The post you’ve all been waiting for. A deep dive into the wonder of Moominworld.

Before that: I accidentally went a bit viral on Twitter for saying happy birthday to Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomins. The tweet spoke about things I’ve touched on in this blog – her queer identity, the fact she protested Hitler during WWII. So, if you’re here because of that tweet – hello! Thanks for stopping by.

On with Moominworld!

WHAT ON EARTH IS A MOOMINWORLD?
Moominworld is a visitor attraction for those who love the Moomins whether they be adults or children. It’s built on an island and contains several small parks, a restaurant, several hot food stalls, cafes, and ice cream shops, a post office, a shop, a beach, a play-park, three theatres, and interactive recreations of the houses and places found in Moominvalley including Moominhouse, Sniff’s house, Mr. Hemulen’s house, the Groke’s cave and Snufkin’s campsite.

WHERE ON EARTH IS A MOOMINWORLD?
It’s on a tiny island near Naantali Finland. It’s accessible by boat or a bus then a short walk. We stayed in Turku, Finland (2 hours from Helsinki), then took a bus for an hour and walked for twenty minutes.

We arrived at 12pm. I felt that was pretty good seeing as our flight landed in Turku around 1am the night before. We walked through the marina and onto the island. The very first thing we did was catch a show at the Theatre Emma starring Stinky, Snork and Little My. All the shows were in Finnish (except one a day in Swedish) and have English and Chinese subtitles.

After that we swung by Moominmamma’s buffet restaurant because I hadn’t yet eaten that day and was (a) hangry and (b) still recovering from food poisoning (more on that in the last blog…)

After rejuvenating myself with meatballs, mash and a lot of water, we hit up Sniff’s shop next door. Imagine an item, any item, with a Moomin on it. They probably definitely have it. Some notable items: Moomin chocolate, Moomin wine, Moomin coffee, Moomin tupperware, Moomin bedsheets, Moomin wallets, Moomin rain-jackets and a pair of boxers with Stinky on them.

We then wandered through all the promenade games, much like a wee beach front on some postcard, and the post-office: where you can send letters straight from Moominland.

We then trekked uphill to Snufkin’s camp. And there he was.

Snufkin hangs out in a wee tent all day telling stories to any kids who sit down and listen. I wanted to sit down and listen but my boyfriend looked a little jealous. And I don’t speak any Finnish (…sadly).

Wandering around the periphery of the park was actually really nice. It was mostly wooded, with lovely views out onto the sea. Aside from being somewhere to meet the Moomins, it was actually just a nice space to be in – away from the city in fresh air and sunshine.

After an hour or so of wandering and checking out some of the beach and smaller attractions, we headed to the main event: Moominhouse. You can go inside but also: meet the Moomins.

There’s also another wee stage beside it with smaller shows during the day. Mainly starring Mrs. Fllyjonk (who we haven’t yet spoken about on this blog, but when we do it will be very exciting).

And then. It happened.

The moment songs are written about, people give their lives away for and babies cry for. A life-changing moment. A moment that shapes us and makes us smile for many years later, with a single poetic tear rolling down our face. Earth-shattering, heart-thundering, hair-tearing, agonisingly beautiful moment.

I met Moomintroll.

I know. I know. Don’t all get too jealous now.

After this we did some more wandering: Groke’s cave, Hattifatteners, a maze for children I got lost in, another show at Theatre Emma (this time about Little My and the witch).

We wrapped up the day relaxing in a wee park eating chips which we had to hide from the seagulls. Just before closing time, everyone gathered outside Moominhouse where we all sang the Moomins theme tune whilst Moominmamma and Pappa danced together on the porch and the sun began to set.

We made our way back, tired and content. I honestly didn’t want to leave.

I don’t know what it is about the Moomins. Even after all this time re-watching, reading, writing and even visiting them. There’s something to be said about their innate comfort. Large and soft and cuddly with a spare room and cup of coffee available to any visitor who needs it. They promote the idea that any problem can be solved when we all speak and work together.

Beyond that, I have a love of children’s characters. Miffy, Paddington (after I watched “Paddington 2” at the cinema last year), Totoro, Gigi from “Kiki’s Delivery Service”. Maybe growing up with cats made me love anything cute and cuddly.

