Jeroen Verheij

Jeroen Verheij has been a designer at Dutch theme park Efteling since 2008.

He joined Efteling as a designer and illustrator in the Merchandise Licensing & Publishing department. In this position, he was responsible for designing various souvenir lines, brochures, and the restyling of souvenir shops, as well as numerous large and small projects.

He subsequently worked on various projects, including Symbolica and several food and beverage outlets and shops. He was responsible for the retheming of Fabula, followed by his first new food and beverage building, Bäckerei Krümel. He was also fully responsible for a completely new attraction for Danse Macabre, which opened in 2024.

Verheij became very involved with Efteling at a young age: in 1984, he and a friend founded the Efteling Fan Club. He was also previously an entertainer in the park, with roles such as Hieronymus, Nadir the Quack, the Stately Helmsman, and Cornelis Cruyer. He also took on the role of footman OJ Punctuel, whom he portrayed as an actor in the making-of Symbolica at the NineSquares Festival, and whose voice he provided for that attraction.

He can also be heard as a station announcer at the Marerijk and De Oost stations of the Efteling Steam Train Company, and as the voice of Uncle Gijs.

One nomination says:

"With his recent success of being the head designer of the attraction Dans Macabre, he has shown that his design is innovative in dark ride design and creates a fully immersive musical experience that is unique and sits amongst the best in the world."