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Moomins

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For other uses, see Moomins (disambiguation).
The Moomins, comic book cover by Tove Jansson. From left to right, Sniff, Snufkin, Moominpappa, Moominmamma, Moomintroll (Moomin), Mymble, Groke, Snork Maiden and Hattifatteners

The Moomins are the central characters in a series of books by Finnish writer Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish. They are a family of Scandinavian trolls who are white, round and furry in appearance, with large snouts that make them resemble hippopotamuses. The carefree and adventurous family live in their house in Moominvalley, though in the past their temporary residences have included a lighthouse and a theatre. They have many adventures along with their many friends.

They are particularly popular in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Japan, and the United Kingdom and have been the basis for several television series, and a film, as well as many items of merchandise, and even a theme park.

The Books

Naantali, Finland, Moomin Houses in Moomin World

The books in the series, in order, are:

  1. Comet in Moominland some editions The Happy Moomins - (Originally Kometjakten / Kometen kommer) - 1946
  2. Finn Family Moomintroll (originally Trollkarlens hatt) - 1948
  3. The Exploits of Moominpappa some editions Moominpappa's Memoirs (originally Muminpappans bravader / Muminpappans memoarer) - 1950
  4. Moominsummer Madness (originally Farlig midsommar) - 1954
  5. Moominland Winter (originally Trollvinter) - 1957
  6. Tales from Moominvalley (originally Det osynliga barnet) - 1962 (short stories)
  7. Moominpappa at Sea (originally Pappan och havet) - 1965
  8. Moominvalley in November (originally Sent i november) - 1970 (in which the Moomin family is absent)

The first book, known in English as The Moomins and the Great Flood (original Swedish title Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen) was finally published in English in 2005.

There are also four Moomin picture books by Tove Jansson:

The books and comic strips have been translated from their original Swedish and English into many languages.

The Comic Strip

File:Moofam.gif
The Moomins, from Japanese–European television-animation. From left to right, Sniff, Moominmamma, Moominpappa, Moomintroll (Moomin) and Little My

The Moomins also appeared in the form of comic strips; their first appearance was in the London Evening News in 1954. Tove Jansson drew and wrote all the strips until 1959 when she lost inspiration. After this her brother Lars Jansson, who could duplicate the style of drawings and texts accurately, took over the job until 1975 when the last strip was released. The strips were made in English and then translated to other languages.

Drawn and Quarterly, a Canadian graphic novel publisher, is releasing a new reprint series of the London Evening News strips, beginning in October 2006. The first volume of Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip is currently available, with four more volumes planned to follow.

In the 90's, a comic book version of the Moomin was made in Scandinavia after the animated series were shown on television. Neither Tove nor Lars Jansson had any involvement in it, though.

Television Series and Films

The story of the Moomins was made into television series on many occasions by various groups, the most recent of which have been Japanese–European collaboration works which have also produced a feature-length movie. However, there are also two Soviet series (puppet animation Mumi-troll (Moomintroll) and cutout animation Shlyapa Volshebnika (Magician's hat)) of three films each and Polish puppet animation TV series, Opowiadania Muminków (Moomin Stories).

In all, eight television series and one film have been made:

Moomin characters

Original Swedish and Finnish names are given in parentheses.

The Moomin family

  • Moomintroll (Mumintrollet, Muumipeikko) - the main character of most of the books, a spirited teenager with a keen sense of adventure and fun, and a generous spirit.
  • Moominmamma (Muminmamman, Muumimamma) - the mother of Moomintroll. She very rarely gets cross and takes even the most distressing circumstances (such as the arrival of a comet, or being washed away by a flood) in her stride. Moominmamma would permit anything to her child and his friends, even smoking (she says it's good for the stomach). Moominmamma is almost never without her handbag.
  • Moominpappa (Muminpappan, Muumipappa) - orphaned in his youth, he is a somewhat restless soul who left the orphanage to venture out into the world in his youth but has now settled down, determined to be a responsible father to his family. He is almost always wearing his black top-hat.

