Everyone who have visited the Netherlands remembers them, the Dutch kissing couple. In the last years it has become a true symbol of Dutch love. It has a typical Dutch appearance through Dutch clothes, and everyone loves love. Every day people take pictures in our wooden shoe factory. A popular pose among couples is always "the kissing couple." It is very simple: The man and the woman stand opposite each other, the hands behind the back. Lean forward kiss and, FLASH, the picture is taken.
Although it was a very popular symbol of the Netherlands, there was no place to visit the kissing couple. Tulips can be seen on the Keukenhof. Windmills in Kinderdijk or the Zaanse Schans. But there was no place for the kissing couple yet. Until 2017, when an 8 meter high statue (28 feet) was unveiled in Zaandam.
There is not much information about the origin of the traditional kissing couple. Some say this picture of Jan & Grietje was the inspiration for the figurines. The kissing kids picture was taken in Volendam, North Holland around 1920. Probably a souvenir merchant has seen this picture and inspired him to make the first kissing couple figurines. In every region of the Netherlands the traditional costumes look different. Altough most figurines have got the Volendam costumes, there is a wide variation in costumes among the kissing couple figurines.
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