So glad Tove turned down Disney. They would have ruined Moomin.

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

I think so too, but it is fun to imagine what could have been. Ultimately though, definitely the right decision in my eyes!

@cliff1634

8 ай бұрын

In truth they would’ve just done what they did with Winnie the Pooh While back in the day fans of the novels hated the early shorts, they found success in the west and kinda took over the franchise Realistically they probably would’ve made a few shorts in a vastly different artstyle and it would’ve ended there

@Lu._.alienn

4 ай бұрын

Exactly!! Americans most likely would've made a lot of changes to it to make it fit their cartoon culture (for a lack of better word). I suppose you've seen the cartoon/anime the japanese made in the 90s? The english dub made for it is hideous that it's actuaööy triggering. So bad voice-acting, it's so clear that the voice actors had only read the script ONCE in like, one table reading, and didn't even bother to make better changes. Probably weren't given a good budget and schedule, because it was all not seen as something that would rise to the top like Tom&Jerry, Garfield, Donald duck, etc. Though the Disney company is the one in America that did beautiful, harmonical cartoons back then, which the moomins also is, it probably wouldn't have gone that bad, but still. Not to mention, if Disney did manage to get the beloved moomins in their hands, imagine what the current disney company producers wouldve done to it today next to all of the woke live-action flops in the recent years??? They most likely wouldve made moomin and Snufkin Endgame, made Moomin break up with Snorkmaiden, made Moominmama have a sudden desire to be a "Career filled leader" and leave her husband, and protest at the idea of women being housewives....

@mosstits

3 ай бұрын

@@Lu._.alienn No offense, but you should be getting angry at the Brits, not the Americans (I'm not even either). Moomin didn't air in America aside from Hawaii, and the American part of the community sprouted when the episodes were uploaded in yt. The dub was made by BBC One from British television, and the script they created for Moomin aligns with the other shows they aired on the same period. Your claims are farfetched. It is still very professionally made. Either way, that's an unpopular opinion, which is not necessarily bad. While it is not the best, a lot of people still found the dub charming. I'm not going to comment on your "everything is woke" nonsense, especially as Tove Jansson herself disagreed with conservative ideas. Just research about her life- her mother was a career-filled leader and was often the breadwinner of the family, and even Tove herself was a bisexual who dated two women (one inspired Too-Ticky's character and ended up being Tove's lover until death). Sorry but perhaps other media would suit you better?

@HawkJedilord

2 ай бұрын

@@mosstits100% agree with you.

As Swede, I appreciate the non Nordic perspective, because Moomin is just something you grow up with here.

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I’m hoping to find more things like-things people take for granted here that are much less commonplace where I’m from, instead of the glaringly obvious differences.

Moomins aren't hippos, they're trolls. They have soft, fluffy fur, a furry tail, short paws and a large muzzle as Jansson described them. Moomins are also bipedal. But the idea about them was not Tove Jansson's own, but her uncle's, who told about the little trolls, Snorks, who living in the pantry and behind the oven where they blew cold air on people's necks and caused shivers. Tove Jansson drew her first troll on the wall of outside toilet when she was a child, and later trolls became her trademark. Tove originally started writing about Moomins to escape the Second World War into escapism, and Tove wrote some books, but started to hate Moomins at an older age because she wanted to make paintings and not be a writer. So Tove bought Klovharu island in 1963 and moved there with Tuulikki Pietilä. Graphic designer Pietilä was Jansson's third love relationship and more stable and longer than previous attempts with Atos Wirtanen and Vivican Packalén. Pietilä helped Tove get over the Moomins, and during that time they created several miniature models, which today can be seen in the Moomin Museum in Tamepere.

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

I wish I could have fit some of this in the video, but alas, trying to make it quick and in depth are always at odds. Thanks for the extra info!

