The Exploits of Moominpappa facts for kids
First edition (1950)
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| Author | Tove Jansson |
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| Original title | Muminpappans Bravader Skrivna av Honom Själv (1950) Muminpappans memoarer (1968) |
| Translator | Thomas Warburton |
| Country | Finland |
| Language | Swedish |
| Series | Moomins |
| Genre | Children's novel |
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Publication date
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1950 / 1968 |
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Published in English
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1969 / 1994 |
| Pages | 135 |
| ISBN | 0-14-030323-5 (English) |
| OCLC | 51482720 |
| Preceded by | Finn Family Moomintroll |
| Followed by | Moominsummer Madness |
The Exploits of Moominpappa is an exciting adventure story and the fourth book in the popular Moomin series by Tove Jansson. It was first published in 1950. Later, in 1968, it was updated and given a new name: Moominpappa's Memoirs. This book tells the amazing life story of Moominpappa, which he writes down as his memoirs. You might remember him writing these stories in earlier Moomin books. Both versions of the book were translated into English. Parts of Exploits of Moominpappa were even used for episodes 59, 63, and 68 of the 1990 Moomin TV series.
Contents
The Story of Moominpappa's Adventures
In this book, Moominpappa shares his incredible life story. He tells his son, Moomintroll, and Moomintroll's friends, Sniff and Snufkin, all about his past. His tale begins when he was a young Moomin left at an orphanage.
Moominpappa found the orphanage quite boring. He also didn't like the very strict headmistress, a Hemulen. So, he decided to leave and explore the world. Soon after leaving, he met a new friend named Hodgkin.
Hodgkin and Moominpappa then met two more interesting characters: the Joxter, who is Snufkin's father, and the Muddler, who is Sniff's father. Together, these four friends decided to build a boat to live on and travel the seas. They even tricked the giant Edward the Booble into helping them launch their new ship!
Edward the Booble eventually realized he had been tricked and became very angry. But the friends quickly sailed away to safety. On their journey, they rescued a Hemulen from a scary creature called a Groke. However, this Hemulen was very bossy, so they soon left her with some small creatures called Niblings. One young Nibling secretly climbed aboard their ship and joined their adventure.
Their travels eventually led them to a faraway land. There, they met the Mymble family. The Mymble's daughter became good friends with the group. Together, they all went to Daddy Jones's 100th birthday party. Daddy Jones was the King, and everyone won prizes at his party!
After the party, they built new homes on an island. But they were scared by the island's ghost at first. Luckily, they managed to make a deal with the ghost and even became friends with him. Meanwhile, Hodgkin had designed a special vehicle called the Amphibian. It was a unique ship that could travel both on land and in the sea, built for Daddy Jones.
During the Amphibian's first trip, a giant fish attacked it. Luckily, Edward the Booble appeared and stepped on the fish, saving everyone! Later, the Muddler married a character called the Fuzzy. Moominpappa also rescued another Moomin, along with her handbag, from the sea. This Moomin turned out to be Moominmamma! The story then ends, connecting to the events of The Moomins and the Great Flood.
After the main story, there's a short ending part. There's a knock at the Moomin family's door, and they are surprised to see Hodgkin, the Joxter, the Mymble and her children, the Muddler, and the Fuzzy! Everyone has a joyful reunion on the Moomin's porch. Hodgkin then announces that he brought the Amphibian with him. He suggests they all go on another exciting adventure together in it!
Updates to the Book
Just like with Comet in Moominland, Tove Jansson made some changes to The Exploits of Moominpappa after it was first published. The first version came out in Swedish in 1950. This original version was used for some early translations, including the first English one.
The final, updated version was published in 1968. It was given a new title, Moominpappa’s Memoirs, which was the name Jansson originally wanted for the book. This updated version and its new title were used for many translations that came later. Moominpappa’s Memoirs includes many changes and updates, such as:
- A new introduction at the beginning of the book. It's told by someone outside the story. In this part, the Moomins are in Moominvalley. They talk about old items from Moominpappa's past. Moominpappa realizes only he knows the true stories behind these items. This makes him want to write down his memoirs. He even suggests that after you finish reading his memoirs, you should start reading them again!
- Some parts of the story, especially Moominpappa's first meetings with characters like the Joxter, are made longer and more detailed. For example, Moominpappa's meeting with a hedgehog is much longer. It ends with Moominpappa inviting the hedgehog to a house he just built. Then he realizes the house only exists in his imagination! Moominpappa was first embarrassed, but later understood it showed his strong imagination.
- The scene at the bottom of the sea was changed to be scarier and more mysterious. Instead of talking about a submarine, the deep-sea fish now swim away in fear. They quietly warn the adventurers about a danger coming: the Sea Hound. This is a giant, scary water monster with a dog's head.
- More drawings were added throughout the book, including one of the Sea Hound.
TV Show Adaptations
The book was turned into a TV series! The 1977-1982 animated show from Poland, called The Moomins, adapted the novel into 9 episodes. Tove Jansson herself helped with the script. The show followed the book very closely. There were only a few small changes and additions. For example, there were more scenes set in the Hemulen orphanage, which had more little Moomins in it.
Images for kids
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Moominpappa's boat, the Oshun Oxtra (Ocean Orchestra), at Moominworld
