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Eelco Martinus ten Harmsen van der Beek was Born on the 9th October
1897 in Amsterdam, Holland where his father owned a pharmacy at 41 Sint
Antoniusbreestraat.When young, Eelco and his brother Hein would sell
postcards that Eelco had drawn on the streets of Amsterdam. Eelco attended
the Rijksakademie School of Art in Amsterdam between 1916-1918 and after
leaving had no problem finding work, mostly commercial, illustrating
articles in newspapers and magazines. One of the earliest books that
Eelco illustrated was called De Driewenschen, written by Jac der Klei,
which was published in 1920.
It is for Enid Blyton's Noddy characters that Beek is most remembered
and recognized. Noddy is one of the most recognisable icons in British
culture. Noddy began when David White the managing director of Sampson
Low and Company ltd, was keen to begin a new series of books with Enid
Blyton. He wanted to create a popular character for younger children
with bright and colourful illustrations. Enid selected the Dutch artist
Harmsen van der Beek from a number of illustrators. She insisted on
meeting the artist before considering ideas for the new series. Beek
traveled from Amsterdam for the arranged meeting with Enid and and within
two hours they had imagined Noddy goes to Toyland through words and
sketches. Within four days Enid had sent off her first two Noddy book
manuscripts to David White with the accompanying note: ' I have finished
the first two little Noddy books and here they are. I have written them
with a view to give van der Beek all the scope possible for his particular
genius - toys - pixies, goblins, Toyland, brick-houses, dolls houses,
toadstool houses, market-places - he'll really enjoy himself ! I don't
want to tell him how to interpret anything because he'll do it much
better if he has a perfectly free hand - but as Noddy ( the little nodding
man ), big-ears the pixie, and Mr. and Mrs. Tubby ( the teddy bears
) will probably feature in further books, and will be "important"
characters as far as these books are concerned, I'd be very glad if
he could sketch out these characters and let me see roughs'.
Beek worked quickly and Blyton was delighted with the work. Van der
Beek, she said, had created Noddy and his environment exactly as she
had visualised them. The first book Noddy goes to Toyland was published
in November 1949. It is reputed that by Christmas 1958, over twenty
million Noddy books had been sold in Britain and Australia.
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