@elderscrollsswimmer4833

7 ай бұрын

The cartoon had an episode about that. The moomins were insulted by the idea and needed a very high authority assistance to get out of a zoo.

as someone who has always lived in north america (california specifically) i actually did grow up with moomin. im grateful to have parents who were always into art and eventually just found moomin and supplied me with the comic books at a young age. i always loved the moomins and today they are such a huge part of my life as i still read the books and comics and now enjoy them in a much more mature way. i wish more kids here could enjoy these books like i did because there's a lot of things i have learned from these books that a lot of people dont know here, and now im incredibly interested in finland and finnish history lol

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

That’s really cool-I wish I could have learned about them when I was younger. I remember reading Seuss’s Star-bellies Sneeches story when I was younger but that’s one of the few books I really remember as a young child thinking was different than anything else I’d read at that point.

Remember in Japan, they’re also obsessed with those hippo cryptids. So, yeah!

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

So much so that they have their own Moomin theme park there as well!

@sandystudios223

Жыл бұрын

@@finlandria and their own anime lol!

As a Canadian I wish I could go to Finland but I’m quite afraid of air travel. Moomins became one of my special interests after I started watching it when I got COVID in 2021 and I’ve adored the series ever since I found out about it, I’d love to go to Finland one day if I ever get the courage to get on an airplane again.

@duhni4551

7 ай бұрын

Hop on a ship =)

@danielladuck3323

7 ай бұрын

@@duhni4551 i don’t think I could the ocean is scary too also storms look 10000% more terrifying when your on a boat

For a company that no longer respects artists and art, I am glad they did not sell Moomin to Disney

So glad she didnt sell her self to Disneys evil empire.....

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

Agreed! It’s kind of fun to imagine what could have been, but it was definitely the best decision in the long run to keep control over it.

"One must be alone sometimes" is practically a national motto in Canada. I would love to have that t-shirt. I'm not sure about the claim that Moomins aren't popular in Canada. The Moomin books have always been reasonably popular in Canada, and most public libraries have them, though perhaps more in French-speaking areas. I certainly saw them a lot when I was a kid. Not as big as Tintin, and definitely nowhere near Canada's home-grown Anne of Green Gables, but familiar. I grew up surrounded by Finns in Northern Ontario, so that may have distorted my impression.

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a slightly bigger presence in Canada at all-or even in certain parts of the US! Perhaps Minnesota, or the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where there was a lot of Finnish immigrant settlement. But where I’m from, most have never heard of or seen them! Interesting though, as I’m surprised to hear that more have heard of them than I thought might be the case. Thanks!

@philpaine3068

Жыл бұрын

@@finlandria The publisher of the Moomin books in Canada is Drawn Quarterly, but before them, the Puffin Books editions were imported from the U.K. While Canadian reading tastes are broadly similar to those of Americans, there are of course many purely Canadian books that are read, and books from both France and the U.K. are easy to find in bookstores. There are Nordic pockets throughout the country. I grew up knowing all the stories of the Kalevala, though I have no Finnish ancestry. Some the Cree elders in my part of the woods refused to believe that Finns were Europeans ["They know how to live in the forest and the snow, they know how to tell stories, and they have the Sweat Hut (sauna)."] In Manitoba, the Icelanders are a big part of the province's history and culture --- and one of the most moving patriotic poems about Canada was written in Icelandic. I spent a good deal of time in a First Nations reserve called "Norway House". And Canada, after a seventy-five year border dispute with Denmark, now has a land border with Denmark in the Arctic. As of last year, we have a 8,891 km border with the U.S., and a land border 1,280 meters long with the Danish Realm, through Greenland. It dissects a tiny island in the Arctic archipelago.

im glad disney didn't get their mitts on Moomin, they'd make it worse bc tove was a great writer and wasn't a sell-out and i think growing up as an actual outsider being a lesbian/queer in a society that didn't accept her identity gave her that perspective to not sell out to people who wouldn't actually care bout her message.

I love this explainer! But there is another outlet to access Moomin world in the US: through Tove's wonderful comics, many of which have been translated to English and beyond.

