Born in Berchem, Van Hove studied to become a radio technician in Germany during World War II. Because of he had worked in Germany, he had difficulty finding a job after the War, which resulted in him becoming a comic artist. He started his career with Het Handelsblad in 1950. From October of that year, he gave his satirical view on current affairs in his comic 'De Week in Krabbels' in this newspaper.