List of Moomin characters facts for kids

Some of the many Moomin characters. From left to right, Sniff, Snufkin, Moominpappa, Moominmamma, Moomintroll (Moomin), Mymble, Groke, Snork Maiden and Hattifatteners.

Many fun and unique characters appear in the Moomin stories created by Tove Jansson. These stories feature a family of white, hippopotamus-like trolls and their friends. Let's meet some of them!

Meet the Moomin Characters

Alicia

(Swedish: Alissa, Finnish: Aliisa) – Alicia is the granddaughter of the Witch. She likes the Moomins and plays with them secretly. She is learning to be a witch herself. Alicia can walk on water, breathe underwater, and run very fast. She first appeared in the 1990 animated TV series.

The Ancestor

(Swedish: Förfadern, Finnish: Esi-isä) – The Moomintrolls come from old creatures that lived in tiled stoves. One of these old creatures, called the Ancestor, still lives in the Moomin family's bathing house. He appears in Moominland Midwinter and Moominvalley in November.

Aunt Jane

Aunt Jane (in Finnish, Mimmi-täti) is Moominpappa's mother's sister. She appeared in the comic "Moomin and family life." She is a rich and sometimes grumpy character.

Billy The Kid

Billy The Kid appears in the 1990 animated series. He lives in "Cowboy Country" and is based on a real-life outlaw.

Captain Rum-Pot

Captain Rum-Pot is a pirate who appears in the Japanese animated series.

Daddy Jones

(Swedish: Kungen/Självhärskaren, Finnish: Itsevaltias) – Daddy Jones is also known as the Autocrat in "Exploits." He owns a fun fairground. He sits on a throne and makes announcements with a loud foghorn.

The Dweller Under the Sink

(Swedish: den som bor under diskbänken) – This is a small, furry creature living under the sink in Moomin House. He appears in Moominland Midwinter. Moomintroll meets him when he wakes up during the long winter.

Edward the Booble

(Swedish: dronten Edward, Finnish: drontti Edvard) – Edward is a giant monster, one of the biggest creatures in the world. He often accidentally steps on people and then pays for their funerals. He is usually in a bad mood because of this.

Emma

Emma is a rather grumpy stage rat. She helps the Moomin family understand what a theater is. She also helps Moominpappa with his play, The Lion's Brides.

Fillyjonks

Fillyjonk at Moominworld

(Swedish: Filifjonkan) – Fillyjonks are tall, thin creatures with long snouts and rings around their eyes, like raccoons. They are very organized and follow many rules and traditions. One famous Fillyjonk in Tales from Moominvalley learns to be free and happy after a big disaster.

Fuzzy

(Swedish: Sås-djuret, Finnish: Sosuli) – Fuzzy is Sniff's mother. She is married to Muddler.

Gaffsie

(Swedish: Gafsan, Finnish: Louska) – Gaffsie is a friend of Fillyjonk. She appears in The Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My and Tales from Moominvalley.

Grandpa Grumble

(Swedish: Onkelskruttet, Finnish: Ruttuvaari) – Grandpa Grumble is an old man who appears in Moominvalley in November. He is quite old and sometimes a bit confused. He uses a cane and carries many pairs of glasses.

The Groke

(Swedish: Mårran, Finnish: Mörkö) – The Groke is a cold, ghost-like creature. Anything she touches turns to ice. She wants friendship and warmth, but everyone and everything avoids her because of her icy touch.

Hattifatteners

Hattifatteners

(Swedish: hattifnattar) – These are small, white, ghost-like creatures that look like worn socks. Hattifatteners are always moving and travel the sea in large groups. They meet once a year on a lonely island. Their main goal is to reach the horizon. They can communicate using their minds. Hattifatteners cannot see well, but they have a strong sense of touch and can feel vibrations and electricity. They "recharge" during thunderstorms, which can give them an electric shock. Hattifatteners grow from seeds planted on Midsummer Eve.

Hemulens

Hemulen in Moomin World theme park, Naantali, Finland.

(Swedish: Hemul) – Hemulens appear often in the Moomin books. They can be loud, bossy, and sometimes a bit insensitive, but they mean well. One Hemulen loves collecting stamps, and another loves skiing. A female Hemulen raised Moominpappa in an orphanage. In Finn Family Moomintroll, a stamp-collecting Hemulen finds a new hobby: collecting plants.

The Hobgoblin

(Swedish: Trollkarlen) – The Hobgoblin is a powerful magician from Finn Family Moomintroll. He travels the universe with his flying panther, searching for a special ruby. His top hat is found by Moomintroll, Snufkin, and Sniff. Anything put inside the hat changes, causing a lot of funny chaos in Moominhouse. The Hobgoblin looks a bit scary but is actually friendly.

Hodgkins

(Swedish: Fredriksson) – Hodgkins is an inventor and Moominpappa's childhood friend from The Exploits of Moominpappa. He is Muddler's uncle and Sniff's great-uncle. He builds a boat called the Oshun Oxtra (Ocean Orchestra) for Moominpappa's adventures.

The Island Ghost

(Swedish: Spöket) – This ghost haunts the island where Moominpappa and his friends settle in "The Exploits of Moominpappa." He isn't very good at haunting and gets annoyed when people laugh at him. He takes up knitting to calm his nerves.

Joxter

(Swedish: Joxaren, Finnish: Juksu) – Joxter is Moominpappa's old friend and Snufkin's father. He is carefree and very lazy, once saying his perfect life would be "sitting in a fruit tree, eating fruit as it grows." He dislikes rules and authority figures. Joxter is the partner of The Mymble (elder).

The Lady of the Cold

(Swedish: Isfrun, Finnish: Jäärouva) – This beautiful but creepy lady brings winter to Moominvalley. If you look into her eyes, you will freeze into ice. She is also called "The Great Cold" and is the only character the Groke is truly afraid of.

Little My

(Swedish: Lilla My) – Little My is a small, strong, and very independent Mymble. When she wants something done, she does it right away. She can be very direct and doesn't care much for rules, but she can also be a good friend. She is Snufkin's half-sister.

Misabel

(Swedish: Misan) – Misabel is a very sad and worried female character. In the comics, she often works as the Moomin family's helper. In Moominsummer Madness, she shows she is a good actress. She is sometimes the owner of Sorry-oo.

Moominmamma

Moominmamma and Moominpappa.

Moominmamma (Swedish: Muminmamman) – She is Moomintroll's mother. She is very caring and calm. She almost always carries her handbag, which has important things like woolly socks and tummy medicine. She makes bark boats every summer.

Moomintroll

Moomintroll.

Moomintroll (Swedish: Mumintrollet) – Moomintroll is the main character in most of the books. He is a little white troll with a big, round snout, like a hippopotamus.

Moomintroll is very close with Snorkmaiden. They have a sweet friendship in the early books. His best friend is Snufkin.

The asteroid 58345 Moomintroll was named in his honor.

Moominpappa

Moominpappa (Swedish: Muminpappan) – He grew up in an orphanage. He is a bit restless and explored the world when he was young, but now he has settled down. His desire to try new things often starts a new adventure. He usually wears a black top-hat.

Muddler

(Swedish: Rådd-djuret) – Muddler is Hodgkins' nephew and Sniff's father. He is a bit messy and confused. He collects all kinds of buttons and lives in a coffee tin where he keeps them. He is married to Fuzzy.

The Muskrat

(Swedish: Bisamråttan) – The Muskrat is a philosopher who believes that most things are pointless. He appears in Comet in Moominland and Finn Family Moomintroll. The Moomin children sometimes annoy him. He moves into a cave to find peace.

The Mymbles

(Swedish: Mymlan) – "The Mymble" refers to two different characters. In The Exploits of Moominpappa, there is a mother Mymble with many children, including Little My and Snufkin. Her eldest daughter is called "the Mymble's Daughter." In later books, this daughter is simply known as "the Mymble."

Ninny

Ninny first appears in Tales From Moomin Valley in the story "The Invisible Child." She became invisible because her old caretaker scared her too much. Too-ticky brings Ninny to Moominmamma, who helps Ninny become visible again with love and a special remedy. Ninny learns to play and have fun with the Moomin family.

The Park Keeper

(Swedish: parkvakten) – The Park Keeper is a Hemulen who manages a park with very strict rules. He forbids many things, and signs with these rules are all over the park. Of all the people, Snufkin truly dislikes the Park Keeper. Snufkin plants Hattifattener seeds in the park to make the Keeper leave and then burns all the rule signs.

The Park Keeper is the main bad guy in the 2024 video game Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley.