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

You’re right! Unfortunately most (in the states at least) don’t even know about them, or how great they are. Hopefully with digital reading becoming even more popular than it already is, the lack of physical access is overcome and the entire world can appreciate Tove’s comics.

I’m from Latin America (Chile) and it was an American friend I have who introduced me to the moomins AND IM SO THANKFUL, IDK HOW I WOULDVE EVER COME ACROSS IT OTHERWISE I LOVE IT SO VERY MUCH AND WOULD LOVE TO VISIT FINLAND SOMEDAY

As an American, I'm glad to not be the only one who discovered them late. I love what I consider to be old norse mythology/cosmology and believe in animism! I'd love to visit Europe. Thank you

@arctuuz

8 ай бұрын

Animism

Great video, just have one problem. In the beginning you've stated that Moomins are rather unknown around the world. sorry to disappoint you, but North America is not an entire world 😂. I grew up in Poland and Moomins were my childhood (books, Polish TV series and later on anime), now living in UK I see most people of my generation knowing Moomins, as far as I know they are very popular around the Europe and Japan (as you yourself said that later on in video). I know that in US it's rather unknown, but please notice that world doesn't end on your country 😉

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

I definitely get that, you’re right! In the video, I said they are “relatively unknown outside of Finland especially* in North America.” Poor wording for one sentence, yes, but I think (relative to how well known they are in Finland where they are ubiquitous) there are still a ton of places across the world where they’re not nearly as popular. This video is mostly focused on North America because that’s where I’m personally from, it’s a major market that’s yet to be tapped into as heavily, and I was curious as to why that was the case. But you could say the same for Africa, or South America too from the bit of research I’ve done. But you’re right about the world not stopping with North America! This vid in particular is actually even more USA centric in fact, as I failed to mention the large number of Nordic immigrants in Canada/Northern Midwest US as well that the Moomins are popular with. But and I would love to hear more about the differences between how people from Poland and the UK are interested!

@chrisbaranowski5516

Жыл бұрын

@@finlandria I'm sure Moomins are more popular in Finland than rest of the world (it's their home country). In Poland I used to watch "fuzzy-felt" animated series made by polish animation studio Se-Ma-For. I'm pretty sure that all kids of my generation knew that version (everyone was freaked out by Groke). Later on of course 90's anime series was very popular and loved. I've had Moomin books as a child. I think they were equally popular to Winnie the Pooh or other children classics. When it comes to UK, I see that people know Moomins. Recently even in my town there was stage play based on Moomins (my work colleague went to see it with his kid). Can't tell how it relates to modern "Harry Potter" generation kids in Poland or UK as I don't have much contact with children, but assuming that you can buy lots of picture books, original books, comics, you have Moomin shops and recent UK/Finnish TV series (with quite popular names attached) I think they're doing well.

@spring6066

9 ай бұрын

sadly here in indonesia (and i assume also the rest of south east asia in general) they moomins are relatively unknown, none of the books are translated to indonesian so i had to buy the imported english version from uk stores to read it :(

I grew up with Moomin and it's always been near to my heart, it feels like a warm hug. Amazing video and fun to see someone discovering the moomin phenomenon for the first time!

I watched the moomin cartoon in the early 90s in germany. So lots of germens know them well and love them.

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

Kultur 🧐

My friend shared a clip from the first season of Moominvalley when I was in high school, and I eventually checked out the 2019 and 90s series. As I've been taking my final handful of undergrad courses this year and into next, I've found myself inspired by the freely wandering lifestyles Snufkin and a similar character, that being Kaedehara Kazuha from Genshin Impact. As my mom nears retirement and both of my parents plan to move out of state in the coming years, and as I get closer to independent living and somewhat nebulous plans after I complete undergrad, I find myself daydreaming sometimes of freely travelling around the world and taking my time while doing so. Depending on where life takes me, I might end up with a job that allows for a lot of travel (especially with remote working).

A bit of trivia I love bringing out: The character designers for Pokémon must have been Mumi fans, since Snork in the anime and Celio from Firered/Leafgreen look practically identical.