But maybe, more importantly, I love these things because their main message is safety. It’s good to spend some time in a world created for children; it’s relaxing, comforting and full of wisdom that makes your problems seem more manageable. It’s good to revisit these things knowing, whatever you’re dealing with, this too shall pass.

The Moomins promote this message above all: there’s nothing Moominmamma can’t solve by digging into her handbag. Moomintroll treats everyone he meets with kindness. So much time is spent playing, exploring, giving and looking after one another.

It’s the kind of world I want to live in.

And maybe that, above all, is the true charm and magic of Moominworld – it lets you do exactly that.

So I went to Moominworld in Naantali, Finland!

Maybe that explains the break between blog posts? (Sorry!)

Before I get to the magic, I have to post about the journey to Moominworld and explain just how chaotic this holiday was (and how much sweeter it made the Moomins!).

On our journey to Moominworld, we actually had a full trip planned through Denmark. This was due to my inability to pick one place for a holiday and just stay there and not do things and partly due to my boyfriend’s love of all things Viking.

We landed in Esbjerg – the littlest airport I’ve ever seen. Seriously. It was just a room. There were thirteen of us on the plane (including the staff).

I then promptly directed us onto a bus going the wrong direction. An hour into what should have been a thirty minute journey I realised something was up. Long story short, we arrived at our hostel 10 minutes before we would have been locked out.

The next day we walked the forty minutes to Ribe Viking Centre – a live Viking Centre was with actors who run shows, including falconry, archery and axe-throwing-general-coolness. The whole walk was along the side of the road but we knew it’d be worth it!

As soon as we arrived it started raining. But not the “light showers” the forecast promised – Noah-like, fat-dropped, the-pavements-are-flooding rain.

I should mention I was wearing: one skirt, one t-shirt, one denim jacket (no hood), one pair of canvas trainers (not waterproof). Around us were Viking actors in felt really trying to keep up the bravado, five sad sheep and soaked Danish children.

At this point we realised our bags weren’t waterproof and my boyfriend’s books were looking decidedly damp.

It was so wet that we made our way back to the hostel to shield from the rain. After an hour we thought we’d catch an earlier train to Odense where it wasn’t raining. There was one hitch: we got to the train station and there was a wee old man in the room which connected the section of the train station to the platform. He had locked the doors and wouldn’t let me pass.

In a last ditch attempt to get out this town in my soaked clothes and failed rain poncho (now resembling a butcher’s apron) I found another door, pushed on it very hard and accidentally (!) broke into the train master’s house which was inside the station. At least that’s what I think it was. There was a fridge, some books and a lot of sad train station dust. Who lives there? Why is his house so dusty? Mysteries we will never know.

Long story short, we missed the earlier train. I think Ribe, some small Danish town, really had a vendetta.

Drying off we arrived in Odense. The sun was shining and we sat in the park with København Stang slushies (slushies based on the “Copenhagen Pole” ice lollies: best taste description is they’re like pineapple lemonade).

Odense was awesome – a wee town nice for a wee wander – and also the home of Hans Christian Anderson which meant plenty of bizarre fairytale pop-up plays. We got some fantastic street food in a large warehouse, relaxed in the fantastic parks and indulged in my love of weird old dollhouses.

At this point, my phone broke.

More accurately my phone charger broke and I did buy a new one (for roughly £25… get it together Denmark!) but the new one took a while to work. So for a whole day I was wondering around Esgeskov Castle facing the possibility of not being able to take pictures at Moominworld. A true tragedy.

But! We got it fixed and travelled onwards to Trelleborg Viking festival where there was a hundred pop-up tents with people travelling across the world to live as Vikings did. Well. They did sneak into the cafe toilets and some of the kids had ice creams. A real highlight was seeing big scary Scandi men in full Viking regalia having to take their – decidedly modern – lapdogs for a pee (there’s something very funny about seeing a Viking hang out with a bichon frise).

From there we went to Copenhagen. We had a full day at the Danish National Museum followed by the best vegetarian buffet meal I have ever had, and a more relaxed day that involved swimming in Copenhagen harbour, walking to Nyhaven and giggling the at the overly keen tourists photographing the Little Mermaid. It was bliss! And I was so thankful to have moved past the broken phones and rainy days into exploring such a wonderful city.

And then… the trouble hit.