The Police Inspector

(Swedish: Polismästaren) – The Police Inspector is a Hemulen who strictly follows rules and is in charge of law enforcement in Moominvalley.

Sniff

Sniff in Moomin World theme park, Naantali, Finland

(Swedish: Sniff) – Sniff is Moomintroll's friend. He is a bit immature and always looking for ways to get rich quickly.

Snork

(Swedish: Snorken) – Snork is the Snork Maiden's older brother and Moomintroll's friend. He and his sister first meet Moomintroll in Comet in Moominland. He is described as purple, but turns pale green when scared. He is very focused on details, rules, and plans. In the Japanese TV series, he is an inventor who believes strongly in science.

Snork Maiden

(Swedish: Snorkfröken) – Snork Maiden is Moomintroll's friend and admirer. She has blonde hair and wears a golden anklet. Her fur changes color depending on her mood. Snorks look very similar to Moomins, but they come in different colors, have hair, and their fur changes color with their feelings.

Snufkin

(Swedish: Snusmumriken) – Snufkin is Moomintroll's best friend. He is the son of the elder Mymble and the Joxter, and half-brother to Little My. Snufkin wears old green clothes and a wide-brimmed hat. He lives in a tent, smokes a pipe, and plays the harmonica. He is based on Tove Jansson's friend, Atos Wirtanen.

He lives a traveling life, staying in Moominvalley only in spring and summer. He leaves for warmer places every winter.

Snufkin is the main character in the 2024 video game Melody of Moominvalley.

Sorry-oo

(Swedish: Ynk) – Sorry-oo is a small dog who is always sad and longing for something. In Moominland Midwinter, he constantly howls for his distant cousins, the wolves.

Stinky

(Stinky: from English, Finnish: Haisuli) – Stinky is a trickster and sometimes causes trouble. He has his own rules and gets offended when the Moomins try to give him a lot of money that was causing them problems. Stinky looks like a furry mammal and has a constant, very bad smell. He appears in one book (Villain in the Moominhouse) and mostly in comics and cartoons.

Thingumy and Bob

(Swedish: Tofslan och Vifslan) – These are two small creatures who arrive in Moominvalley with a big suitcase. The suitcase holds a valuable ruby, and the Groke is chasing them to get it. They speak in a strange way, mixing up words. They upset Moominmamma by taking her handbag but later return it. The Hobgoblin appears when they open the suitcase, showing the ruby. They don't give him their ruby, but they wish for him to have one just as beautiful, which becomes the Queen's Ruby.

Toffle

(Swedish: Knytt) – Toffles are small, shy, scared, and confused creatures. A toffle named Salome is in Moominland Midwinter, and a toffle simply called "Toffle" is the main character in Who Will Comfort Toffle?.

Toft

(Swedish: (homsan) Toft, Finnish: Homssu) – Toft is a small, very shy boy who appears in Moominvalley in November. He visits the Moomins when they are away. Toft is mysterious and seems to have the power to make things he imagines come true. He can also use Moominpapa's crystal ball.

Too-Ticky

(Swedish: Too-ticki) – Too-Ticky is a friend of the Moomin family. She is good at crafts and has practical wisdom. She first appears in Moominland Midwinter. The character is based on Tuulikki Pietilä, Tove Jansson's real-life partner.

Whomper

(Swedish: Homsan) – Whomper is an earnest little fellow. He joins the Moomin family on their floating theater in Moominsummer Madness.

The Witch

The Witch in Moomin World theme park, Naantali, Finland

(Swedish: Häxan, Finnish: Noita) – The Witch looks quite scary and has powerful magic. Despite her strong dislike for the Moomins at first, she is a harmless old lady. She prefers Alicia to focus on her studies rather than playing with the Moomins, but she does become friendlier towards them later. The Witch first appeared in the 1990 animated series.

Images for kids

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  Some of the many Moomin characters. From left to right, Sniff, Snufkin, Moominpappa, Moominmamma, Moomintroll (Moomin), Mymble, Groke, Snork Maiden and Hattifatteners.

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  Fillyjonk at Moominworld

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  Hattifatteners

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  Hemulen in Moomin World theme park, Naantali, Finland.

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  Moominmamma and Moominpappa.

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  Moomintroll.

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  Sniff in Moomin World theme park, Naantali, Finland

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  The Witch in Moomin World theme park, Naantali, Finland

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Personajes de Moomin para niños