The world celebrated Moomin Day on 9 Aug 2026 GMT+7, which marks the birthday of Tove Jansson, the Swedish-Finnish artist who created the adorably plump troll known as Moomin and his friends.
Today, everyone knows Moomin, a character seen almost everywhere and considered a pop culture icon. There are comic books and products printed on cups, bowls, water bottles, and bedding. Every birthday of Jansson or Moomin Day features special collaborations between brands. Yet, few know the story behind Moomin and Jansson, the creator of this white troll, so let's explore their origins.
Photo: The Community & Moomin Characters Ltd.
Tove Jansson and Her Artistic Journey
Jansson was born into an artist family; her father was a sculptor, and her mother a graphic designer who once designed stamps for Finland. Although born in Helsinki, every summer she traveled with her family to a small cottage in Pellinki, which later became the backdrop for the Moominvalley universe.
Few know that before Jansson became famous as a cartoonist, she was an artist with a distinctive signature style akin to her cartoons. At 16, she studied art at Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, then at the Graphic School of the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, before continuing studies at L'École d'Adrien Holy and L'École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. She held her first solo exhibition in 1943.
Photo: Reino Loppinen
Her work was influenced by modern European art, Impressionism, and Fauvism, mostly in dark tones. She often painted self-portraits, portraits of those close to her including family, landscapes, and other oil paintings infused with her imagination. Sometimes her paintings seemed to have their own world that evoked sadness and deep thought. Jansson's color technique was notable, blending muted pastels like green, blue, and yellow. Her ink pen lines created distinctive shading on objects, leaves, mountains, and streams—styles that later became iconic in her cartoon drawings.
Photo: bukowskis
Moomin Troll: The Monster Behind the Stove
Jansson recounted that she drew the first Moomin after an argument with her brother about Immanuel Kant, the German philosopher. She went to the bathroom and scribbled a cartoon she called “the ugliest imaginable,” signing it “Kant” underneath.
In 1943, Jansson worked as a cartoonist for Garm magazine, a satirical war publication during World War II in Sweden and Finland. There, she began drawing the cartoon she had once dismissed on a bathroom wall: a monster with a large nose she named “Snork,” inspired by the troll or "troll"—supernatural creatures in Scandinavian folklore that live near rocks, mountains, or secluded caves, usually in small family groups.
Jansson always knew this cartoon character had been with her since childhood, combined with stories her Uncle Einar told during her art school days. She had a habit of sneaking into the kitchen at night for snacks. Her uncle caught her and made up a tale to scare her, saying that behind the dark stove shadow lurked a creature called the Moomin Troll that would crawl out and press its cold nose against her neck if she wasn't careful.
What she remembered most clearly was the word “Moomin.” As she found herself drawing the troll character more frequently, she eventually changed the name from “Snork” to “Moomin,” giving birth to the “Moomin Troll.”
Moominvalley, Life, and War
In 1945, Jansson wrote and illustrated a novel, piecing together a story with its own plot, resulting in The Moomins and the Great Flood—the first book and the start of Moominvalley. But greater fame came in 1954 when she drew cartoons for London’s Evening News during the height of "Moomin fever," when everyone adored the white troll. Meanwhile, she continued writing eight more Moomin sequel books.
Jansson used this platform to reflect her emotions about the war. For example, in The Moomins and the Great Flood, Moomin and Moominmamma venture through a dark forest searching for Moominpappa, symbolizing war refugees wandering to find family after Europe was ravaged by war. In Comet in Moominland (1946), a large red comet crashes into Moominvalley, mirroring the bombing of Helsinki by aerial weapons.
"War happened, and my work was put on hold. Trying to paint it felt pointless," Jansson said.
This period introduced other characters like Moominpappa, Moominmamma, Snufkin, and Sniff, portraying the peaceful life of the Moomin family in Moominvalley, surrounded by solitary mountains. Along the way, they meet invited and uninvited guests and face natural disasters like comets and floods, along with many wonders. The Moomins solve problems with curiosity and patience, not violence, sparking conversations on life philosophy infused with fear and freedom. These stories were not mere fiction but influenced by Jansson’s life and those close to her. Moominpappa was based on her father’s adventurous spirit; Moominmamma on her mother’s financial care and warmth; Snufkin and Too-Ticky inspired by former lovers. In other words, her entire world was Moominvalley.
Today, the Moomin legacy is managed by the Jansson family and continues to bring cuteness and joy globally under Moomin Characters Ltd. There is the Moominworld theme park in Naantali, Finland, and a new branch opened in 2019 called Moominvalley Park in Saitama, Japan. Arabia’s glassware collection for Moomin fans is also well-known. Even after 81 years since Jansson’s first book, people still feel Moomin’s warmth across generations, and the world of Jansson and Moominvalley will continue to bring happiness into the future.
References: