Moomin Characters Reaches US Audiences with Barnes & Noble Partnership
Moomin Characters, the parent company of the global phenomenon The Moomins,
created by the acclaimed Finnish artist, illustrator, and writer Tove Jansson, and Barnes & Noble, the largest book
retailer in the United States, are thrilled to announce the expansion of their partnership, making Jansson’s literature
widely accessible to American audiences in 260 stores nationwide. Barnes & Noble features nearly a dozen of
Jansson’s iconic comic and children’s books from the Moomin series alongside her most popular adult novels, now
available on the bookseller’s e-commerce platform www.bn.com and in select stores nationwide. Barnes & Noble
have also expanded the merchandise available to include a range of Moomin Arabia mugs, Nordicbuddies socks, and
much more.
James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble, said, “I am delighted that our initial Moomin launch has proved successful
with American audiences, though not the least bit surprised. Jansson’s timeless creativity, renowned characters and
enchanting world warrant wider attention and distribution. I am thrilled to continue Jansson’s legacy by expanding our
Moomin merchandise offer and making it available in many more of our stores across the country.”
Additional titles by Jansson and a major biography are also launching in the United States throughout the year.
Available since April 30, Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words by Boel Westin, translated into English by Silvester
Mazzarella and published by Minnesota University Press, has already received critical acclaim. Westin relies on
numerous conversations with Jansson and unprecedented access to her journals, letters, and personal archives to
present an engrossing and comprehensive review of the life and world of the Nordic’s most-loved author. As Westin’s
meticulous research makes clear, Jansson’s artistic and literary works reflected what was most important to her: the
love of family and nature and the desire to pursue her art.
On July 9, Drawn & Quarterly (D+Q) will launch Moomin Adventures, the first book in an all-new series of siblings
Tove and Lars Jansson’s timeless comic strip. This five-volume series will introduce the iconic comic strip to a new
generation of readers of all ages. Moomin Adventures: Book One kicks off with the most famous adventure of them
all, Moomin on the Riviera, which was adapted into an animated feature and debuted at the London Film
Festival. When D+Q debuted the Moomin comic strip in 2006, it was the first time that the comic strip had been
published in the album format since its original appearance in a London newspaper in the 1950s. The series has gone
on to sell 500,000 volumes, while the comics have been published in 40 countries reaching over 20 million readers.
Jansson’s beloved book, Notes from an Island, written in Swedish in 1963 and translated by Thomas Teal, will be
released by Timber Press on October 22. In the bitter winds of fall 1963, Jansson raced to build a cabin on a treeless
island in the Gulf of Finland. The island was Klovharun, a remote refuge where, for almost 30 summers, she and her
beloved partner Tuulikki “Tooti” Pietilä lived, wrote, and painted, energized by flora and fauna, the shifting seascapes,
and solitude. Jansson’s resulting book is both a beautiful chronicle of a rugged ecology and an intimate collaboration
between two artists in love with each other—and the island itself.
On November 26, the New York Review of Books will release Jansson’s later novel based on her own travels through
America, Sun City, also translated by Teal. Exploring themes around end of life and facing mortality, readers travel
with Jansson through America in the 1970s and into the world of residents and employees at retirement homes.
Tove Jansson’s niece and President of the Board of Moomin Characters, Sophia Jansson, said: “Tove was an
incredible artist and an exceptional person. She wasn’t afraid of walking her own path and was true to her ideals, and
these things fed into her creations – they’re part of what makes the Moomin stories so special. We are incredibly
proud that her life and literature are expanding in the United States through the B&N partnership and these new
releases.”
Already an established painter, Tove Jansson wrote and illustrated the first Moomin story to comfort herself during
WWII. Since 1945, the Moomins have touched millions of readers far beyond Jansson’s native Finland. The Moomins
are fantastical creatures who live in Moominvalley, a magical place where adventures are always waiting around the
corner. With their white snouts, they look nothing like humans, but their big personalities reflect many traits that both
children and adult readers have fallen in love with. Firmly rooted in Nordic storytelling, the Moomin stories reflect the
values central to Jansson: friendship, courage, respect for nature, and adventure, delighting readers with a
sophistication for storytelling, wisdom, and humor.
The Moomin characters first appeared in The Moomins and the Great Flood, and over the next three decades,
Jansson went on to publish eight more books in the series, in addition to four picture books. In 1954, the Moomins
were catapulted onto the global stage when the London newspaper The Evening News commissioned Jansson to
write a Moomin comic strip that ran for 20 years. At its peak, the comic strip was syndicated in 40 countries, from
Canada and South Africa to India and Bermuda. Today, Moomin books are published in over 60 languages, and
television adaptations have aired in 120 countries.
After publishing her last Moomin book, Moominvalley in November, Jansson wrote novels and short stories for adults–
like The Summer Book, which is being made into a major motion picture starring Glenn Close and directed by Charlie
McDowell.
On March 1, 2023, Moomin Characters launched The Moomin Phenomenon, a podcast introduced by actress and
producer Lily Collins, well known for her role in Emily in Paris. Next year, Moomin will celebrate its 80th anniversary.
