Since we had been visiting places related to Tove Jansson, most of them with biographical connections, I’ve also been thinking of going to a purely Moomin-related place. My goal was to compare places associated with the author to places with connections to her characters: how different can those places be? what aspects are emphasized by the site developers? what kinds of visitors would different types of places attract? what would the visitors expect? I will use my observations as data for a research article, but here I’ll describe my visit as a personal experience.
The Moomins are pretty famous in Finland, no doubt about that – merchandise is aplenty in the department stores, Moomin-themed items are common in almost every household, but what about a particular place with connection the Moomins? We’ve been to the themed cafes and the Moomin Museum, and, obviously, they differ quite a lot. But then there’s Moominworld on a coast close to Turku. It’s a theme park on an island, and Moominvalley is in part recreated there.
© Moomin Characters™ Theme park created by Dennis Livson. Photo by Evgenia Amey.
The Moomin characters are pretty famous in Finland, no doubt about that – merchandise is aplenty in the department stores, Moomin-themed items are common in almost every household, but what about a particular place with connection the Moomins? We’ve been to the themed cafes and the Moomin Museum, and, obviously, they differ quite a lot.
But then there’s Moominworld on a coast close to Turku. It’s a theme park on an island, and Moominvalley is in part recreated there.
I was originally hesitant to go – asking people who have been there about their experiences didn’t create the greatest image for me, but since I’d never been there myself, it was worth a try. I checked their website, and it turns out they were to be open on the weekends in October, with the Hobgoblin and the King Ruby theme. I pondered for a bit… Autumn was still warm, and then this article by Rhianna Pratchett decided it for me.
© Moomin Characters™ Theme park created by Dennis Livson. Photo by Evgenia Amey.
So on October 13th, with a companion who does not wish to be named, I travelled west to meet the Moomins. A couple of hours by train from Helsinki and then by bus to Naantali. It’s a nice retreat, a small old coastal town. I liked the sea and the rocky coast, also it was autumn, quite lovely and not too cold.
Moominworld is usually open in summer and in winter. It is a tourist attraction, purposefully created for those interested in the Moomin characters; it’s family-friendly and child-oriented. Because I had previously worked in tourism industry and done my internships in Santa Claus Village (in Lapland), I had a chance to compare the two destinations. Moominworld and Santa Claus Village have many similarities: both are consumer-oriented destinations, centered around well-known characters which are strongly associated with childhood, both are located close to a city/town (Turku and Naantali, and Rovaniemi respectively) but also in a relatively quiet location.
Unfortunately, sometimes such destinations create an impression of being a themed shopping mall. Santa Claus Village is open all year long and it seems to be receiving more visitors; there are no entrance fees, you can visit Santa for free but for other things you have to pay. Visiting Moominworld requires a fee; services are somewhat similar to those in Santa Claus Village (or many similar destinations) – souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants, a post office, a studio to get ‘official’ pictures, meeting and interacting with the characters. Moominworld also offers more performances and activities which can be done for free once you’re inside, while in Santa Claus Village there is almost no performances/entertainment for free.
© Moomin Characters™ Theme park created by Dennis Livson. Photo by Evgenia Amey.
The majority of visitors to Moominworld, from what I could tell, were Finnish families with children. Information in English is available on the website and the app, also brochures and signs are in Finnish, Swedish and English (less info in other languages), but performances were held in Finnish. From what I understand, for adults coming with their families the main reasons to visit such destinations is their wish to entertain the children and, to some degree, nostalgia. And then, of course, there are people like myself, with particular interest in the author and the characters.
Perhaps, I was a bit too old, and a wee bit skeptical. There were a lot of things, where you go ‘hey, this could have been done better’ but you also understand why it hasn’t. I know you can’t expect it to be a first-class immersive experience (like the Wizarding World of Harry Potter), considering it won’t attract many visitors and therefore doesn’t have the resources. In the end, I’m sure a few other adults enjoyed it. And it is must be fun if you’re five.
© Moomin Characters™ Theme park created by Dennis Livson. Photo by Evgenia Amey.
Only the central part of the island was open for visitors. I can estimate that one third of the places were closed. Understandable again, considering that Moominworld was only open on weekends during October month. The Nature trail (the path behind Pappa’s Photo) was closed, so you didn’t get to visit some attractions, like Snufkin’s camp (I kinda wanted to go there), the retreat with a hammock, Pappa’s boat and a couple of other places. The path along the other side of the island was also closed. I suppose I should have understood that from the autumn map of the Moominworld: they have different versions of the map downloadable for each season, so the autumn version didn’t feature those attractions that were closed. Apparently, those places are open during summer but not in autumn/winter, which explains lower fees for those seasons. Not all catering places were open either.
© Moomin Characters™ Theme park created by Dennis Livson. Photo by Evgenia Amey.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the little details. The Moomin house – the central attraction – featured fully equipped kitchen and dining room where table had been set. Among the other ‘private’ rooms upstairs, I remember Mamma’s studio, with a painting and drawings on the wall. And a tiny dragon in the attic, perched on a pole. And many more… Though the rooms are intended to look as if the characters have just left for a moment, the house can be quite desolate-looking – this is my impression, this could have been perfect for Moominvalley in November theme.
© Moomin Characters™ Theme park created by Dennis Livson. Photo by Evgenia Amey.
I also enjoyed Hemulen’s house. According to Moomin character test, I am a Hemulen. Also, I was thrown into prison. Among the characters we’ve encountered I personally liked the Witch (an anime character, not found in the books).
© Moomin Characters™ Theme park created by Dennis Livson. Photo by Evgenia Amey.
Without revealing too many details for those who will be visiting Moominworld… it can be worth it, depending on what you’re expecting. Depending on with whom you are going, and what is your purpose. Depending on how much effort you can put into suspending disbelief and ignoring the commercial side. Or on your love of the books. I’ve got what I came there for. And postcards. And some school food. Sorry, Mamma, just not my thing…
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