On 20 April 1946 the first illustration by Fiep appeared in Het Parool. In the first few years 
after the war, Het Parool was not only a hotbed of talent but also a wild club of young people who had broken loose in the euphoria of the war which was now over.

The editors of Het Parool used to meet at Café Scheltema. Fiep also went to this café egularly. One evening she literally ran into Annie M.G. Schmidt when she was leaving the pub. They got talking, and from that evening in 1947 onwards they remained friends.