror, and it took awhile to
get the feet correct in production. David used to produce
these mirrors himself, selling them to Mxyplyzyk and
other stores.
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Rainbowmaker
Designed by David Dear in
1999 and still going strong.
Additional variations were
added to the line: Heart, Double
and Chime Rainbowmakers.
You have to see it in action
to really get it, which initially
created a lot of problems for
packaging and at trade shows.
Luckily word of mouth and the
offer from Kikkerland to buy
the product back if it did not
sell helped to overcome those
obstacles. The Rainbowmaker
was produced by Mr. Chen,
who was just starting out at
the time. Now he is the big-
gest producer of clocks in the
world!
The Rainbowmaker and the
Flip Clock are early examples
of Kikkerland making prod-
ucts that required substantial
investments in tooling and
production.
Flip Clock
Designed by Michael Daniel. Another connection made through Kevin from
Mxyplyzyk. Michael used to produce these robot clocks by hand with existing flip
clock mechanisms. The factory that made those mechanisms burned down in the
1970s and so they were no longer produced. The whole mechanism needed to be
retooled for Kikkerland production.
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Early packaging
When Kikkerland started to produce its own products, it also needed its own
packaging. Much of this creative packaging design was done by Pieter Woudt.
Early on, there was more of an individual look to packaging. For instance, each
member of the Critter family had its own logo reflecting special looks and
abilities. But when the amount of packaging mushroomed, it soon became clear
that it was no longer possible to always create individual looks and logos. Still,
packaging is an important part of every product. Because Kikkerland does not
advertise directly to end-consumers, the packaging is the most effective way for
a product to get attention.
New York, USA, 212-267-2250
a Kikkerland Product
Keep out of reach of minors
Design by Chico Bicalho
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Invisible Cards
Designed by Pieter Woudt. After a very long production process that started in
2000, involving a switch of production facilities and a complete redesign, the
cards ended up in store in 2003. They were an instant hit. SFMoMA sold out
200 decks in the first day! And with the help of big box stores like Bed, Bath &
Beyond, the Invisible Cards became the first Kikkerland item to sell one million
units in a year!
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Bookends
Designed by Chris Collicott and produced by Kikkerland in 2005. Another self-
producing designer introduced to Kikkerland by Kevin from Mxyplyzyk! Chris
has literally had a hand on many of Kikkerland’s products. His own designs, like
the ever-popular Solar Queens, are in our collection; he also sculpts products on
assignment.
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Logo
The first logo for Kikkerland was a triangle. It was
reference to the popular V-Vase by Rob Dashorst.
For his stationery and business cards design in
1994, Jan hired Pieter Woudt, who just started his
own design company 212-BIG-BOLT after having
worked as a senior designer for MTV for 5 years.
Pieter has been designing for Kikkerland ever
since. First there were the Xeroxed catalogs, later
printed ones, then packaging, product design,
and websites.
The triangle stayed but it was inserted into an
eye. For the 1996 catalogue, the triangle was
used as an icon for the design section. In 1999
this changed into a pyramid and became the icon
that was used in various forms from 1998 until
2008 when it was retired.
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KIKKERLAND
$ 212-678-2250
212-678-6296
Kikkerland Design Inc.
423-427 West 127th Street
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10027
Jan van der Lande
The logo type for Kikkerland is derived from a font designed by the
Dutch architect Hendrik Berlage around 1900. Pieter Woudt designed a
version of it as early as 1994 for a clock face and it was further refined
in 1999 and it has been in use ever since. The tab with rounded
corners was first used in 2002 in the first streamlining of the packaging
design.
After a rebranding by Lev Zeitlin in 2008, the tab was to be used only
as a red tab with white letters. Previously, red had been used as the
dominant color for most packaging. The type on the logo changed
direction going down instead of up and the tab was made wider. The
tab shape was also revised back to its original shape.
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Kikkerland
Catalogs
Catalogs come out twice a year and are designed by Pieter Woudt. The format
has changed several times. It is currently a standard letter size, but getting thicker
and thicker.
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TOP
HIT
S 1992
1997
2002
2007
1993
1998
2003
2008
V Vase by Rob Dashorst
Critter by Chico Bicalho
Zecar by Chico Bicalho
Chiminea by David Weeks
BV Bowl by Vincent de Rijk
Duck Mirror by David Dear
Invisible Cards by Pieter Woudt
Push Light by Jozeph Forakis
1994
1999
2004
2009
1995
2000
2005
2010
1996
2001
2006
2011
Bottle Opener by Gert Jan Vogel
Rainbow Maker by David Dear
Tape Timer by Jozeph Forakis
Solar Queen by Chris Collicott
Table Barstool by Richad Hutten
Flip Clock by Michael Daniel
Bookends by Chris Collicott
Ultraflat Clock by Thomas Buchheim
Firefly by Chris Koens
UBO light by Uriben-Or
Magnito by Josh Owen
Pea by Chico Bicalho
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There was even a product
named after her: Shaka
The Dog Key Finder. If
you whistle, it will bark to
let you know where your
keys are. Unfortunately
this product is no longer
available.