Close friends

  • Sniff (Sniff, Nipsu) - Moomintroll's immature friend and later adopted brother. He is one of the few characters who is sincerely interested in money, and is always on the lookout for another way to get rich quick.
  • Snufkin (Snusmumriken, Nuuskamuikkunen) - Moomintroll's best friend, who goes south every winter and returns in the spring. He is the son of the Mymble and the Joxter, and is half-brother to the Mymble's daughter and Little My. Snufkin is an adventurer and a vagabond, admired by those who are small and shy. Snufkin wears old green clothes and a wide brimmed hat he's had since birth. He lives in a tent, smokes a pipe, and plays the harmonica. Snufkin also has a great dislike for The Park Keeper, and the many regulation signs and fences he puts up. At one point he sabotages The Park Keeper by planting Hattifatteners in his garden, causing them to grow and drive him out. In this way Snufkin shows himself to be somewhat of an environmental activist, preferring freely-growing foliage to fenced-in lawns. Snufkin also shows a philosophy akin to that of a Buddhist monk: keeping as few worldly possessions as possible, seeing them as a burden, and being happier keeping the memory of a thing than the thing itself. This aspect of his personality is contrasted in the character of Sniff.
  • Little My (lilla My, Pikku Myy) - She is a small, determined and fiercely independent Mymble. When she wants something done, she does it straight away. She is very aggressive and totally disrespectful, but can be a good friend. She has a brash personality. She is Snufkin's half-sister.
  • The Snork Maiden (Snorkfröken, Niiskuneiti) - Moomintroll's vain lady friend and admirer. She does fall in love with others sometimes, but returns to Moomintroll before things get too serious. She changes color according to her mood, with her baseline color in the books described as pale yellow.
  • Snork (Snorken, Niisku) - The Snork Maiden's brother, also friends with Moomintroll. He and his sister first meet Moomintroll in Comet in Moominland. He is described as mauve in colour, though changes to a pale green when frightened. His character is obsessing over details, rules and protocol in the books.

