Funny Side Up
Funny Side Up is a Netherlands-based, founder-operated hand-drawn illustration studio serving greeting-card, stationery, and consumer-product brands — including Hallmark, Moonpig, Greetz Online, Paperclip, Triggered Emotions, and Unicef — with original illustration commissions and global artwork licensing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersAssendelft, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Funny Side Up does
Funny Side Up is a Netherlands-based, founder-operated hand-drawn illustration studio registered in Assendelft (KVK 34346139) as a sole proprietorship of Sandra Bruin van de Bijl. The business produces original hand-drawn illustrations in a signature playful style for use on everyday products — greeting cards, stationery, packaging, calendars, textiles, and digital surfaces — and licenses both commissioned and pre-existing artwork to product companies worldwide. Its product mix includes an owned Paperclip stationery line (Bright Days Forever, Words Up, Christmas cards), co-developed interactive light-and-sound cards with Triggered Emotions, and illustration programs for enterprise customers such as Hallmark (greeting cards, packaging, calendars), Moonpig, Greetz Online, Paperclip, and Unicef.
The studio's core technology is hand-drawn illustration technique executed by the founder in a small home studio; no proprietary software, models, or platform architecture are disclosed. Revenue is generated through two streams: one-time commissions for bespoke illustrations and recurring licensing royalties on the existing artwork library. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the documented cadence is multi-year contracts.
Go-to-market is direct-sales-led via the company website and email, supplemented by worldwide licensing representation through Shayesteh den Boer of Shaype ([email protected]), which handles inbound licensing inquiries for the founder. Marketing is intentionally minimal — a portfolio website, an Instagram presence (funnysideup_nl), and an email newsletter — reflecting the founder-led, low-overhead operating model. The firm is GDPR-compliant, holds no patents or outside funding, and is privately held with no institutional investors or parent company.
Funny Side Up firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Funny Side Up
- Legal name
- Funny Side Up (Sandra Bruin van de Bijl)
- Website
- https://funnysideup.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Funny Side Up is a Netherlands-based, founder-operated hand-drawn illustration studio serving greeting-card, stationery, and consumer-product brands — including Hallmark, Moonpig, Greetz Online, Paperclip, Triggered Emotions, and Unicef — with original illustration commissions and global artwork licensing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Funny Side Up industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Illustration Services
- NAICS
- Stationery Product Manufacturing (322230)
- SIC
- Greeting Cards (2771), Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Prepress, Plate-Making & Artwork Services (IMALAKAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Greeting Cards, Wrap & Party Supplies Retail (CRALAJAE)
Keywords
Where Funny Side Up is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Assendelft
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Funny Side Up business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Original Illustration Commissions: Creating custom original illustrations for product companies who need unique artwork for their products.
- Artwork Licensing: Licensing existing artwork to companies for use on their products, packaging, greeting cards, and other applications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom illustration and licensing services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Funny Side Up product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Funny Side Up is a hand-drawn illustration studio that creates original artwork for product companies and licenses existing illustrations for use on greeting cards, packaging, calendars, stationery, and consumer products. The studio also operates the Paperclip Stationery product line and develops interactive products such as light and sound cards in partnership with Triggered Emotions.
Product overview
Funny Side Up is a hand-drawn illustration brand operated by Sandra Bruin, offering a portfolio of illustrated products and licensing services. The core offering includes Paperclip Stationery (a stationery line with greeting cards), Light and Sound Cards (interactive cards with Triggered Emotions), and greeting cards for Hallmark, Greetz Online, and Moonpig. The business also provides artwork licensing for companies seeking to use Bruin's original hand-drawn illustrations on their products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Original Illustration Commissions Custom hand-drawn illustration service for product companies that need unique original artwork for their products, packaging, or marketing materials.
- Art Licensing Licensing service for Sandra Bruin's existing hand-drawn illustrations, allowing companies worldwide to use the artwork on greeting cards, packaging, calendars, stationery, and other products.
- Paperclip Stationery Stationery product line featuring hand-drawn Paperclip character illustrations, including greeting cards and Christmas cards.
- Greeting Cards Hand-drawn greeting cards featuring playful illustrations for various occasions, produced for enterprise clients including Hallmark, Greetz Online, and Moonpig.