Shaka
Shaka came with the
building in Harlem.
She was an abandoned
watchdog, a German
Shepherd mix, and Jan
and Kazumi adopted
her. She would come
to the office most days
and always behaving
perfectly. She passed
away in 2011 and will be
missed by all of us.
Shaka with the Mustache Photo Paddle designed by Steven Haulenbeek.
Website
In 2001 Kikkerland launched its first website. It started out pretty basic with
some minor movement and showing only select products. The complete col-
lection was added later along with several other design updates. And in 2008,
we went live with an online shop. The current website is designed by Krate and
can be updated day-to-day by the main computer inventory system. A huge
improvement. Kikkerland also has a blog and Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Check them out for the latest updates.
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Tradeshow booths
Since 1999 the trade show booths have been designed and produced by
Thomas Buchheim. The lightweight tubular system first used in 2005 created a
unique look and was easy to transport and set up. Kikkerland attends more than
85 trade shows a year in different countries all over the world.
Since 2003 Thomas has been accompanying Jan on scouting trips for new
products at trade shows in Asia and Europe. In addition to selecting and styling
many Kikkerland products, he also designs products. Below is his Ultraflat Wall
Clock from 2010.
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Cesar Mascarenhas, Chico Bicalho,
Jan van der Lande, April 2004.
Reforestation Project in Brazil
The Mil Folhas Project began in 1996 to reforest a public area of 200,000 m2
(50 acres) in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The area, originally covered by the
native Atlantic Forest of altitude, was completely devastated in the mid 1970’s
for highway work.
Since its year of inception 2002, all royalties from ZéCar plus a generous Matching
Fund from Kikkerland, go entirely to the Mil Folhas Project. So far, ZéCar has helped
to plant more than 180 thousand trees of 150 different species native of the Atlantic
Forest. The project will continue for the next several years, until all 300 thousand
trees are planted, at which point new reforestation projects can begin.
For more information and photos, please visit www.projetomilfolhas.com
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Designed by Chico Bicalho and
styled by Gaga Casari, Zecar came
into this world for a very important
mission, besides entertaining us.
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Photos taken in 2000,
2008, and 2012 show
reforestation progress at
the eastern side of Inter-
state BR-040.
Chico in 2011 next to a
Jequitiba tree that Jan
and Kazumi planted in
2003.
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Build03
In 2009 designer Josh Owen approached
Kikkerland about sponsoring a project for the
School of Design at Philadelphia University,
where he was a design professor. Kikkerland
agreed. Students in their sophomore year
would work with Kikkerland on a start-to-
finish design challenge where one student’s
work would be mass-produced.
Each student was to take an object from the
past, bring it up to date, and have it “tell a
story”. The results of the project were shown
at the International Contemporary Furniture
Fair (ICFF) in New York in 2010.
Build03 book
Student and professor, Brenden Feucht and Josh Owen. Jigger Cube designed by Josh Owen
for Kikkerland in 2007, winner of
the International Design Award and
Chicago Good Design Award.
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Gas Can Money Bank
Brenden Feucht’s Gas Can Money Bank for Kikkerland Design was the 1st
place winner of the BUILD 03 Kikkerland Design Challenge in association with
The Philadelphia University Industrial Design Department.
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Graffiti Cocktail Shaker
Originally only one product was going to
be produced as part of Build03. Going into
it, Kikkerland had no idea what to expect
and only committed in advance to the one.
As it turned out, there were a lot of good
ideas and the next season the runner up
Graffiti Cocktail Shaker, designed by
William Kellogg, was produced as well.
Kikkerland’s Jay Lee, David Kucharsky, and Laura Kellner with Professor Josh Owen, Assistant Professor,
Jason Lampieri and the students.
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Mexican Design Challenge
In late 2010 Kikkerland organized the Mexi-
can Design Challenge, in collaboration with
Ariel Rojo, Gava Design, and Universidad
Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM).
The objective of the design challenge was
to create products that combine Kikkerland
character together with a Mexican cultural
reference. The contest was open to Indus-
trial Design Students attending UNAM
where Ariel Rojo is a professor. And it
engaged the students in aspects of design,
engineering, manufacturing, marketing
sales and distribution.
The colorful booth at the ICFF designed
by Jan Habraken.
Mexican Design Challenge book
Luchador Bottle Openers
designed by Rojo and Andrés
Lhima. Each Luchador Bottle
Opener is a mini-wrestler
applying a lock hold to an
opponent -- in this case a beer
bottle.
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Day of the Dead Corkscrew designed by Rojo
and Stephanie Suárez. Every year the lives of
loved ones who have passed are celebrated with
offerings, food and drink at the Day of the Dead
holiday. Sugar skulls are part of this tradition and
serve as the inspiration for this design.
Kikkerland representatives chose
five finalists and put their proto-
types on display at the 2011 ICFF.
