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!)

So here we are! The first couple episodes. For those of you interested in watching along, these episodes are:

• “The Moomin Valley in Spring” (episode 1)
• “The Magic Hat” (episode 2)

We kickstart this episode (and every episode…) with our wonderful theme tune. It’s impossible not to remember sitting on my carpet in my standard dungarees, probably eating a hunk of celery and bobbing along. Nothing has really changed.

The series opens with spring finally dawning in Moominvalley and everyone is keen to wake up. We are told that Moomins hibernate during winter. Winter is about comfort and retreat, but spring is to be celebrated and explored. So Moomintroll wakes up everyone in the house then, they go on an adventure.

At this point I realise it’s probably helpful if I pause and describe the characters a little bit.

Moomintroll/Moomin – the main Moomin and our protagonist. You can tell that because he’s not wearing anything so he’s obviously supposed to be the default Moomin (every other Moomin has cool accessories… more on that later). Moomin is full of hope, adventure and wanderlust. He’s pretty naive but also sweet and always sees the positive in things (even when he’s nearly eaten alive at times… yikes!)

Moominmamma – a true matriarch. She’s a classic housewife who cooks, cleans and does everything in the house (mainly because Moominpappa is a forgetful old fool who seems to not have a clue what’s going on). She never raises her voice and lets Moomintroll get away with anything. She also carries a handbag at all times because as we know from Judith Butler:

‘Gender is an impersonation . . . becoming gendered involves impersonating an ideal that nobody actually inhabits.’

Judith Butler, “Artforum” (1992)

Moominmamma, therefore, impersonates the ideal woman: always apron-ed and ready to serve the other Moomins; always clutching a handbag to remind us of her femininity. No perfect woman, so dedicated to both the domestic and the practically fashionable, exists and yet Moominmamma will always persist in her imperfect impersonation.

Moominpappa – the bumbling mess of a father. Honestly – I don’t know how he gets dressed in the morning and he’s literally only wearing a hat. At one point the narrator tells us he’s writing a memoir because “a lot has happened to him” (everyone has a book in them, but often it should stay that way Moominpappa).

Snorkmaiden – Moomintroll’s love interest (?) sometimes. It’s on and off. She has a fabulous anklet which changes colour depending on her mood and is incredibly vain. She’s like Trixie Mattel but a bit more innocent and pixie dream girl. If we’re going down the whole “archetypes of woman” in Moomin culture (I can’t believe I’m typing this), then Snorkmaiden is definitely the younger, chaster bride-type to Moominmamma’s maternal side.

Little My – a fiercely independent little lady who takes no nonsense from anyone (readers – take note: we support a determined queen). She’s rude, she’s brash and has the voice of a high-pitched smoker. She is also Snufkin’s half-sister.

Snufkin – the best character in the whole show. Moomintroll’s best friend and a one-liner witty kind of guy. Lives in a tent, smokes a pipe and is a total vagabond and adventurer – but in a cool way. Maybe it’s that whole 90s thing of men who wore shell necklaces even though they never actually surfed, but Snufkin always seems so goshdarn enigmatic.

Sniff – Moomintroll’s friend. He’s immature, a bit cowardly and very interested in money. Also so nasally whiny – dear god that voice haunts me.

There’s many more characters for us to meet, but that’ll do for now.

Whilst I’ve gone to the trouble of examining all those characters for you (aren’t I nice?), I have to state, at this point in the show no characters are introduced except the grandfatherly voiced narrator saying a very simple ‘look, Moominvalley has Moomins in it’. Thanks grandad.

My boyfriend leans over, brimming with questions: Who is Little My? Who is Sniff? Why are they all staying in the valley? Why did Little My – who looks like a human – hibernate when the other human in the narrative, Snufkin, did not?

At one point he leans over and asks why Moominmamma calls Snufkin a child. “How old is he actually?” he asks. I say what I believe “As old as time.”

These questions, and more, will never be answered.

Moomintroll and the gang decide to journey up a hill where they find a magic hat. They take it back to Moomin’s home where Moominmamma decides to use it as a bin (maverick!). The hat turns out to be magic and transforms anything that goes into it.

During a game of hide-and-seek Moomin decides to climb in the hat. What emerges can only be felt through the medium of nightmare – but not just a spooky nightmare – one where Moomin has changed into a hairy monkey-like creature and cries as he begs his mother and father to still recognise him.

It’s an unheimlich monstrosity – similar to what is now known as “uncanny valley” – which Freud described as a fear of that which is familiar but not quite right. For example, human-like robots or porcelain dolls are always terrifying because they look like us but they aren’t us. The more minimal the difference the more haunting it feels.

‘The “uncanny” is that class of terrifying which leads back to something long known to us, once very familiar.’

Sigmund Freud, “The Uncanny” (1919)

Here Moomin is, faced with the uncanny in all its existential glory – a version of him, with his thoughts, voice and feelings – which is not him. I’m glad I didn’t watch this before bed.

Eventually Moomin turns back whilst his father has the audacity to ask “Where did you come from Moomin?” after literally just watching him transform. Either Moominpappa is the most oblivious drugged-up creature in Moominvalley (likely) or he’s just a cruel dad joke away from snapping (also likely).

What’s even worse than this? At the end of the episode Snufkin and Moomin throw the hat in the river. As if that’s not a TERRIBLE IDEA given the power THEY HAVE WITNESSED IT UNLEASH.

Yet, in episode 2, it finds its way back, and Moomin – knowing the horror this hat is capable of producing – uses it to turn an angry lion into a hedgehog. Way to go chaotic evil there Moomin. Is Moomintroll the dictator of Moomin valley? Probably.

We discover the hat belongs to a powerful hobgoblin who rides across the sky on a magical panther looking for a magic ruby.

Yes.

You read that right.

We’re just getting started.