The next day I had the worst food poisoning known to humanity. I have never been so ill in all my adult years. I spent all day between a bathroom and the hotel bed feeling sorry for myself and watching episodes of “Glee” on Netflix. Douglas saved my life by buying two bottles of blue raspberry flavoured sports drink – and reader, I have never loved him more. He went to three shops to find it and it was worth it. Even if he spent the rest of the holiday money on it, it restored me to being a human instead of a stinking and withered creature.

The day after we had to check out the hotel. I was still a bit rubbish, but was restored with a walk around Tivoli Gardens and Copenhagen Aquarium. Guys – they have beanbags in the aquarium. Nothing cures food poisoning like lying on a beanbag watching a tank full of hammerhead sharks and sea pancakes.

Before long it was time for us to catch our flight to Turku. We arrived in Finland on our (delayed) flight at 1am and were taken to our hotel by a taxi driver who blasted heavy metal the whole way.

The next morning we woke up and travelled to Moominworld… but more on that in the next post. 

Until then – blue Gatorade, I owe you my life.

It’s been a funny couple of weeks for me and, sadly, somewhat absent from Moomins. I really really could have done with them to be honest.

Today’s blog is a bit of a deviation from the norm – but I felt I had to open up about this somewhere and, I promise, I will tie it into the Moomins for those of you only here for the Jansson content.

My week has had it’s real highs: I’ve been cycling to and from work on a beautiful bicycle my Dad got me (thank you Dad!) and swimming lots. I’ve enjoyed both – cycling makes me feel better about not using fossil fuels and swimming kind of just forces me to chill out and focus on moving my body in a nice wee half hour burst (I can’t promise my mind doesn’t wander, but I do get a nice dose of bliss every time I get a lane to myself).

Other than that – and work of course – I’ve spent a lot of time worrying about the planet. For a while I was very guilty of dodging as much news as I could about climate change because it gave me The Fear. I define The Fear as: heart beating too quickly, shaking hands, panic, tearfulness and not being able to sleep. I don’t even really watch apocalyptic films or TV shows (except, recently, “Years and Years” because Russell T. Davies is a genius).

Well, I decided I had to face everything on and get as informed as I can because it was still going to be scary if I didn’t do anything about it. I was already fairly green: I don’t drive, I use Bulb for my energy (they only use sustainable and renewal energy for all their electricity and gas), I recycle, I don’t buy plastic cups, bottles or those straws we’re all supposed to hate so vehemently (sidenote: climate change is not just straws people!).

I eat vegetarian a few evenings and lunches a week and every breakfast. I do fly fairly once or twice a year for holidays, work trips or visiting family – probably my main contributor – but I helped set up a Green Team at my job and have been looking into offsetting my flights through donations.

But recently, I’ve doubled down. I’ve become a paying member of Greenpeace and volunteer for them political lobbyists (basically a lot of writing letters and meeting MPs!). I’ve signed countless petitions against pollution, plastic, oil, fracking and shared them on social media with (begging) posts as much as I think my friends can bear.

I’ve calculated my carbon footprint and have made myself a wee chart of everything I need to work on to make sure I’m minimising it as much as physically possible.

I’ve spent my spare moments researching what I, as an individual, can do to cause systematic change and lean on governments and large organisations. I feel I have nearly no time and have dropped to do so much to do this but yet:

The Fear.

I’m not sleeping well guys.

And here, zooming in on a fabulous segway, is where the Moomins come in.

As you’ve gathered from the existence of this blog, I think no matter what quandary I’m struggling with the Moomins can normally enlighten me and point me in the right direction. When I couldn’t sleep at night, I wondered what the Moomins could teach me about climate change…

In 1939, Tove Jansson began work on the Moomin novels, beginning with “The Moomins and the Great Flood” and “Comet in Moominland” (published 1945-1946). Jansson later recreated this in 1947-1948 as her first comic strip, “Moomintroll and the End of the World”, as a present for a close friend.

‘Tove’s anxiety and grief are embedded in the first two books – she was depressed during the war.’

Boel Westin, Stockholm University (qtd. “Love, War and the Moomins“, Mark Bosworth, BBC News 2014)

As you may have guessed, both face worldwide disasters of apocalyptic consequences. Both have also been read as Jansson’s way of coping with World War II. As a bit of background: for three months from the 30th November 1939 until the 13th March 1940, the Winter War took place in Eastern Finland after the USSR invaded.