Other characters

  • Alice (Alisa, Aliisa) - Alice, the Witch's granddaughter, likes the Moomins and plays with them on the sly whenever the Witch is otherwise occupied. (This character does not appear in the original stories or comics.)
  • The Witch (Häxan, Noita) - The Witch looks quite scary but is a harmless old lady after all. (This character does not appear in the original stories or comics.)
  • The Hemulen (Hemulen, Hemuli) - an avid stamp collector. Hemulens feature frequently in the books. His cousin collects butterflies, and another is an avid skiier. The Hemulen's Aunt raised Moominpappa in an orphanage. Other characters frequently find the Hemulens annoying or overwhelming, as they can be somewhat loud, bossy, abrasive and insensitive, but they are well intentioned and usually have other redeeming qualities..
  • Mymble's daughter (Mymlans dotter,Mymmelin tytär) - later known as simply the Mymble (Mymlan), she is the oldest of Mymble's many children. Every bit as independent as her youngest sibling, little My, Mymble's daughter is very proud of being the oldest sibling, and considers it her duty to raise Little My.
  • Too-Ticky (Too-ticki, Tuutikki) - A friend of the family, craftsman and practical philosopher. Has her first appearance in the novel Moominland Midwinter and returns in the short stories of Tales From Moominvalley and in comics. She is modelled after Tuulikki Pietilä, Tove Jansson's life partner.
  • Fillyjonk (Filifjonkan, Vilijonkka) - the opposite of the Moomin family. Not a single moment of fantasy or joy, only duties and discipline. She is an extremely methodical person tied down with principles and has a deep rooted belief in prestige and tradition. But in a catastrophe, Fillyjonk may behave totally irrationally. Deep inside she probably has a wish to live like the Moomin family, without any worries. She is most often accompanied by her three children.
The Groke from the Japanese–European television-animation Tanoshii Moomin Ikka.
  • The Groke (Mårran, Mörkö) - She is cold and ghostlike, and represents loneliness and all that is scary in the world of Moomin. She seeks warmth and fire, but is unable to do anything but to put them out. Although she has a scary appearance and is dangerous to get close to due to the cold that she's radiating, she's not really evil... Just very lonely. Makes first appearance in Finn Family Moomintroll and returns in Moominland Midwinter and Moominpappa at Sea.
  • The Hobgoblin (Trollkarlen, Taikuri) - Appearing in "Finn Family Moomintroll", he is a powerful magician who travels the Universe with his flying panther, looking for the King's Ruby. His hat is found in the Lonely Mountains by Moomintroll, Snufkin and Sniff, who take it back to Moominhouse. Chaos ensues, as anything you put inside the hat is transformed. Moomintroll himself is changed into a strange creature by the hat when he uses it to hide in during a game.
  • Thingumy and Bob (Tofslan och Vifslan, Tiuhti ja Viuhti) - Two little creatures who turn up in Moominvalley in with a large suitcase, which contains the King's Ruby. They speak a strange language and are pursued by the Groke who wants the contents. They upset Moominmamma by stealing her handbag. They eventually return it and the whole family throws a party to celebrate. The Hobgoblin arrives when Thingumy and Bob open the suitcase, exposing the King's Ruby for all to see. While they didn't give him the ruby, when the Hobgoblin gave everyone there a wish they wished for the Hobgoblin to have a ruby as beautiful as theirs; the Queen's Ruby
  • Stinky (Stinky, Haisuli) - A criminal by profession, trickster, and a dangerous influence who tempts the Moomin family to do things that are against the law. He has a code of conduct of his own, and is offended when the Moomins want to give him a large sum of money which has been causing them much trouble. Physically, Stinky looks like some sort of furry mammal, whose most characteristic attribute is his constant, unbearable stench. He doesn't appear in books, just in comics and animation.
  • Niblings (klippdassar,tahmatassut) - small aquatic creatures, which chew off people's noses if they are too long for their taste. They enjoy doing the multiplication contests devised by the rather bossy Hemulen's Aunt.
  • Hattifatteners (hattifnattar, Hattivatit) - Small white ghost-like creatures that resemble worn socks. Hattifatteners are always on the move and travel in large groups (but always in odd numbers), such as boat convoys. Their only goal in life is to reach the horizon. During their travels they never say a word to each other, and it's doubtful that they have the ability to talk at all, they seem to communicate solely by telepathy -- except in the comics, where they complain bitterly to their host Moomin about the lack of food, cocktails and beds. The Hattifatteners cannot see very well, but their sense of touch is very strong, and they can feel ground vibrations and electricity. Hattifatteners assemble once a year when they "recharge" in a thunderstorm. At this time they should be avoided since they are highly charged and can give you electrical burns. Despite physiologically resembling animals, Hattifatteners grow from seeds. Planting Hattifattener seeds where someone has taken up residence is an effective way to get rid of him/her.
File:Moominpappa.jpg
Moominpapa
