Dick Laan facts for kids

Dick Laan (born December 18, 1894, in Wormerveer – died October 6, 1973, in Heemstede) was a famous Dutch writer and filmmaker. He is most well-known for his popular Pinkeltje book series.

Dick Laan's Early Life

Dick Laan was born into a family that owned a large company. His father, Jan Cornelis Laan, and grandfather, Teunis Crok, started a business. It processed oil and fat. In 1902, when Dick was young, his family moved to Bloemendaal. Dick later began working in his family's factories. By 1916, he was helping to manage the company.

Making Movies and Documentaries

During the First World War, factory work slowed down. This gave Dick Laan more time for his favorite hobby: making films! He made his very first movie in 1917. After that, he created more than 50 movies and documentaries.

He was a pioneer in making movies especially for children. He filmed kids he knew from his football club, Koninklijke HFC. He also filmed children from the scouting club De Zwarte Pijl, where he was a Scout Leader.

In 1927, Dick Laan helped start the Dutch Film Collective. This group included other directors. In 1929, he made a film called Voetbal. It was the first artistic movie about the sport of football. Famous director Joris Ivens even said he learned a lot from Dick Laan.

From Films to Books

Writing stories for his movies led Dick Laan to start writing books. At first, he wrote several adventure books for boys.

The Pinkeltje Book Series

Dick Laan is most famous for his Pinkeltje series of children's books. These stories are about a tiny hero who is the size of a pinky finger. The first Pinkeltje book came out in 1939. It became a huge success, selling 3 million copies in Dutch!

He wrote 28 books in the series. The last four books were published after he passed away. Pinkeltje books have been translated into many languages. These include English, Chinese, Danish, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish, and Icelandic.

Pinkeltje on the Big Screen

Five years after Dick Laan's death, in 1978, a movie about Pinkeltje was made. Harrie Geelen directed the film and wrote the story. The movie was very popular in the Netherlands. Aart Staartjes played Pinkeltje, and Wieteke van Dort played his friend, Pinkelotje.

Dick Laan's Lasting Impact

The Pinkeltje books are still very popular in the Netherlands. More than 40 nursery schools and kindergartens are named after Pinkeltje or Pinkelotje. Some are also named after other characters from the books.

Honoring Dick Laan

Dick Laan spent his last years in Heemstede. A street there was named the Dick Laanlaan (Laan means lane) to honor him. Later, its name was changed to the "Laan van Dick Laan." The city of Almere also has a Dick Laan street. In his birthplace, Wormerveer, there is a Dick Laan square.

Dick Laan's Works

• Het Geheim van den Zwarten Monnik, 1930 ("The Secret of the Black Monk")
• De raad van zeven, 1930 ("The Council of Seven")
• Rudi's Spaansche avonturen, 1931 ("Rudy's Spanish Adventures")
• Circusjong, 1933 ("Circus Boy")
• De berg M, 1935 ("The Mountain M")
• Tarakanner tegen wil en dank, 1936 ("Unwillingly Shipmate of the Tarakan")
• Het goud van den Amerikaan, 1939 ("The Gold of the American")
• Pinkeltje-series, 1939–1977 (translated as "Fingerling")
• Dick Laan over Film. Herinneringen en belevenissen van een oud-filmer [1964] ("Memories of an old film maker")