50 years Toppop
Toppop, the first weekly puppet show on Dutch television, celebrates its 50th anniversary on September 22nd. The program quickly became extremely popular and many generations grew up with Toppop. The world's greatest artists flew to the Netherlands to perform, led by host Ad Visser and dancer Penney de Jager. In the run-up to September 22, AVROTROS will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, both on the radio and on television.
Ad and Penney became inextricably bound up with the program and became for many the embodiment of rock 'n' roll. Toppop was for many Dutch and Belgian viewers their primary source of information in the field of music.
The Toppop Train
On the occasion of the 250th broadcast in 1976 a Toppop-train drove through the Netherlands, where artists also performed. It was agreed with the NS that the train would not be painted but to decorate the train with paper, in the Toppop style. The decoration flew off the train along the way after which the set designers painted the train in colorful colors.
Iggy Pop performance in 1977
In 1977 Iggy Pop was invited to play his hit Lust for Life. When he unexpectedly stormed out of his dressing room at the last minute, the crew was still on stage. The 'dance' with a sound man are immortalized in this video. Part of the scenery turned out to be irreparably damaged after the chaotic performance. Iggy's performance in Toppop is considered the breakthrough of punk in the Netherlands.
