# Bijenkorf swaps its climbing Piets for climbing bears

> The department store's Sinterklaas displays in Amsterdam, Amstelveen, The Hague and Utrecht now feature bears instead of the climbing Piets used since 1963.

Society · published 2026-11-12 13:24 · https://nlnow.nl/a/bijenkorf-replaces-its-climbing-piets-with-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The Piet has been replaced by Bob de Beer, the Bijenkorf's official mascot.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."

## Background

- **Bijenkorf**: The Bijenkorf is a Dutch department store chain, with stores in several Dutch cities including Amsterdam, Amstelveen, The Hague and Utrecht. It sells fashion, beauty, home products and gifts, and its window and in-store decorations are a familiar part of the Dutch holiday season.
- **Piet**: In English, Piet is the helper figure who accompanies Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) in the Dutch Sinterklaas tradition. Piet appears in parades, in shop and school visits, and in decorations, and the celebration of Sinterklaas on 5 December is one of the best-known family holidays in the Netherlands.
- **Sinterklaas**: Sinterklaas is the Dutch version of Saint Nicholas, a bishop-like gift-giver who is central to a winter celebration in the Netherlands and Belgium. The main festivities take place on the evening of 5 December, when children often receive presents and sweets, and the period leading up to it is marked by parades, stories and decorations.

From NLnow, news from the Netherlands in English. How stories are made: https://nlnow.nl/about/