Tove Jansson was incredibly critical of war and especially Hitler and Stalin. She worked for some time as a satirical cartoonist “Garm”, where she famously depicted Hitler as a baby. This was during a time where Finland cooperated with Nazi Germany.

‘Her illustrations for the covers of the wartime Garm magazine were courageous for the time in which they appeared – she wasn’t to know how the world would turn out. Hitler and Stalin appear as preposterous little figures, self-important and comic. She was proud to lampoon them both.

Melanie McDonagh, “A Chance to See the Moomins’ Creator for the Genius She Really Was“, The Spectator 2017

This is important to know because in “Comet in Moominland”, the comet – from which the Moomins all hide away – has been seen as an allegory for living under the threat of nuclear weapons. The Moomins abandoning their home mirrored people leaving their homes for fear of those bombs.

Whilst the Moomins are fantastical and unique little creatures, it’s important to remember how closely they mirrored Jansson’s own life and experiences. As her own niece Sophie said:

‘…if you read the Moomin books there are many things that are, to me, completely normal and to other people are completely fantastical. But in Finland that’s what you do when you are on the islands. That’s what they did and it’s what we’ve always done.’

Sophia Jansson

Tove Jansson took that age-old advice to write what you know, and out of it turned the terror of World War II into a reflection on the apocalyptic fear we still feel. What I am now calling: The Fear. The thing keeping me up at night.

The conclusion of “Comet in Moominland” is that the characters all hide in the cave from the comet, waking in the morning to discover they’ve been lucky enough for the comet to have missed earth.

I can only wish the same for us – but, honestly, I don’t know. In the mean-time. To stave off The Fear, here’s some small things for you to try:

1. Look into renewable energy for your home (it’s often cheaper too!)
2. Cycle, walk or take the bus to work.
3. Wash your clothes in colder water and only use a tumble dryer when you have to.
4. Try eating more meat-free meals (inspiration awaits…)
5. Learn more about upcycling and remaking (link for my Edinburgh pals!)
6. Whilst we’re on that note… recycle! Especially your food waste.
7. Look into local groups: Greenpeace or Extinction Rebellion are a great place to start if you’re looking to get involved in non-violent protesting.
8. Ask your MP to support the campaign for Plastic Free Rivers!
9. If you fly – offset your flights by donating to carbon neutral projects.
10. TELL YOUR STORY!

Tell your story through art, music, song, dance, a chat around the water cooler or a blog about the Moomins. Simply talking to other people about climate change and what you’re doing helps encourage other people to get involved and do what they can to stop it (if you want some inspiring stories about the big and small acts we can all do – check out “CliMates” podcast).

Patrons at a US cafe who were told that 30% of Americans had started eating less meat were twice as likely to order a meatless lunch.

An online survey showed that of the respondents who know someone who had given up flying because of climate change, half of them said they flew less as a result.

Community organisers trying to get people to install solar panels were 62% more successful in their efforts if they had panels in their house too.

“Ten Simple Ways to Act on Climate Change“, Diego Arguedas Ortiz (BBC)

So there’s your homework! Go forth and do what you can to save the world. Until then, sending you all the love and rage I can muster.

Hello again and thank you for joining me! This week’s blog is about wishes, courage and the healing power of anger. It might get a wee bit emotional, but we’ll weather it together. The episodes we’ll look at are:

• “The Hobgoblin’s Magic” (episode 8)
• “An Invisible Friend” (episode 9)
• “The Invisible Child” (episode 10)

Episode 8 is probably the most insane episode of the Moomins so far. Seriously. I watched it just before going to sleep in bed with my (long suffering) boyfriend.

Remember how Thingumy and Bob showed up with a massive suitcase? Well they finally decide to show Moomin what is inside: a massive ruby!

Also remember the hobgoblin we met in the second episode? The one who flew across the sky on a magic panther? And was looking for a ruby? The one with the magic hat that turned Moomin into a terrifying creature? Yes that one.

The hobgoblin shows up (on said magic flying panther) in the middle of massive party with all the characters in town partying at Moominhouse. He asks Thingumy and Bob to give him the ruby. Surely the stars are all aligning!

