The Moomins (Swedish: Mumintrollen, pronounced [ˈmɵmiːnˌtrɔlːən]) are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, picture books, and a comic strip by Swedish-speaking Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Schildts[2] in Finland.

They are a family of white, round fairy-tale characters with large snouts that make them resemble the hippopotamus.

[9] Tove Jansson's life partner was the graphic artist Tuulikki Pietilä, whose personality inspired the character Too-Ticky in Moominland Midwinter.

[6][10] The Moomins, generally speaking, relate strongly to Jansson's own family – they were bohemian, lived close to nature and were very tolerant towards diversity.

[6][10][11] Most of Jansson's characters are on the verge of melancholy, such as the always formal Hemulen, or the strange Hattifatteners, who travel in concerted, ominous groups.

This first book was eventually translated into English in 2005 by David McDuff and published by Schildts of Finland for the 60th anniversary of the series.

A later 2012 version of the same translation, featuring Jansson's new preface to the 1991 Scandinavian printing, was published in Britain by Sort of Books,[13] and was more widely distributed.

[18] Drawn & Quarterly, a Canadian graphic novel publisher, released reprints of all The Evening News strips created by both Tove and Lars Jansson beginning in October 2006.

In the 1990s, a comic book version of Moomin was produced in Scandinavia after Dennis Livson and Lars Jansson's animated series was shown on television.

[16] The story of the Moomins has been made into television series on many occasions by various groups, possibly the most well known of which is a Japanese–Dutch collaboration, that has also produced a feature-length film.

Helsinki based pianist and composer Erna Tauro was commissioned to write the songs to lyrics by Jansson.

More songs were published in the 1960s and 1970s, when Tove and Lars Jansson produced a series of Moomin dramas for Swedish Television.

The first recording of the complete collection was made in 2003 by composer and arranger Mika Pohjola on the Moomin Voices CD (Muminröster in Swedish), as a tribute to the late Tove Jansson.

Their lyrics, however, often contain simple slogans and the music is written in a children's pop music style and contrast sharply with the original Moomin novels and Jansson's pictorial and descriptive, yet rhyming lyricism, as well as Erna Tauro's Scandinavian-style songs (visor), which are occasionally influenced by Kurt Weill.

[32] Musicscapes from Moominvalley is a four-part work based on the Moomin compositions of composer and producer Heikki Mäenpää.

The songs are performed by Samuli Edelmann, Sani, Tommi Läntinen, Susanna Haavisto and Jore Marjaranta and other established Finnish vocalists in the pop/entertainment genre.

In 2010, Russian composer Lex Plotnikoff (founder of symphonic metal band Mechanical Poet) released a new-age music album Hattifatteners: Stories from the Clay Shore,[34][35][36] accompanied by photos of moomin characters models by photographer/sculptor Tisha Razumovsky.

The production was a success, and later performances were held in Sweden and Norway,[10] including recently at the Malmö Opera and Music Theatre in 2011.

[37] Mischief and Mystery in Moominvalley, a production created by Get Lost and Found which included puppetry and a giant pop-up book set, toured the UK from 2018, with runs at London's Southbank Centre, Kew Gardens and the Manchester Literature Festival.

[38] This production was written by Emma Edwards and Sophie Ellen Powell with puppets and set designed and made by Annie Brooks.

In 1997, Muumit ja Taikurin hattu [fi] (The Moomins and the Hobgoblin's Hat) was developed by Norsk Strek AS and published by WSOY, later Nordic Softsales.

Moomin World is located on the island of Kailo beside the old town of Naantali, near the city of Turku in Western Finland.

It is also possible to see the Hemulen's yellow house, Moominmama's kitchen, the Fire Station, Snufkin's Camp, Moominpappa's boat, etc.

On December 26, 2020, the underground Moomin Ice Cave theme park was opened 30 meters underneath the Spa Hotel Vesileppis in Leppävirta (56 kilometres (35 mi) south of Kuopio).

An interactive playroom about the Moomins was located at Scandinavia House, New York City, from November 11, 2006, till March 31, 2007.

There are two zones: the free Metsä Village area, comprising lakefront restaurants and shops set among natural activities, and the Moominvalley Park section offering attractions like Moominhouse and an art museum.

Diners can enjoy Moomin-inspired meals sitting at tables with larger-than-life plush versions of Moomin characters.

[58] The Moomin Boom (muumibuumi in Finnish) started in the 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.

A large merchandising industry was built around the Moomin characters, covering everything from coffee cups and T-shirts to plastic models.