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

Wow, I can see that! I saw some posts online of Finnish inspired Pokemon recently-they were so cool! Maybe I’ll mention them in another video at some point.

8:34 What he tried to say; Muumi buumi= the moomin boom What i heard: mummi pummi= a grandma hobo. XD The double vowels and consonants have a reason y'all. XD

The moomins is big in some contrys. all Scandinavian contry's aswell as Poland and Japan.

THE COFFEE MUGS BIT IN THE BEGINNING IS SO REAL 😭😭😭i'm a swede so i've grown up with the moomins all my life (my baby blanket is a moomin one!) but my whole cutlery and cups are 70 percent moomin ones

You never mention that MOOMIN was made into three anime in Japan, or about Sumio Shiratori's music.

Wonderful video! I’m surprised it doesn’t have more likes and views. You know your stuff! I love Moomin, and visited Finland this summer. I sobbed on the plane ride back home; it’s such a beautiful place and the Moomins are everywhere. The air is cleaner and the people are wonderful. It’s everything I ever wanted lol. I need to go back. Of course I went to Moominworld and the museum as well. I think I was more excited than the kids that were there. It’s such a cherished series.

@finlandria

11 ай бұрын

Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, it's certainly a special place. I unfortunately haven't been to Muumimaailma yet, but its on my list! I might be in Turku later this month, so fingers crossed I can catch a glimpse.

Love this video!! I am also an American who spent about a year living in Finland + fell in love with it! Love the Moomins and Tove.

@finlandria

10 ай бұрын

Thank you! I loved your Creativity+Balancing Life vid!

Thank you for the video! I really enjoyed learning about Moomin.

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching, so glad you enjoyed it!

We are very happy these last days because Moominvalley is available now for Mexican television, at least we have an official traduction for latinoamerica 💕✨

@finlandria

10 ай бұрын

Fingers crossed Moomins are for the whole world soon!

I remember watching the cartoon on Irish tv as a kid. It was never particularly popular among kids, who generally preferred the more action oriented American cartoons. I didn't really remember too much until I moved to japan in my late 20s for a few years... Japan LOVES Moomin! I guess because they produced the cartoon? But also they just love characters in general. I kind of rediscovered Moomin and learned to enjoy it far more as an adult than as a child. Recently played the Moomin game. It's charming artistically, but quite shallow in terms of gameplay and also quite short. Still I would recommend to Moomin fans, but not necessarily to non fans.

how is this only your third video? the production value is through the roof

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

Well thank you! You learn a lot by trial and error, and I’ve had many errors 🤣

great quality vid. this should have 1 mill at least

This is video so well made! Hope many more people find this!

@finlandria

10 ай бұрын

Thank you, me too!

Nice video, thank you very much for that analyse you seem exteremely interesting and sympathetic person!!!

I recently met these friendly characters and was very sad to discover that there are few Spanish speakers who love Moomins. It's really difficult to find a library that has a Moomins book in Spanish 😢 I hope more people discover more context behind each character. I really want to make content to make them known in this part of the world. 💖 P.S: In Mexico few people knew the Moomins because a few years ago they broadcast the television show from the 90s and recently they broadcast Moominvalley 2019 in Spanish 😃

This is really good! Can you do Wigwam soon, please? Finnish Progressive Rock with a British singer, and pretty beloved with Finns of a certain age.

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

I’ll have to look into them! Love some classic prog rock 😄 Thanks for watching!

i love the moomins!!! i got my very own moomin mug for Christmas last year, unfortunately my cat knocked it onto the floor and broke it so it cannot be safely used, but it's still beautiful and i treasure it. hopefully i get more one day!

Tove first drew moomin on a outhouse wall

I'm from South Africa and I grew up watching Moomins in the 90s. It was translated into Afrikaans.