However, they won’t give it back because they love it. Fair enough.

So the hobgoblin grants people wishes. Here’s a summary of the wishes:

• a spade (Mr. Hemulen)
• big eyelashes (Snorkmaiden who hates them)
• no big eyelashes (Moomin who is helping out Snorkmaiden)
• another ruby (Thingumy and Bob who are helping out the hobgoblin)

300 years riding across the sky and all it took to solve the hobgoblin’s problem was for something to wish for another ruby.

Also – the characters of Moominvalley had the infinite cosmic power of a wish and what they end up getting is a spade, mascara and not-mascara. Douglas (my boyfriend) is close to a breakdown at this point. Sniff says he’d use a wish to get some gold and Doug says “get a bag and pick it yourself from the garden you lazy arse”. His tone is threatening giving he’s watching a twenty-year-old TV show for children.

I attended a show recently called “I Wish I Was a Mountain” at Imaginate Festival (an arts festival in Edinburgh with theatre and dance for young audiences). The children were asked to think what it would be like to not wish for anything – to be content with life as it is. I guess that’s what these wishes show with the inhabitants of Moominvalley – their wishes are simple because their lives are, they don’t want much because they don’t need much.

We end the episode with a massive firework display and all is well in Moominvalley. Hoo-flipping-ray you wish wasters – hope you enjoy your spade and default eyes.

The next episode opens with (another!) new character: Too-Ticky. Too-Ticky is a wise, sweet, soft-spoken women with Wolverine hair. She is based on Tove Jansson’s real-life partner, Tuulikki Pietilä, a graphic designer.

Too-Ticky asks the Moomins to look after her friend Ninny. Ninny has been living her aunt, who has been so cruel to her she has turned invisible.

‘Suppose you tripped and fell over, what would Moominmamma say? […] Now this nasty old lady would say, “that may be your idea of dancing but try not to do it when people are eating please”.’

Too-Ticky, “The Moomins”, Episode 9

Over the course of the next two episodes the gang try to lure Ninny out of her shell and make her visible again. Moominmamma tucks her into bed, gives her plenty of cuddles and sweet words, and makes her a new outfit. Moomin takes her out to play with him, Sniff and Snorkmaiden.

There are set backs along the way in the form of Stinky, who tries to scare Ninny with the hopes of keeping her invisible so he can use her to rob banks (there are banks in Moominvalley apparently?)

Slowly, her feet appear, and then a little section of her dress – but her head is still missing.

Her face and head only reappear when she gets incredibly angry at Moominpappa who is about to play a cruel joke on Moominmamma (namely, pushing her in the sea).

‘All she needed was to get angry – and she did.’

Moominmamma, “The Moomins”, Episode 10

I find it really emotional that the key to Ninny becoming a visible and confident person again is to get angry. After last week’s blog on how gender appears in the Moomins, you might have had a rather depressing view of the show as antiquated when it comes to feminism. Yet this episode boldly claims that Ninny’s anger is a positive – and necessary – force. This is not just astonishing for a sweet children’s TV show like the Moomins, but as a new view on the importance of anger as an emotion.

I think back on how anger has been healing (and not) for me. My mother and I had overlapping periods of being angry – long story short, we both based bullying and poor workplace situations in 2017-18.

It was a real blow to both of us: work (and its routine) has been a huge support in our life helping prop up our social lives, sense of community, accomplishment and happiness. It may sound really bad to say work is that important to us both, but we’ve always worked on projects that really meant a lot to us and made us see our impact in the world. I remember my mother calling me and saying how she still felt anger, even six months later – and probably even today as I still do.

Anger is so often seen as purely a negative emotion linked to violence, irrationality and doing things we later regret when we’ve calmed down. I, however, truly believe it’s a crucial part of processing the hurt in our life. If we rush over from being sad to trying to accept what happened or been done to us I think we miss out.

Fundamentally, anger shows you were hurt – and even more so – it shows how deeply you care.

I find it fascinating, too, that given our perceptions of anger being so contrary to levelled thought that Ninny gains her head after getting angry. She has regained her own thoughts in her brain, her own (loud voice) in her mouth and her ability to express these in her face. Anger did that, not love.

