About

The Moomins (Swedish: Mumintroll, Finnish: Muumi) are the central characters in a series of books and a comic strip by Finnish writer Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish in Finland. They are a family of trolls who are white, round and furry in appearance, with large snouts that make them resemble hippopotamus. The carefree and adventurous family live in their house in Moominvalley, though in the past their temporary residences have included a lighthouse and a theatre. They have many adventures along with their many friends.

The Moomins have since been the basis for numerous television series, a film and even a theme park. An interactive playroom about the Moomins was located at Scandinavia House from November 11, 2006 till March 31, 2007.

The books

The books in the series, in order, are:

1. The Moomins and the Great Flood (Originally Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen) - 1945
2. Comet in Moominland some editions The Happy Moomins - (Originally Kometjakten / Kometen kommer) - 1946
3. Finn Family Moomintroll (originally Trollkarlens hatt) - 1948
4. The Exploits of Moominpappa some editions Moominpappa's Memoirs (originally Muminpappans bravader / Muminpappans memoarer) - 1950
5. Moominsummer Madness (originally Farlig midsommar) - 1954
6. Moominland Midwinter (originally Trollvinter) - 1957
7. Tales from Moominvalley (originally Det osynliga barnet) - 1962 (short stories)
8. Moominpappa at Sea (originally Pappan och havet) - 1965
9. Moominvalley in November (originally Sent i november) - 1970 (in which the Moomin family is absent)

The first book, known in English as The Moomins and the Great Flood (original Swedish title Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen) was finally published in English in 2005 (though only in Finland). Some view it as a prequel book to the main Moomin stories, however the general consensus is that it is the first book.

There are also four Moomin picture books by Tove Jansson:

* The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My (Hur gick det sen) - 1952
* Who Will Comfort Toffle? (Vem ska trösta knyttet) - 1960)
* The Dangerous Journey (Den farliga resan) - 1977)
* An Unwanted Guest (Skurken i Muminhuset) - 1980) (never translated into English.)

The books and comic strips have been translated from their original Swedish and English into many languages.

Moomin comic strips

The Moomins also appeared in the form of comic strips; their first appearance was in the popular London newspaper The Evening News in 1954. Tove Jansson drew and wrote all the strips until 1959 when she lost inspiration, saying that she no longer had time for painting or writing. After this her brother Lars Jansson, who could duplicate the style of drawings and texts accurately, took over the job until 1975 when the last strip was released. The strips were made in English and then translated to other languages.

Drawn and Quarterly, a Canadian graphic novel publisher, is releasing a new reprint series of The Evening News strips, beginning in October 2006. The first two volumes of Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip are currently available, with three more volumes planned to follow.

In the 1990s, a comic book version of the Moomin was produced in Scandinavia after the animated series were shown on television. Neither Tove nor Lars Jansson had any involvement in this.

Source: Wikipedia