Raymond Bär van Hemmersweil

Raymond Bär van Hemmersweil was born in The Hague, where he also got his training in advertising photography. He turned to creating comics instead, and drew 'Pepito' in 1956. His most famous creation, which he made together with Jan van Reek, is 'Wipperoen', the little dune rabbit who first appeared in 1961. The strip was published in the Dutch Algemeen Handelsblad, as well as in several newspapers in Belgium, France, Spain, Britain and South-Africa.

Van Reek and Bär did the initial sketching and lay-outs together, and then Bär did the finished art and Van Reek focused on the texts. When Van Reek was too ill to contribute to the strips anymore at the end of his life, Bär did some 'Wipperoen' balloon strips for De Telegraaf on his own. He now lives in France.