Comedian Vlatko Štampar, from Čakovec, started his career in the late 80s by putting a smile on his mother’s face after the unimaginable pains of childbirth. Following that first and "bloodiest" gig, young Vlatko realized early on that he loved making people laugh. Just 20-some years later, rumors began spreading through Zagreb’s stand-up underground about a gentle giant with a sharp wit. Starting at the now-legendary open-mic nights at Purgeraj, this "misfit" from the Međimurje region quickly became a crowd favorite. By helping build the Zagreb stand-up scene from the ground up, Vlatko Štampar has become an essential name in comedy across the region—except, perhaps, in Hungary.
He performs at stand-up nights and comedy festivals in cities across the former Yugoslavia. Despite the language barrier—his mother tongue being the specific Međimurje dialect—he manages to make thousands laugh with an unusual physical ease. For years, Vlatko has been a staple at Zagreb’s Studio Smijeha, where he relentlessly exposes his own warped worldview and a rich imagination populated by animals that talk (nonsense) and forbidden perversions that might—out of context—be considered a criminal offense. For those who haven’t "tried" him yet, Vlatko remains the personification of all those insane thoughts we all have in that part of the mind we choose to ignore. For those who have experienced him, he is a release valve for wild associations that, combined with his unique style, inevitably trigger laughter. He is truly one of the best comedians in the region. Except, of course, in Hungary.
