Purple crocodile
The phrase purple crocodile (Dutch: Paarse krokodil) originates from a 2004 television advertisement by the Dutch insurance company OHRA promoting their lack of red tape. The purple crocodile has since become a metaphor for bureaucracy in the Netherlands.[1]
Description of the advertisement
[edit]| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Paarse krokodil - commercial OHRA, on YouTube |
The advertisement consists of a single sketch in which a mother and her daughter appear at the reception desk of a public swimming pool. The mother explains to the receptionist that the previous day her daughter left her inflatable purple crocodile at the swimming pool.
The receptionist hands the mother a form which must be filled out on both sides and handed in the following day between 9 and 10 AM, while the purple crocodile, which her daughter had lost is seen standing in a corner of the reception desk. The mother then points at the purple crocodile and says that "it's right there." The receptionist says in a sneering tone "yes, it is right there" but takes no action.
Appearance in Dutch law
[edit]A 2006 law Wijzigingswet belastingwetten ter vermindering van administratieve lasten aimed at reducing red tape has the official shortened name Wijzigingsplan «Paarse krokodil» (Amendment "Purple crocodile").[2][3]
References
[edit]- ^ Daruvalla, Abi; Pascoe, Robin (2009). A Dictionary of Dutchness. DutchNews.nl. p. 98. ISBN 9789081232722.
- ^ "Wijzigingswet belastingwetten ter vermindering van administratieve lasten (Wijzigingsplan «Paarse krokodil»)". Wetten.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 February 2025.
- ^ OECD (25 September 2007). Cutting Red Tape: Administrative Simplification in the Netherlands. doi:10.1787/9789264037496-en. ISBN 9789264038295.
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