- Light and Sound Cards Interactive greeting cards with built-in light and sound features, developed in partnership with Triggered Emotions using Funny Side Up's hand-drawn illustrations.
Companies that use Funny Side Up
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Funny Side Up technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Funny Side Up partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Shayesteh den BoercoreShayesteh den Boer represents Funny Side Up worldwide for licensing inquiries. Contact: [email protected]. This is a key distribution partnership for managing international licensing business development.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Funny Side Up competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mr. Boddington's Studio: Independent design studio producing illustrated stationery, greeting cards, and gift products with a distinctive hand-drawn aesthetic — same one-studio/illustrator-led model serving premium card and stationery channels that Funny Side Up supplies.
- Rifle Paper Co. Direct peer: a design-led stationery and greeting card brand built around distinctive hand-painted illustrations, licensing its artwork into calendars, paper goods, and collaborations. Directly comparable business model to Funny Side Up's illustration-first licensing and stationery approach.
- Lisa Congdon: Independent illustrator with an established licensing business placing artwork on products including stationery, calendars, and home goods — comparable individual-illustrator licensing model with multi-product applications and brand-driven commissions.
- Ohh Deer: UK-based illustrated greeting cards and stationery brand that works with a roster of independent illustrators and licenses artwork into product — comparable hybrid of original illustration IP and licensed/commissioned distribution that Funny Side Up operates.
- Sugar Paper: Los Angeles-based stationery and greeting card brand built on an in-house illustration aesthetic, with licensing partnerships and product extensions — overlapping category (illustrated greeting cards and stationery), similar B2B and DTC positioning.
- Karen Mabon: UK-based illustrator with a licensing and product business spanning greeting cards, stationery, scarves, and homewares — highly comparable to Sandra Bruin's model of one illustrator licensing her hand-drawn style into multiple consumer product categories.
Broad incumbents
- American Greetings: One of the world's largest greeting card publishers and a buyer of illustration IP from independent artists and studios — comparable as a major counterparty licensing third-party artwork into cards, packaging, and calendars, similar to Hallmark's role for Funny Side Up.
- Papyrus (Crane Stationery): Premium greeting card and stationery retailer known for elevated illustrated designs across many artist-led collections — broader incumbent in the same premium illustrated-stationery category Funny Side Up targets via Paperclip and licensed lines.
Emerging players
- Clementine Studio: Independent illustration studio licensing artwork into greeting cards, paper goods, and lifestyle products — emerging peer with a similar illustrator-led, multi-category licensing model and brand-collaboration focus.
- Daydream Society: Independent illustration-led greeting card and stationery brand selling original illustrated cards and lifestyle products — smaller-scale illustration studio with similar product mix and direct-to-consumer and wholesale channels as Funny Side Up's Paperclip line.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Funny Side Up social profiles
Digital presenceFunny Side Up compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Funny Side Up financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Funny Side Up leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Funny Side Up funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Funny Side Up M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Funny Side Up
What does Funny Side Up do?
Funny Side Up is a hand-drawn illustration studio that creates original artwork for product companies and licenses existing illustrations for use on greeting cards, packaging, calendars, stationery, and consumer products. The studio also operates the Paperclip Stationery product line and develops interactive products such as light and sound cards in partnership with Triggered Emotions.
Is Funny Side Up a public or private company?
Funny Side Up is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Funny Side Up founded?
Funny Side Up was founded in 2007. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Funny Side Up based?
Funny Side Up is headquartered in Assendelft, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Funny Side Up make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Original Illustration Commissions are the primary driver. The others are artwork Licensing.
Who are Funny Side Up's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mr. Boddington's Studio, Rifle Paper Co., Lisa Congdon, Ohh Deer, Sugar Paper and Karen Mabon. Broad incumbents are American Greetings and Papyrus (Crane Stationery). Emerging players are Clementine Studio and Daydream Society.
Does Funny Side Up have an API?
No public API is recorded for Funny Side Up.
What industry is Funny Side Up in?
Funny Side Up's product category is Illustration Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMALAKAM, Prepress, Plate-Making & Artwork Services, with a secondary code of CRALAJAE, Greeting Cards, Wrap & Party Supplies Retail. Its NAICS code is 322230 and its SIC code is 2771.