The Making Of A Dream

Dairy Agency promotes Dutchy as film star.

This is long a film excerpt from a film news/annual review that industry association the Dutch Dairy Agency commissioned to inform its affiliates about promotional activities around the product milk. It is spoken in Dutch.
The long excerpt contains a (re-enacted) mini documentary on why exactly the choice was made to use the medium of puppet film.

The relatively young Nederlands Zuivelbureau (NZB) was set up to promote the common interests of dairy producers. A specific mission was to promote Dutch milk powder and condensed milk. Thanks to the colourful medium puppet film, the visually unattractive product (cans of milk and milk powder) was showcased in a spectacular way.

It was a smart move from the NZB to involve members in the decision-making and realisation process. Several films were produced in a fairly short time, involving serious budgets. The members loved this approach.

Thanks to the use of puppet film, the ‘Dutchy’ logo was clearly displayed. Also, the product ‘condensed milk’ was presented tastefully and appetisingly.

The figure Dutchy was introduced in print advertising in 1953. The year 1955 in which ‘A Dream Comes True’ was made was a year when the NZB went full on marketing. For that time, it was very progressive to use all available media. Not only print and films were made, many consumer fairs were also visited, and at the national exhibition ‘E55’ in Rotterdam, a full-scale attraction was placed in which visitors were given a presentation of ‘The Milky Way’ on a trolley over rails. Here, Joop Geesink was certainly influential as well.

We see committee members bent over a thick book. This is the film's original storyboard. The photos loose in it show that the shooting of the puppet film had already taken place.

The original (working) title was Dutchy's Dream.

The pictures are already done, so the film is ready.

This video shows what the entrance to the Dollywood studios was like back then, in the former (pre-war) barracks of Cinetone Studios. Joop Geesink's office actually looks quite small, especially with visitors there.

Several employees are visible in the studio, animator Guus Harmsen, but also Joop Bekker. Presumably art director Jan Coolen is visible as well as some anonymous employees.
The film newsreel was customarily made in the 1950s in black and white, presumably on 16mm. Screening was exclusively private to employees and stakeholders of the Nederlands Zuivel Bureau.
On this page, only the excerpt with puppet film is shown.