How a Miniature House Became the Most Coveted Souvenir in Aviation

10.10.2024 - 19:12 / afar.com / Marjan Rintel

Tucked into a small pocket in Amsterdam’s city center, the historic house at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 249 is a favorite among tourists and photographers. The building is a showstopper, with majestic step-gabled facades and an enviable location at the intersection of three canals where Amsterdam’s original defense walls once protected against invaders centuries ago.

But as of October 7, the building has a new moniker that virtually guarantees it new fame, especially among aviation enthusiasts like me: KLM Huisje 105 (House 105). It’s the latest addition to a coveted collection of hand-painted Delftware miniatures inspired by real-life Dutch landmarks (and filled with a type of Dutch liquor called jenever), which are presented to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines passengers in intercontinental business cabins. These inches-high souvenirs are arguably commercial aviation’s most sought-after mementos.

Every year, KLM releases the newest replica as the grand finale of its October 7 birthday bash, an invite-only, VIP-studded affair attended by its execs, top corporate customers, and aviation journalists (which is how I scored entry). Not unlike Apple fans who clamor for the latest iPhone as soon as it drops, this avgeek crowd holds a certain pride in being among the first to get their hands on the newest house (KLM also says it sees a bump in business class bookings in the days following the release).

The anticipation is fueled by the fact that KLM keeps the identity of the new house a closely guarded secret until its unveiling. This year, as the audience cheered, airline president and CEO Marjan Rintel presented the first Huisje 105 to Arthur van Dijk, the King’s Commissioner in the North Holland province.

After the event wrapped, an al fresco afterparty of sorts popped up several blocks away at—where else?—House 105 itself. Illuminated from within in glowing KLM blue, it offered the perfect backdrop as KLM flight attendants and Rintel posed for photos while Dutch music blared from a cargo bike parked at the curb.

These houses first appeared on KLM flights in 1952, and their origin story reflects a clever workaround of commercial aviation industry regulations that prohibited airlines from providing gifts to passengers. However, offering drinks was fair game, and so an idea took shape: to serve a drink in a small replica Dutch house, effectively creating a unique cocktail vessel. The concept was allowed, and the miniature house mania took off. Many Dutch celebrities and royalty count themselves as proud collectors—including Netherlands King Willem-Alexander, who occasionally moonlights as a KLM pilot.

“The houses are the smallest status symbol in the Netherlands,” says Mark Zegeling, whose self-published book Little