Bijenkorf swaps its climbing Piets for climbing bears

The Bijenkorf has replaced the climbing Piet figures in its Sinterklaas decorations with climbing bears this year. The change breaks a tradition that dates from 1963. The bears wear a Piet costume. The bears can be seen in its stores in Amsterdam, Amstelveen, The Hague and Utrecht.

Every year around Sinterklaas, the department store is decorated with Piets that climb up and down ropes hanging from the ceiling. Since 1963 they have been a fixture of the Bijenkorf's winter display, and the tradition is now more than sixty years old.

The Piet has been replaced by Bob de Beer, the Bijenkorf's official mascot. The bear wears a Piet costume.

It is not the first time the Bijenkorf has changed how its Piets look. In 2015 they were given a golden face, amid the debate about skin colour. This year's change is the most drastic so far.

The Bijenkorf says the choice of Bob de Beer stems mainly from a campaign to make the mascot more visible. "The choice to do this during Sinterklaas was not meant to end the climbing Piet tradition, but to continue it," the company said. "In this way we're bringing together two much-loved parts of the Bijenkorf."