It could just merely be the fact that American tastes are just too consumerist. It seems like it has to be a very specific type of genre to attract a wide audience of Americans. And as much as we complain about Disney turning stories into franchises, that’s kinda what’s kept them from becoming obscure themselves. Had it not been for such practices, characters like Mickey Mouse and such would be about as well known today as “Tim Corbett: Space Cadet”. It’s the reason why both Jim Henson and George Lucas wanted to sell their most beloved creations to them.

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

Interesting! I think that’s what gets a lot of people fired up about this. You could see how distribution and branding-Disney specialties-could have really bolstered Moomins early on, but would it still be the same thing that so many people hold dear? I’m not sure! It might have brought esteem but watered down the message. So you have to ask; what’s more important, more people hearing a message that isn’t as strong, or telling Tove’s story exactly as she meant, but it not reaching as many people? I know what I think but I’ll let other people come to their own conclusions for now. 😈

@geoffreyrichards6079

Жыл бұрын

@@finlandria Some authors have happily helped with Disney in adapting their work, so I guess it depends on how involved Tove might’ve been with overseeing the project had it been greenlit. If it stayed relatively true to the source material, I could see a hypothetical Disney adaptation of the Moomins being pretty close to how the ‘90s animated series turned out - only condensed down to fit an average feature film length.

I was fortunate that my elementary school library had a few of the Moomin books. I loved those stories a lot. I haven't seen the most recent iteration of the animated versions. I liked the polish stop motion one, but I wasn't as much of a fan of the Japanese cartoon. I believe any American company would have destroyed it for me, particularly Disney.

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

Interesting considering the Japanese anime was so beloved! What did you like or dislike about them?

@jeffgray4075

Жыл бұрын

@@finlandria the stop motion was basically the story being read, and the characters acting it out. The animated series was voice acted, and that took a bit away, to me. Even as a kid, I appreciated that the narrator was the interpreter. It's where the stories get their poignancy.

I am the happy owner of a book from the first edition of Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen from 1945😁 (it looks like the price then was 40 Finnish marks)

@finlandria

11 ай бұрын

Wow, so cool! I love the look and feel of the originals, I might need to see if I can ever hunt down some copies and collect them.

i don't have Moomin mug, but i have my childhood Moomin duvett covers from 70's in my memory box 😊

@finlandria

10 ай бұрын

Just bought some Moomin sheets for the guest room of my apartment, can’t wait until they’re 50 yrs old (wow!).

Stop! I love them! Finland even has a world for them theyre popular! I love them! Altough im 13!

@finlandria

10 ай бұрын

They’re the best!

@Snofey1

9 ай бұрын

Hush child, I’m 33 and I’m a huge moomin fan. I will always be 🤭

@Ilovestraykids993

9 ай бұрын

@@Snofey1 im not a kid

@Snofey1

9 ай бұрын

@@Ilovestraykids993 13 years old is a kid.

@Ilovestraykids993

9 ай бұрын

@@Snofey1 In my country theyre not called kids teens

SUMIO SHIRATORI - Suomen tunnetuin tuntematon säveltäjä kzread.info/dash/bejne/nJ2FuLd8o7jAkdo.html

The beginning was quite flattering, to be honest ❤ I don't know North American culture(s) very much, but I think the Moomins could feel a bit exotic there. It's so different from the originally American shows I've seen. The English voice acting of the 90s series is an example of a decent dub but which also misses some nuance and feeling the Finnish (YLE) dub has. Snufkin, for example, does not feel as mysterious and deep in the English, but the English speaking audience's feedback on the Finnish voice has been that he sounds like a villain 😅

As a Brit, I think one of the core reasons Moomin was (it was insanely popular when I was a child, and when my mother was in her teens) and is somewhat still popular especially with those in alt subcultures, is because the UK is a lot more welcoming to darker/honest content. Moomin can be pretty grim for a kids series and has parallels to other British media like Watership Down where it combines whimsy with the brutal reality of life. Granted I don't think Moomin is AS dark as WD but it shows that the British audience is a lot more receptive to allowing younger viewers to indulge in that. I was terrified of The Groke when I was a kid, yet I still couldn't tear myself away from reading the books or watching the 90s anime series, but now that I've grown I've come to really love her. If I had to guess, I would say that Japan is in a similar place to the UK in regards to being more receptive to allowing children to watch more solemn content. Most adults get into moomin either by loving it as a child, or reading/watching it with their children. The love for Moomin is very cultural, I feel.

