Moomin (1990 TV series) facts for kids

Moomin
A screenshot of the series' British English dubbed title, featuring Moominhouse behind the logo.
Quick facts for kids 楽しいムーミン一家 (Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka)
Anime television series
Directed by	Hiroshi Saitō Masayuki Kojima (series production)
Produced by	Kazuo Tabata Dennis Livson
Written by	Akira Miyazaki Shōzō Matsuda Masaaki Sakurai Naoko Miyake Megumi Sugihara Nobuaki Kishima
Music by	Sumio Shiratori
Studio	Telecable Benelux B.V. Telescreen Japan Inc. Visual 80
Licensed by	UK Maverick Entertainment STAX Entertainment
Network	TV Tokyo (1990–1991)
English network	CA SCN Teletoon IE RTÉ2 UK CBBC Cartoon Network
Original run	April 12, 1990 – October 3, 1991
Episodes	78 (List of episodes)
Anime television series
Delightful Moomin Family: Adventure Diary
Directed by	Takeyuki Kanda
Produced by	Kazuo Tabata Dennis Livson
Written by	Masaaki Sakurai Yoshitake Suzuki (Fuyunori Gobu) Hiroko Naka Akira Shiramizu Kazumi Koide
Music by	Sumio Shiratori
Studio	Telecable Benelux B.V.
Network	TV Tokyo
Original run	October 10, 1991 – March 26, 1992
Episodes	26 (List of episodes)
Anime film
Comet in Moominland
Directed by	Hiroshi Saitō
Produced by	Kazuo Tabata
Written by	Akira Miyazaki
Music by	Sumio Shiratori
Studio	Telecable Benelux B.V. Telescreen Japan Inc.
Released	August 8, 1992
Runtime	68 minutes

Moomin (Japanese: 楽しいムーミン一家, Hepburn: Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka, Delightful Moomin Family), also known as Tales From Moominvalley, is a popular anime TV show. It was made by companies from Japan, Finland, and the Netherlands. The show is based on the famous Moomin books and comics by Finnish writer and artist Tove Jansson and her brother Lars Jansson.

This Moomin series was the third anime version of the stories. It was the first one to be shown in many countries around the world. It first aired in Japan in 1990 and later in the United Kingdom on CBBC.

The story takes place in the peaceful Moominvalley. Here, a young Moomin lives with his parents, Moominpappa and Moominmamma, in their big blue Moominhouse. The show follows the Moomin family and their friends on many fun and sometimes strange adventures. They explore Moominvalley and even places outside it. Their adventures often involve finding magical objects, meeting new creatures, or dealing with everyday life. Many episodes are based on the original books and comics, but the show also has its own unique stories.

This TV series helped make Moomin very popular in the 1990s, especially in Japan, where Moomin plush toys became a huge hit! Because the first series was so successful, a sequel called Delightful Moomin Family: Adventure Diary (楽しいムーミン一家 冒険日記, Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka: Bōken Nikki) was created. This sequel was shown in many countries as a continuation of the original series, but it was never dubbed into English. The original series also led to a movie called Comet in Moominland and several video games.

What Happens in Moominvalley?

The Moomin family and friends. From left to right: Snufkin, Little My, Sniff, Snorkmaiden, Moominpappa, Moomin (Moomintroll) and Moominmamma.

The series starts in Moominvalley when spring arrives. Moomin, Little My, Moominpappa, and Moominmamma wake up in their Moominhouse. Their friend Snufkin also returns from his travels.

The first few episodes tell a continuous story based on the book Finn Family Moomintroll. In this story, Moomin and his friends find a magical silk hat that belongs to the Hobgoblin. They also find a broken boat, fix it, and sail to an island filled with Hattifatteners. Later, two tiny creatures, Thingumy and Bob, arrive with a large suitcase. They are followed by the Groke, a scary creature. The Moomins manage to get rid of the Groke by giving her a seashell. It turns out Thingumy and Bob are hiding a huge "King's Ruby" in their suitcase! After they return Moominmamma's lost handbag, the Moomins have a big party. The Hobgoblin shows up, and the problem of the King's Ruby is solved with his magic.