  • The Muskrat (bisamråttan,Piisamirotta) - a philosopher who believes in the pointlessness of things and reads Spengler, appears in Comet in Moominland and Finn Family Moomintroll. The Moomin children annoy him by putting hairbrushes in his bed and such like. He eventually takes to living in the cave Sniff discovers in order to get some peace. There is an unfortunate accident, however: in Finn Family Moomintroll, Moomintroll has hidden the Hobgoblin's hat there; anything you put in the Hobgoblin's hat becomes transformed, and the Muskrat gets a nasty shock when he puts his false teeth in it to keep the sand out of them.
  • Hodgkins (Fredrikson) - an inventor and childhood friend of Moominpappa (The Exploits of Moominpappa). He builds the Oshun Oxtra (misspelling of Ocean Orchestra in English, known as Haffsårkestern in Swedish), a boat in which Moominpappa and his friends travel on their adventures.
  • The Joxter (Joxaren,Juksu) - Snufkin's father and childhood friend of Moominpappa (The Exploits of Moominpappa). He is very lazy and ends up marrying the Mymble.
  • The Muddler (Rådd-djuret,Hosuli) - Sniff's father. A rather untidy and confused individual who collects buttons of all sorts and lives in the coffee tin where he keeps the buttons. He marries Sosuli(Finnish name).
  • The Mymble (Mymlan,Mymmeli) - Mother of Little My, Snufkin, and The Mymble's Daughter. She has many, many children, but is very jolly. She gets married to the Joxter in The Exploits of Moominpappa. The original Swedish word 'mymla' is actually a nice, comical word for making love.
  • The Island Ghost (spöket,kummitus) - a spectre that haunts the Island colonised by Moominpappa in " The Exploits of Moominpappa". He isn't very good at haunting and gets annoyed when the colonists laugh at him. He takes up knitting to soothe his nerves.
  • The Ancestor (Förfadern,Esi-isä) - the Moomintrolls descend from ancient creatures living in tiled stoves. One of those is still dwelling in the Moomin family's bathing house cupboard and stove. He is called the Ancestor and makes appearances in Moominland Midwinter and Moominvalley in November.
  • Misabel (Misan,Miska) - a very depressed and paranoid female character. In comics and picture books, she is usually the Moomin family's domestic help. Misabel has her only novel appearance in Moominsummer Madness, in which she is not a domestic help, but shows up to be a good actress. She is sometimes the owner of Sorry-oo. It has been said that Misabel's initial reaction to anyone talking to her is fear of them complaining about the quality of her work.
  • Whomper (Homsan,Homssu) - an earnest little chap. He joins the Moomin family on the floating theater in "Moominsummer Madness".
  • Emma (Emma) - the rather bitter stage rat. She helps the Moomin family understand what a theater is and also collaborates with Moominpappa on his play, "The Lion's Brides.
  • The Park Keeper (parkvakten,puistonvartija) - a horrible Hemulen in charge of a park where everything is forbidden. He is Snufkin's enemy. Snufkin plants Hattifattener seed in the grounds of the park to drive the Keeper away and then burns all the signs forbidding things.
  • Sorry-oo (Ynk,Surku) - a small dog appearing in various relations - however, he is always melancholy and longing. He has his only novel appearance in Moominland Midwinter, in which he is constantly howling after his distant cousins the wolves.
  • The Dweller Under the Sink (den som bor under diskbänken, se joka asuu tiskikaapin alla) - a small, furry creature that lives under the sink in Moomin House. He only appears in Moominland Midwinter and becomes known to Moomintroll when he wakes up during the long winter hibernation undertaken by the whole Moominfamily. Moomintroll tries to strike up a conversation with him by complimenting on his rather bushy eyebrows, but only succeeds in upsetting him.
  • Edward the Booble (dronten Edward,drontti edvard/-eetvartti) - a gigantic monster who pays for people's funerals if he accidentally treads on them. He is generally bad tempered because of this. He accidentally aids the launch of the Oshun Oxtra (Ocean Orchestra), a boat invented by Moominpappa's childhood friend, Hodgkins, by sitting in a river bed.
  • Daddy Jones (Kungen/Självhärskaren,kuningas) - the Autocrat in "Exploits". He owns a fairground full of surprises, sits on a throne and gives a blast on his foghorn when he makes royal proclamations.
  • The Lady of the Cold (isfrun,jäärouva) - a very creepy, beautiful lady who brings winter to Moominvalley. Looking into her eyes will turn you into a block of ice.
  • Toft((homsan) Toft, Tuhto) - a small, very shy boy who appears in "Moominvalley in November". Toft makes up one of the people visiting the Moomins while they are absent. He is very mysterious and seems to have the power to make things he imagines, come true. He is also able to use Moominpapa's crystal ball.
  • Grandpa Grumble (Onkelskruttet, Ruttuvaari) - an old man who appears in "Moominvalley in November". He is quite old and somewhat senile. He uses a cane and owns many pairs of glasses that he carries with him in a basket.
  • Gaffsie (Gafsan,Louska) - not much is known about Gaffsie, except that she is a friend of Fillyjonk. She appears in "Tales from Moominvalley" in the stories "The Fillyjonk who Believed in Disasters," and also appears in the story "The Fir Tree." She is also mentioned in Moominvalley in November.
  • Ninny(Ninni) - ninny first appears in "Tales from Moominvalley" in the story, "The Invisible Child". She turned invisible by being frightened too much by her former caretaker. This caretaker gave Ninny to Too-ticky, who then brought her to Moominmama to help make Ninny visible again.

