Finns share personal ties to Moomin mugs

For many Finns, Moomin mugs are more than just drinkware—they carry personal meaning. A recent Yle survey drew over 500 responses, with three collectors sharing their stories.

Karoliina Tammisto of Seinäjoki once owned nearly every Moomin mug except the Fazer and black-and-white Moomintroll Dreams designs. In 2015, facing financial strain as a student and mother, she sold her 1990s collection to fund her education. An insurance query revealed the mugs’ retail value matched their replacement cost, easing the decision. She kept only a few with strong sentimental ties, fearing the loss of a €300 mug to a child’s accident. Today, her 33 mugs are newer models, used daily. She owns just one purchased mug: an M-initial design symbolising her husband’s name, her twin daughters (Tiuhti and Viuhti), and her late dog, Herra Hemuli, via the Hemuli character on the back.

Tuomas Tirkkonen of Helsinki has collected 56 Moomin mugs over decades, selecting each based on aesthetics or the philosophy of the Moomin world. His first, from over 30 years ago, depicts Moomintroll and Snufkin meeting—a scene he values for its portrayal of friendship. Favourites include the striped Moomintroll Diving mug and the Hemuli design, suited for a gardener. His Piisamirotta (Muskrat) mug, featuring the creature reading The Uselessness of Everything, is his choice for heavy days. He drinks his morning tea from the mugs, rotating them seasonally, and asks guests to pick one and explain their choice.

Anna Vasala of Oulu owns 19 mugs, each tied to family memories. The Tiuhti and Viuhti mug reminds her of her eldest daughter abroad, its ruby symbolising her new life. A rocking-chair Moominmamma mug is reserved for lazy Saturdays, while a winter-themed mug accompanies reluctant cleaning. Vasala, deeply influenced by Tove Jansson, has let some mugs go with her now-adult children.