The show covers about three years in Moominvalley. Even though Moomins usually sleep through winter, they experience two winters in the series. During the show, Snork, who is Snorkmaiden's inventor brother, builds two flying ships. One gets destroyed, but the second one is finished by the end of the series.

Before the second winter, the Moomins meet Alicia and her grandmother, who is a witch. The witch teaches Alicia magic and at first doesn't like the Moomins. But as the series goes on, she starts to like them. At the end of the series, Snork leaves on his finished flying ship. Alicia and her grandmother also leave Moominvalley for the third winter. The series finishes as winter arrives, the Moomins go into hibernation, and Snufkin travels south again.

How the Show Was Made

Moomin is the third anime show based on the Moomin books and comics. The original author, Tove Jansson, wasn't happy with the first Moomin anime from 1969. She felt the characters and stories weren't true to her books. Because of this, the first two Moomin anime shows were only shown in Japan.

In 1981, a Finnish producer named Dennis Livson wanted to make a new animated Moomin series. He worked hard to get the rights from Tove and Lars Jansson. They finally agreed after seeing his other animated series, Alfred J Kwak. Livson later showed Tove and Lars Jansson a preview of the new anime in Tokyo. Tove was very happy and said, "They are really alive!"

Unlike the earlier anime shows, this Moomin series was a team effort. It was made by a Dutch company, Telecable Benelux B.V., and Japanese animation studios. Hiroshi Saitō and Masayuki Kojima were the main directors. Tove and Lars Jansson also helped with the scripts, making sure they were just right.

In Japan, this show is famous for being broadcast even during important news events, like the Gulf War in 1991. While other TV channels switched to emergency news, TV Tokyo kept showing Moomin as usual. This made many people watch it and it became a well-known example of TV Tokyo's tradition of continuing regular shows.

How is the Show Different from the Books?

The Moomin TV series uses stories from several Moomin books, like Finn Family Moomintroll, Moominland Midwinter, and Moominsummer Madness. It also uses many short stories from the Moomin comic strips. While the show is quite faithful to the books, it does have some differences. Some events and characters from the books are missing to fit the show's own story. Also, new storylines and characters were added, especially in later episodes.

Here are some key differences:

• Moomintroll is usually just called "Moomin" in the show.
• Little My appears from the very beginning of the series, but she shows up later in the books.
• The Lady of the Cold looks very different from how she's described in the books.
• In the books, the Moomins trade the King's Ruby for the Hobgoblin's hat. In the show, the Hobgoblin gets his hat back earlier, and the Moomins trade the King's Ruby for a heart-shaped seashell.
• The wishes made with the Hobgoblin's hat are also different in the show compared to the book.
• In the series, a Fillyjonk raises Moominpappa in an orphanage, but in the books, it's a Hemulen.
• Snorkmaiden and Sniff have much bigger roles in the TV series and appear more often than in the books.
• Snufkin is friendlier to people outside the Moomin family in the show and doesn't smoke a pipe.
• Snork appears regularly as a scientist and inventor, which is a much bigger role than in the books. His love for flying is also new to the series.
• Alicia and her grandmother (the witch) were created just for the TV series and do not appear in the original books or comics.

Who Are the Voices Behind the Characters?

In Sweden, the actors who voiced the Moomins were all Finland-Swedes. This is because Tove Jansson herself was a Finland-Swede, and it's a tradition for Moomin productions. The Japanese, Finnish, and Swedish versions of the show used a female narrator, making it sound like Tove Jansson herself was telling the story.

William Roberts took over as the voice of Moominpappa after Episode 47.

Episodes and Where to Watch Them

The first Moomin anime series has 78 episodes. It first aired in Japan in 1990. After its first run, many TV channels around the world have shown the series again.