The issue with anger, I believe, is when we hold onto it. If the feeling comes, we should feel it, but when we get to the point of stoking it – finding ourselves thinking “oh and another thing!” – that’s when we need to close our eyes, think of something else, and walk away.

The episode ends with Too-Ticky taking Ninny away. We are told:

‘Now that Ninny was completely visible and far from timid, she was ready for anything. Except seeing her aunt, she said.’

Narrator, “The Moomins”, Episode 10

I want to highlight the importance of this last line. Even though Ninny has recovered her confidence, visibility and bravery she is not willing to visit her aunt. The show does not adopt a “get over it” stance but, validly, points out that once we have healed we are allowed (encouraged!) to not go back to what (or who) has hurt it.

In other words, it’s okay not to get over it. It’s okay to still be hurt and need to stay away from what hurt us. Typing this I almost tear up thinking about how emotionally intelligent that sentiment is and how the world would work so much better for those traumatised, bullied or hurt if we accepted their process of recovery, boundaries and need to move away and not move “on” from their anger.

And with that, I’ll (tearily) sign off (I really shouldn’t listen to the Amelie soundtrack when I write). Let yourself be angry this week if you need to, and if you don’t – look out for those who do.

I’m really sorry. But I had to do it. We’re doing a deep dive into Moomin masculinity, as well as a little taste of queer history.

Before we jump into it, this week’s blog focuses on the following episodes:

• “The Discovery of a Wrecked Ship” (episode 3)
• “The Moomins Discover the Island” (episode 4)
• “The Secret of the Hattifatteners” (episode 5)
• “Tiny Guests” (episode 6)
• “The Suitcase” (episode 7)

In the opening of episode 4, me meet Snork for the second time. Snork is Snorkmaiden’s brother, bespectacled and with low self-esteem. He’s trying to build an aviation machine and keeps failing. Snorkmaiden tells him he believes in her and he says “fat lot of good that does me.” Rude!

Similarly, Moominpappa can also be found in a torrid of self doubt about his writing: “I have absolutely no literary talent!” he grumbles to himself before pretending to be writing when Moomin comes in (so relatable).

Snufkin has made a leaf boat. Of course he has. What a cool guy. He just flippantly suggests they go to a foreign land – like a maverick. So they all go on another adventure.

During which, Moomin falls into a cave straight on top of Mr. Hemulen.

Mr. Hemulen is an odd character – looks like a Moomin but not quite. He’s an older man and obsessed with rules and order. He was napping in the cave because he’s depressed because he has finished his stamp collection (what a concept). Finishing his stamp collection means he is no longer a collector – he has literally lost a facet of his identity. It feels as if it could be a metaphor for some struggling with a sense of self in the face of retirement. Heavy stuff.

Shortly after this the gang find a ship and decide to repair it so they can go on even more adventures!

Suddenly Moominpappa, Snork and Hemulen are much happier – they have found a new purpose separate from the pursuits they feel they have failed. Whilst characters like Moominmamma and Snorkmaiden are happy to make sandwiches, lend a hand and have some fun, the older male characters seem positively depressed and anxious if they don’t have some grander purpose to define themselves with.

The phrase “toxic masculinity” originates from psychology and gender studies and refers to accepted norms in masculine behaviour, normally from the west, which serve to harm those who have them as well as society in general. These include: repressing emotions, bullying, aggression, sexual assault and phrases like “boys will be boys”.

It’s a double-edged sword: men hurt themselves (and the people they love) by behaving in these ways, but can feel terrified of social prosecution for not “manning up” or being manly enough.

I don’t think the Moomins are toxically masculine (far from it), but I am fascinated by the ways in which gendered behaviour is represented. These older male characters feel the need to be successful, in control and hands-on to feel content, whereas the women take on more supportive, caring or emotional roles.

Honestly, I relate more with the men. Not to sound overly pathetic, but I’ve always struggled with the concept of “time off” (I’m currently squeezing writing this into my one break of the day…) and have found myself aimless and low when I don’t have a society set purpose (i.e. a job to do).

This could be called a result of capitalism (yes, we’re throwing this in the blog too) where we can often report feeling incredibly guilty or ashamed if we don’t see our societal output (normally through work!). I think it’s important to note, however, that this particular guilt and loss of identity is particularly felt by the older male characters in these episodes. In short, Snorkmaiden says “I think boys are hard to understand.”. How right she is.

