The main family is Moominpappa, Moominmamma and their child Moomintroll. They live in a tall, round, blue tower-shaped house, and welcome anyone who turns up at their door. Their friends are unusual: Snufkin, a quiet wanderer who plays the harmonica; Little My, a tiny fierce one who always says what she thinks; the Hattifatteners, who look like white candles that can't speak; and many more.
The stories are full of kindness, adventure, and a little bit of strangeness. The Moomins go looking for comets, sail off in homemade boats, host parties, and befriend lonely creatures who turn up cold and lost. Tove Jansson said she wrote them to remind people that being a bit different is fine. The Moomins are famously friendly to anyone who is new or shy.
Tove Jansson grew up in Helsinki and on a tiny rocky island in the Finnish archipelago. Her drawings of Moominvalley - the forests, the cliffs, the wooden cottages - look a lot like the real Finland she knew. The Moomins are now so loved that they appear on Finnish stamps, school books, cups, plates, planes - even on the side of the national airline.
In a Finnish town called Naantali, there is a Moomin World theme park. The blue Moomin house stands at the centre, and visitors can walk inside and explore Moominmamma's kitchen, the pantry full of jam jars, and Moomintroll's bedroom. Friendly people dressed up as Moomins wander the park hugging children. It is one of the most popular places for Finnish families to visit in summer.