In Tove Jansson's home country, Finland, the series first aired in 1991. It has been re-broadcast almost every year, often with both Finnish and Swedish voiceovers. In 2017, the series got a new high-definition (HD) version and a new Finnish dub.

In the United Kingdom, the series was dubbed into English for Children's BBC. This version was called Moomin. The English voices were recorded in Cardiff. The show has never aired in the United States, except for Hawaii, where it was called The Tales of Moomin Valley.

Between 2019 and 2020, all 78 episodes of the first series were put on YouTube by the official Moomin channel. They were given a new title, Adventures from Moominvalley, and used the British English dub with new HD quality.

Delightful Moomin Family: Adventure Diary

After the first series was very popular in Japan, a second anime series was made. It was called Delightful Moomin Family: Adventure Diary (楽しいムーミン一家 冒険日記, Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka: Bōken Nikki). This sequel had 26 more episodes, continuing the story from the first series. It aired in Japan from 1991 to 1992. These episodes were not based on Jansson's books, but some were inspired by the Moomin comic strips.

Outside Japan, only a few countries aired Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka: Bōken Nikki. It was usually shown as a new season of Moomin. For example, it aired in Finland (only in Finnish), Israel, Norway, and Poland. However, this sequel series was never dubbed into English and was not shown on CBBC. The producer, Dennis Livson, later said he felt they didn't have enough original stories from Tove Jansson to use for the sequel.

Theme Songs

The music for Moomin was created by Sumio Shiratori. His wife, Emiko Shiratori, sang the original theme songs and other songs in the series.

• Opening Songs
• "To the World of Dream" (episodes 1-52)
  • Singer: Emiko Shiratori
• "The Song of Magic" (episodes 53-78)
  • Singer: The Pompin Team (including Minami Takayama, Mika Kanai, Akio Ōtsuka, Takehito Koyasu, Rei Sakuma, Ryūsei Nakao)
• "Heso Magarincho" (episodes 79-104, for the sequel series)
  • Singer: Ado Mizumori, Tairon Hashimoto

• Ending Songs
• "Far Longing" (episodes 1-52)
  • Singer: Emiko Shiratori
• "Someday, Have a Nice Trip" (episodes 53-104)
  • Singer: Emiko Shiratori

Outside Japan, the show often used different opening and ending songs. These were composed by the Dutch composer Pierre Kartner.

Other Moomin Adventures

Movies

After the TV series, an animated movie called Comet in Moominland was released in Japan in 1992. This movie is based on Tove Jansson's second Moomin book of the same name. It acts as a prequel, meaning it tells a story that happened before the 1990 anime series. While it wasn't released in English, it was dubbed into several European languages.

Video Games

There are several video games based on the 1990 Moomin anime series. Most of these games were only released in Japan, except for Moomin's Tale.

• Mūmin no sutekina purezento (1991)
  • An interactive video anime game for the Terebikko system.
• Jidou Eiken Taiou Moomin to Eigo: Tanjoubi no Okurimono (1995)
  • An educational game for Sega Pico that teaches English.
• Ninni - det usynlige barnet (Ninny - the Invisible Child) (1996)
  • A Windows game developed in Norway.
• Vinter i Mummidalen (Winter in the Moomin Valley) (1997)
  • Another Windows game developed in Norway.
• Mummi: Jakten på trollkarlens rubin (Moomin: Hunt for the Hobgoblin's Jewel) (1998)
  • A Windows game developed in Norway.
• Moomin’s Tale (2000)
  • A Game Boy Color game.
• Moomin Tani no Okurimono (2009)
  • A Nintendo DS game.

Soundtracks

The music for Moomin was composed by Sumio Shiratori. His wife, Emiko Shiratori, performed the main theme songs and other songs. There are four soundtrack albums and several single releases of the music from both the first series and the sequel. All of these were released only in Japan.

See also

In Spanish: Moomin (serie de televisión) para niños