Did you know that Moomin's Day was 9th August?
This special day celebrates the birthday of Tove Jansson who was the creator of the Moomins, what better way of reminding us of all the good things we can learn from the world of the Moomins. Tove was a renowned Finnish writer, artist and cartoonist inspired by her holidays on a Swedish Island and her artistic family.
The Moomins emerged from a world devasted and exhausted by the horrors of World War II, with the first book published in 1945. They are stories of love and courage, equality and respect, and finding a good balance in life.
The Moomins and their friends live in Moominvalley and have a gentle life inspired by nature and a desire to be as kind as they can to their friends and the people they meet. Not everything is perfect but they gently sort out life’s challenges in a very Moomin way.
Tove Jansson created an amazing archive of Moomin drawings and published 9 books, 4 picture books and comic strips; there has been TV series, theme parks and the Moomins are much loved by many generations.
Jo, our Director, has been answering a few questions on the relationship between the Crafty Kit Company and the Moomins.
Why did the Crafty Kit Company choose to develop Moomin products?
We’d never really considered entering the world of licensing, but when we were approached by The Point.1888 which is the UK agency that looks after the Moomin brand, it was a bit of a no-brainer for us. The Moomin characters are so easily represented in felt, fabric and thread. They are perfect for crafting beginners! The Moomin values are so closely aligned with our own: love, kindness, friendship and respect for nature are all things that we care about deeply here at The Crafty Kit Company. From a business development perspective, taking on a license opens a whole world of possibilities for new products. We have access to a huge bank of precious illustrations to draw from. It gives us a lot of joy just browsing the images and dreaming up new products that we can create with them!
What delights you most about the Moomins?
There’s so much to love about the Moomins. Each character has its own unique, quirky personality and I think a lot of people can see themselves in a Moomin!
How did you begin creating the Moomin crafty kits?
The process for creating the embroidery and cross stitch kits is simple, and it starts with simply choosing the most appealing images for these crafts. Sometimes we need to tweak an image slightly (with permission from Moomin Characters Ltd) in order for it to be translated into cross stitch or embroidery. We use a brilliant piece of software that converts any image into a cross stitch pattern, even matching up the DMC thread colours for us! The embroidery kits have a similar process; after we’ve settled on the designs they’re sent off to the printers and printed out on huge rolls. We cut them all up by hand back in the workshop!
What crafty kits are to follow?
We’re really excited to be launching the first range of needle felted Moomin kits - there will be one of each of Moominpappa, Moominmamma, Snorkmaiden and Moomintroll, all in different poses and with various ‘accessories’! Look our for the launch from September.
We’re also developing four lovely ‘painting with wool’ kits, with the outlines to be filled in printed directly onto fabric. This is a brand new technique and we’re excited to be the first to bring this to market.
We asked Jo and the team who their favourite Moomin character is and why?
Jo; I really love the much-misunderstood Groke. She may not be joyful like most of the other characters, but really she just wants to be loved, as we all do.
Anne; My fave is Moominpappa – a jolly character who is content looking after his family
Mandy; Moominmamma – the heart and soul of the family
Nicki; Little My – attitude with a heart
Debby; Snorkmaiden - a bit of a prima donna at times but loyal, brave, warm-hearted and a dreamer
©Moomin Characters Ltd™
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