There are other characters who appear from time to time.

On Moomin characters

The life partner of Tove Jansson was the graphic artist Tuulikki Pietilä, whose personality inspired the character Too-Ticky in Moominland Midwinter. Moomintroll and Little My can be seen as psychological self-portraits of the artist. The Moomins, generally speaking, relate strongly to Jansson's own family - they were bohemian, lived close to nature and were very tolerant towards diversity. Moominpappa and Moominmamma are often seen as straight portraits of Jansson's parents Viktor Jansson and Signe Hammarsten-Jansson. Some of Jansson's characters are on the verge of melancholy, such as the always formal Hemulens, or the strange Hattifatteners who travel in concerted, ominous groups. The novelist Alison Lurie has described the Groke, a black, hill-shaped creation with glowing eyes, as a walking manifestation of Nordic gloominess - everyone she touches dies, and the ground freezes everywhere she sits.

The Moomin stories have a very humane message. The books have caprices and utterances which ponder life and ways of the world. Snufkin comments on freedom: "One can never be entirely free, if one admires someone else too much." Little My expresses possession: "Possession means worries and luggage bags one has to drag along."

Moomin music

The Moomin novels often describe the musical activities of the Moomins, particularly those of Snufkin, his harmonica with "trills" and "twiddles." However, the reader could never hear any of these "songs" before the Moomins went live on theater stage in Stockholm. Director Vivica Bandler told Jansson in 1959: "Listen, here the people want songs". [1]

Helsinki-based pianist and composer, Erna Tauro was commissioned to write the songs to lyrics by Jansson. The first collection consisted of six Moomin Songs: Moomintroll’s Song (Mumintrollets visa, Muumipeikon laulu), Little My’s Song (Lilla Mys visa, Pikku Myyn laulu), Mrs. Fillyjonk’s Song (Fru Filifjonks sång, Rouva Vilijonkan laulu), Theater Rat Emma’s Words of Wisdom (Teaterråttan Emmas visdomsord, Teatterirotta Emman laulu), Misabel’s Lament (Misans klagolåt, Miisan valituslaulu) and Final Song (Slutsång, Loppulaulu).

More songs were published in the 1960s and 70s when Jansson and later also her brother Lars Jansson produced a series of Moomin dramas for Swedish Television. The simple, yet effective melodies were well received by the theater and TV audiences. The first songs were either sung unaccompanied or accompanied by a pianist. While the most famous moomin songs in Scandinavia are undoubtedly Moomintroll’s Song and Little My’s Song, they appear in no context in the novels.

The screen versions of the Moomins made in Poland, Great Britain and Japan each contain their original theme music and scoring, but with no lyrics by Tove Jansson. The song lyrics often contain simple slogans, and the music is written in the style of mainstream children's pop music. This contrasts sharply with the Moomin novels and Jansson's pictorial, descriptive and witty rhyming in the lyrics, and Erna Tauro's music, which stays true to the Scandinavian traditional folk music genre, with subtle influence from Kurt Weill.

The original songs by Jansson and Tauro remained scattered after their initial release. The first recording of the complete collection was made in 2002 by composer and arranger Mika Pohjola on the Moomin Voices / Muminröster CD, as a tribute to the late Tove Jansson. Pohjola also rearranged the songs for a chamber and vocal ensemble. The same recording was released in 2005 in a Finnish version, Muumilauluja.[2]

The Moomin Boom

File:Muumimamma bussipysäkin mainoksessa.jpg
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Finnair MD-11 decorated with Moomin characters serving the Japanese route

The Moomin Boom (muumibuumi in Finnish) started in 1990s, when Dennis Livson and Lars Jansson produced a 104-part animation series in Japan named Tales From Moominvalley, which was followed by a full length movie Comet in Moominland. Moomin books had always been steady bestsellers in Finland, but the animation started a new Moomin madness both in Finland and abroad, especially in Japan. A large merchandising industry was built around the Moomin characters, covering everything from coffee cups and t-shirts to plastic models. New Moomin comic books and comic strips were published. Moomins were used to advertise Finland abroad: the Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport was decorated with Moomin images and Finnair painted big Moomin figures to its Japan-line airplanes. The peak of the Moomin Boom was the opening of the Moomin World theme park in Naantali, Finland, which has become one of Finland's international tourist destinations.

The Moomin Boom has been criticized for commercializing the Moomins. Friends of Tove Jansson and many old Moomin enthusiasts have stressed that the animations banalize the original and philosophical Moomin world to harmless family entertainment. An antithesis for the Disneyland-like Moomin World theme park is the Moomin Museum of Tampere, which exhibits the original illustrations and hand-made Moomin models by Tove Jansson.

The Jansson family has kept the rights of Moomins and controlled the Moomin Boom. The artistic control is now in the hands of Lars Jansson's daughter, Sophia Jansson. Wanting to keep the control over Moomins, the family has turned down offers from the Walt Disney Company.

The theme tune for the television series was originally "The Moomins" but then it was replaced with "True" by Spandau Ballet.[citation needed]

See also

The short story The Littlest Jackal by Bruce Sterling, published in A Good Old-Fashioned Future, mentions the Flüüvins, child characters created by a reclusive Finland Swedish woman from the Åland islands, that have become a fad in Japan.

Moomins in New York City

An interactive playroom about the Moomins is located at Scandinavia House.

References

  1. ^ Songbook "Visor från Mumindalen" foreword by Boel Westin. Bonnies, Stockholm, Sweden.
  2. ^ www.moominvoices.com
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