Anche in Italia sono molto amati i Moomin,io li amo tutt'ora e sono un adulto😁👍🙋

🎉thank you for the explanation! Moomin to Finland feels like Hello Kitty to Asians,, kids just grew up with it!

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!

Tove Jansson visited Japan in the 1970s, giving lectures and appearing on TV.

It has not been long since I read that a serious investment is to be made in marketing the Munintrol in the USA😁

@finlandria

11 ай бұрын

They’re sold in our major bookseller, Barnes & Noble, now!

This American dad is happy to have been introduced.

My friend can confirm the Hawaii store existed

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

Hoping it is still going! That theme song version is a certified banger

@Letcaster

Жыл бұрын

@@finlandria can also now confirm it is!

Im not from Finland but im obsessed too xd

@finlandria

10 ай бұрын

Same!

👍👍

@finlandria

10 ай бұрын

Thanks!

I love Moomin!

TORILLE!

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

TORILLLLLLEEEEEEE

@mursubro1954

Жыл бұрын

@@finlandria SUOMI MAINITTU!

Abt copyright it reminds me that drive of content for all america audience that moominofficial demanded for a lot of money :(

@annamoomin7963

11 ай бұрын

Sorry for my poor eng

@finlandria

10 ай бұрын

As an American in Finland, you don’t need to apologize for your “poor” language to me ever 🤣

snufkin my goat

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

WITH the sauce

_hippo_

I have ate moomin potatoes. POTATOES😭

moomin!!1!1!11!1!

Comment for the algo 😉

@Gurgamo

Жыл бұрын

Hey it worked!

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!!

Why did you move to Finland btw?

I do hope you're not using those coffee filters as socks.

Nepali, let them know how big it is ih NEPAL.

Its not hippo

For me the amount of merch and the hype over it just slightly "cheapens" the moomin experience for me. I get the mugs, books, comics and plushies, but all the other stuff that they slap the moomin brand on, too much material junk, and not what the moomins represent in my opinion.

RME ...NOT hippos. Way over hyped commercialism 🙄

Usually women have em and I think its to count how many men they had before you :D

@finlandria

Жыл бұрын

More power to them! Mugs on mugs on mugs!

Why haven't you known anything of Moomins until now? Basically because the copyright owners of Moomins are scared of global attention. I mean, look at the situation of distributing the cartoon series' of them. Fans still have a hard time getting access to other than those mugs. And ironically, while the owners say that Moomins are solely for art, they still manage to put beloved Moomin shows behind stupid paywalls, geo-blocking and such. They never seem to get it right, whereas Smurfs are more accessible than ever. You never know whether the episodes of the 90s show are gonna be available and it keeps being SUCH a mess for anyone with no DVDs and such. Even Finnish fans hate the owners, 'cause they just put everything behind vaults and then punish fans for loving Moomins. And they show a green light for replacing the beloved Finnish dubs of the 90s anime and the film. I hope they go bankrupt.

@finlandria

10 ай бұрын

Well…no one’s gonna top that.

If Disney managed to get these beloved characters in their hand back then, imagine what the current "woke"-company would've done to it today among all the live-action flops that has been made in recent years... They wouldve made a ramake of the moomins as well, and when people complain they would take full on advantage of the fact that the original author was a "Queer icon" and was sure that she was gonna love it...

@MILDMONSTER1234

2 ай бұрын

Lol the western fanbase has already done that

I’m from Southeast Asia and I love Moomin! I love that you mentioned Snufmin 💚🤍 That’s how I got into it in the first place 😆🥰 You can’t be a Moomin fan if you don’t adore Snufkin!

@finlandria

11 ай бұрын

Snufkin supremacy!