Ons Verhaal
A JOKE ON A BOAT.
AND A BRAND FULL OF COLOUR.
In the Easter weekend of 2018, three scouts were lounging on the foredeck.
One joke later and the idea for Funbadges was born.
"If nobody does it well… you do it yourself."
Photo: Damian on the boat, Mook 2018
"Let's brighten up the world together, one badge at a time."
Started in 2018
Scouting HIT · Mook
The first badges, 2018
01 - OUR STORY
The badge that started it all
Three scouts were lounging on the foredeck of a sailing boat during the Scouting HIT in 2018. Someone teasingly called them "Deksletten" (Deck Sloths) and the laughter that followed was so big that someone asked: "Could we earn a badge for this?" That simple sentence set everything in motion.
As a graphic designer, Damian made 25 of the very first Dekslet badge. Not for profit, but because he had made something that people wore with pride. And that feeling was the beginning.
"It felt fantastic — not just because they wanted it, but because I had made something that people wore with pride. There's more in this."
02 - FROM IDEA TO COMPANY
€200 starting capital + unlimited courage.
On 5 March 2020, Damian officially registered Funbadges with the Chamber of Commerce. With exactly €200 he bought the first badge stock: two designs, 25 pieces each. Everything he sold, he immediately reinvested in new badges.
No investors. No loans. Just building with what he had badge by badge, customer by customer. The school project that was supposed to be fictional became a real business.
"At home I'd always been told that starting your own business 'wasn't a good idea'. With the support of my father I took that step anyway and it changed everything."
2020
START FUNBADGES
FUNBADGES IN THE WILD
Badge moments everywhere
From scouting events to King's Day, from trade fairs to campfire evenings Funbadges is everywhere people carry their story.
HIT Mook Event
Carnival
Funbadge in the wild
The face behind Funbadges
Chief Fun Officer
"Funbadges isn't about volume, not about speed, not about production. It's about people. About identity. About fun."
Damian started as a graphic designer within scouting and discovered a huge gap in the market for accessible, personal badges. No large print runs, no hassle just making something fun that truly fits you.
Today he proudly holds the title Chief Fun Officer - the man who believes every badge tells a story, and that it's his job to shape that story as beautifully and playfully as possible.
OUR VALUES
Four finishes - one character
01
Fun is allowed
Humour belongs here. Our badges tell stories that are sometimes serious, but always genuine.
01
Everyone welcome
Scout, airsofter, carnival fanatic or just yourself at Funbadges you belong.
01
Always personal
Behind every order is a person. Behind every badge a story. No anonymous web shop.
01
Building what matters
Not bigger for the sake of bigger. But better because more and more people want to carry their story.
OUR JOURNEY
FROM JOKE TO THRIVING BRAND
How an idea on a boat grew into more than 450 badge designs and thousands of satisfied customers.
Easter 2018
The Dekslet joke
Three scouts on the foredeck of a sailboat near Mook. One joke, one question: "Could we earn a badge for this?" The seed was planted.
2018–2019
The first five badges
Damian makes the very first Dekslet badge 25 pieces. They spread like WhatsApp stickers across multiple groups. Demand grows.
2019
From school assignment to real plan
Damian gets the assignment to think up a fictional business at school. But why fictional? The school project becomes Funbadges the idea takes shape as a brand.ls merk.
5 maart 2020
Chamber of Commerce registration
With €200 starting capital, Damian registers Funbadges. Two designs, 25 pieces each. Everything he sells goes straight back into new badges.
2020–2023
Growing badge by badge
The range grows from a handful of designs to 100+, then 200+, eventually more than 450 designs. Collaborations with brands like Klokbier. Webshop launch.
Now
A community of colour and creativity
More than 450 badge designs, thousands of satisfied customers, events across the Netherlands. Funbadges stands for people who want to show themselves in their own way.
FUNBADES COMMUNITY
Badges in the wild
On jacket, on bag, on backpack, on shirt every badge tells a different story.
"Funbadges exists to make the world
a little more cheerful
badge by badge, smile by smile."
- Damian Verwater, Chief Fun Officer · Funbadges
DOE MEE
Ready to let your story
be seen?
Whether you want to immortalise a joke, unite your group, or just want something that truly fits you we'll make it.