The Strange and Surprising Treasures You Can’t Bring Home

Holidaymakers travel the world and often bring back beautiful souvenirs. Customs encounters a wide variety of souvenirs, from coral and snakeskin boots to complete bear hides (including heads) and elephant legs. Many of these finds would not be out of place in a cabinet of curiosities—and that's precisely what the government agency is capitalising on. With the Cabinet of Customs Curiosities, partly filled with items seized from holidaymakers' luggage, Customs aims to inform travellers about what they can and cannot take home.

Ruth Ellerbroek, senior communications advisor at Customs, said, “We continue to be amazed by what we find in passengers' luggage. It's fantastic to use the Cabinet of Curiosities to inform people about what they can and can't take home.”

With its stylish design of dark lacquered wood, the Cabinet of Curiosities is reminiscent of the classic cabinets of curiosities popular from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The rich palette of diverse objects is showcased in a Renaissance style in the campaign, which includes online videos, social media content, and photography for (digital) out-of-home use—displayed on screens at the airports in Amsterdam, Rotterdam/The Hague, and Eindhoven. More information about the objects can also be found on the campaign website. Dutch Customs collaborated with digital creative agency Monks for this campaign.

Nick Philipse, creative director at Monks, explained, “The importance of raising awareness of customs regulations is clear, but how do you do that in a way that engages and even fascinates? These cabinets of curiosities are traditionally designed to pique your curiosity and spark conversation, and that's exactly what we want to achieve with this campaign.”

The campaign, featuring videos and digital outreach, will be visible throughout the summer on airport screens and Customs' online and social media channels.