Visitors were invited to vote for
their favorite finalist via in-booth
ballots or on Kikkerland’s Facebook
page. Over 1,000 votes later the
winner was the Luchador
Bottle Openers. There was such
overwhelming response to this
project and so many viable ideas
for products that Kikkerland de-
cided to produce 3 additional prod-
ucts for their Spring 2012 catalog!
Fossil erasers designed by Rojo
and Gilberto Gonzales. The Fossil
Erasers were inspired by the idea
of erosion and how it affects our
current landscape while revealing
traces of the past.
Gator Grater designed by Rojo
and Sarahi Delgado.
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ICFF Shows
Since 2007 Kikkerland has been participating in the ICFF at the Javits Center in
New York. The booths are designed by Jan Habraken. The Can booth at the ICFF
show in 2009 was made from real Campbell soup cans. When the show was over
the cans were donated to charity.
Jan Habraken’s design studio FormNation is on the same floor as Kikkerland at
666 Broadway. Besides the ICFF booths, he also designs products. The Poodle
USB Hub is one of his many recent designs for Kikkerland.
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Kikkerland Inhouse Design Team
The team of staff designers started in 2005 and has grown to 4 people. They
crank out a huge number of products and packaging each and every season.
Kikkerland has been consistently adding about 150 different items to its collection
every 6 months, which amounts to about one product per day! The team currently
consists of David Kucharsky, Jay Lee, Zach Weiss and Cristina Gómez.
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NoHo office
In 2010 Kikkerland moved into their new office on 666 Broadway.
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Global
Kikkerland sells products in more than 100 countries worldwide. Kikkerland
opened up its European Headquarters in Rotterdam in 2006 and a Hong Kong
office 2010.
Kikkerland Europe office and crew at the Beurs-
plein in Rotterdam.
Lots of enthusiasm at
a trade show booth in
South Korea.
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2012 and beyond
Here are some more of the 180 new Kikkerland products from the Spring 2012
Catalog. We are curious ourselves what we will come up with in the future, but we
are confident it will be fun, innovative, surprising, etcetera, etcetera... Stay tuned!
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Sal N Pepi Shakers by Sebastian ErrazurizPixel Heart Morph Mug by Kikkerland Design
Open Up Bottle Opener by J.P. MeulendijksAnimal Butt Magnets by Stephanie Mantis
Owl Contact Lens Case by Jan HabrakenCassette Lenticular iPhone Case by Kikkerland Design
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Lonely City USB Hub by David Weeks
Bolt USB Hub by Jan Habraken Paper SLR Pinhole Camera by Kikkerland Design
Diamonds Reusable Ice Cubes by Jan Habraken
Flat Light by Kikkerland Design
Robo Buddy Ear Buds & Cord Wrap by Chris Ng
Lucky Beggar Wallet by George Skelcher
Acknowledgements
Designers: Inna Alesina, Pascal Bauer, Chico Bicalho, Matthew Bird, Constantin
Boym, Thomas Buchheim, Chris Collicott, Rita Cortes, Michael Daniel, Rob
Dashorst, David Dear, Sarahi Delgado, Martijn Deurloo, Sebastian Errazuríz,
Design Glut, Ding3000, Doly Design, Brenden Feucht, Hans Fichtner, Jozeph
Forakis, Jess Giffin / Jim Termeer, Gilberto Gonzalez, Jan Habraken, Steven
Haulenbeek, Mike He, Kazuki Hokuto, Dolf Hulsebosch, Richard Hutten, I3 Lab,
Anouk Jansen, Eric Janssen, Hella Jongerius, David Jost, Victoria Kann, William
Kellogg, Chris Koens, Ruud Jan Kokke, Tessa van der Kooy, Jan Willem Leen-
houts, Annie Legroulx, Ran Lerner, Gabrielle Lewin, Adam Lewin, Paul Loebach,
Joe Manic, Steph Mantis, J.P. Meulendijks, Aleksandr Mukomelov, Chris Ng,
Colin O’Dowd, Josh Owen, Benno Premsela, Eric Pol, Pollen Design, Rob Price,
Reno, Rich Brilliant Willing, Vincent de Rijk, Garth Roberts (Group Inc), Judy
Roberts, Ariel Rojo, Jane Sanders, Andrew Saville, Petz Scholtus, Paul Schudel,
George Skelcher, Chris Specce, Stephanie Suárez, Bruce Tharp (Materious),
Uriben-Or, Ed van Veldhoven, Yvon Visser, Gert Jan Vogel, David Weeks, Paul
Weynheymer, Walter Windisch, Pieter Woudt, Lev Zeitlin, Elizabeth Zhe
Photographers: Ken Ferdman, Laura Kellner, Lisa Klappe. Nick Kuskin, Jay Lee,
Ulalume Zavala, Zach Weiss
Brochure design by Pieter Woudt
Thanks to all the people who buy our products and everybody who helped make
Kikkerland a success in the past 20 years. Sales people, reps, distributors, ship-
pers, manufacturers, store owners, administrators, accountants, printers, lawyers
and everybody we forgot to mention. You know who you are.
Thanks and looking forward to the future.