The only male character not caught up in this display is Sniff who often offers to “stay and look after the girls” (who don’t need to be looked after – and anyway he does a terrible job). When the ship itself sails, Sniff decides he wants to stay on land (Moominmamma has predicted this and left a pancake out for him. What a gem).

I’m interested in this emotional insightfulness that runs throughout her character. At one point she tells Moominpappa he should pick where they travel to: “You’re the captain, dear. It’s up to you.” I can’t help but think this is because she sees Moominpappa needs some element of control – having felt like he has lost that in his writing.

In our next episode the Moomins discover a new island and discover another new character: the Hattinfatteners!

The Hattifatteners are silent creatures that wander around in packs. They don’t hear, speak, sleep, eat but tremble together in herds and gather power from electricity – which is when they become dangerous!

Thinking of the Hattifatteners makes me think of the feeling of hairs rising on your arm before a thunderstorm.

During said thunderstorm, which hits the island in the middle of the night, Snufkin tells Moomin that he loves storms because they are uncontrollable and he has no form of power over them. He, therefore, is a direct contrast to Mr. Hemulen (who creates order and control through his collection, ordering nature into set categories), Moominpappa (who controls how his narrative is told through writing) and Snork (who ultimately wishes to control the skies through flying in them).

Whilst exploring the beach in episode 5 various treasures are found washed up on the sand – a large wooden figurehead from a ship in the shape of a woman (which Moomin falls in love with?). Snufkin finds gold in a cave and the Moomins decide to decorate their garden with it – because what else would they do?!

After everyone is back and settled, the postman arrives. The Moomin police (yup… that’s a thing) tells us that he has fallen in love with Mymble (Little My’s older sister). Moominmamma replies: “Ah, but the question is, has she fallen for him?”

Two new guests also arrive: Thingumy and Bob. These characters are based on Tove Jansson and her girlfriend Vivicia Bandler, their names coming from nicknames Jansson and Bandler used for one another.

Homosexuality was illegal in Finland until 1971, so Jansson’s relationships with women were secret (her lifelong partner, Tuulikki Pietilä and her used to use a secret passageway to see each other).

It makes it even more desperately sad to watch these episodes knowing the inspiration behind these characters. Thingumy and Bob are constantly afraid of being found (which turns out to be because of a stolen jewel… but more on that later). You don’t have to look to hard to see this as a fear of prosecution. Similarly, Tove Jansson referred to dating women as “[going] over to the spook side”. This may be a tongue-in-cheek joke, but it’s so sad to see Thingumy and Bob’s storyline so dominated by fear.

What they are afraid of is – another new character – the Groke who appears in episode 6 and 7.

The Groke is another silent creature, but far more ominous than the Hattifatteners, who shows up and silently threatens the Moomins by hanging around for too long. It’s revealed she wants something from Thingumy and Bob which they took from her.

‘A chilly aura surrounds the Groke and the ground freezes beneath her […] Although the Moomins fear the Groke, they also pity her desperate loneliness.‘

Moomin.com

The Groke has been seen as a metaphor for depression, loneliness and the inability to accept love. It is fitting, then, that the way Moominmamma convinces her to leave is by giving her a heart shaped shell.

Similarly, in the aftermath of the Groke’s visit, Thingumy and Bob are comforted and brought out of their shell by Snorkmaiden taking them on a walk.

‘The Moomin books are survival stories: no problem is so great it can’t be made better by a cup of coffee and a cuddle.’

Lisa Allardice, “It is a religion: how the world went mad for Moomins”, 2019

It brings us full circle, in a way, that our male characters started this blog desperately needing purpose in material goods and physical work – whereas Snorkmaiden and Moominmamma find their purpose in healing and helping others.

Yes, this show may adhere to some rocky gender rules (so does nearly everything!). But it also stresses, constantly, how universal love and support is and how crucial they are as healing forces across the world. Moomin, despite being a male, is incredibly loving and giving and often talks to people about their feelings.

I’m left thinking that whilst it’s okay to find personal purpose in buildings or objects, our relationships and care we give to others is really what makes the world sing.

And on that note, see you next week. Hope you find the love and care in your life that you need! (What a cheesy send-off… but I promise I mean it!)