The bisexual icon behind the success of a hit children’s book series-Kirsten Robertson-Entertainment – Metro

Moomin creator Tove Jansson ‘fell in love with a person’ and didn’t care what gender they identified as (Picture: Katie Ingham/Rex)

It’s a phenomenon nearly 80 years old, which has been translated into 60 different languages and inspired theme-parks, cafes and shops across the globe.

Yet the story behind the much-loved Moomins – and why they hold a place in LGBTQ+ history – is a fascinating tale not widely known.

The whimsical characters, who roamed a land called Moominvalley, were created by Tove Jansson – a Swedish-speaking author, who lived in Finland. The Moomins reached UK shores via a newspaper comic strip in 1953, and have inhabited childhoods ever since.

However as Tove became steadily more famous due to her art – in a life just as colourful as her characters – her feelings for other women blossomed in secret.

‘I’ve fallen madly in love with a woman. And it seems to me so absolutely natural and genuine – there’s nothing problematic about it at all. I just feel proud and uncontrollably glad,’ 32-year-old Tove wrote in a letter to her friend Eva Konikoff in December 1946. She went on to describe her experience as ‘one long dance of rich adventure, tenderness, intensity’.

Tove lived a long and happy life until her death in 2021, aged 86. Since then, her niece Sophia has been looking after her work, as creative director of Moomin Characters Ltd. It’s not just the stories she looks to preserve though, she tells Metro, but also Tove’s wider legacy.

(left) Sophia Jansson spoke to Metro about why her late aunt Tove Jansson (right) has such a special place within the LGBTQ+ community (Pictures: Ilpo Musto/Reino Loppinen/Shutterstock)

Having spent much time with her aunt as a child, Sophie, now 62, remembers how Tove made her feel ‘like the most important person in the room’ as they went swimming, read books or flew kites together.

Sophia also is keen to impress how acceptance and inclusivity were a huge part of her aunt’s life. ‘To Tove, someone’s gender or sexuality didn’t matter. What mattered was how they treated others, and who they were on the inside,’ Sophia explains. 

‘I think my aunt was definitely bisexual. She stated openly that love was not about gender, it was simply about who you want to spend your time with. Tove said “no” to conventions about how a woman born in 1940 was “expected” to act. She didn’t have children and was uncompromising and outspoken about how she wanted to live her life.’

Many characters in the Moomins are thought to have been inspired by Tove and her relationships. In 1946, she fell in love with married theatre director Vivica Bandler – however, their passionate romance was short-lived as her lover refused to leave her husband. 

The relationship was brought to life in Moominvalley through characters Thingumy and Bob, two small creatures who carry a secret, sparkling red ruby in their suitcase – a jewel which reflects Tove and Vivica’s forbidden love.

Tove’s love for theatre director Vivica Bandler (left) inspired Thingumy and Bob. In Swedish, the characters are called Tofslan and Vifslan – echoing the names Tove and Vivica (Picture: Wikicommons)

Tuulikki Pietilä (far left) and Tove Jansson lived happily ever after, and their relationship is said to be reflected by Too-ticky and Moomintroll (right) in the Moomin series (Picture: Wikicommons)

Thingumy and Bob speak to each other in a special language where they switch out the first letter of words (e.g. ‘not much’ becomes ‘mot nuch.’) This echoes the secret language Tove and Vivica would write letters to each other in, as homosexuality was illegal in Finland until 1971.

Meanwhile Snufkin, a nomadic wanderer who likes the simple things in life, was inspired by Atos Wirtanen, a male writer and journalist who became Tove’s fiancé for a spell. Even when their romantic relationship fizzled out, the pair remained close and Atos’ gentle nature was reflected in Snufkin’s quiet-confidence.

Another character, the deep-thinking Too-Ticky, would be inspired by a life changing moment at a party in 1955, when Tove met her long-term partner, Tuulikki Pietilä, known as ‘Tooti’.

In real life, the women would go on to spend summers together on Klovharu island in the Finnish archipelago, the rocky outcrop providing a safe haven away from the prying eyes of the press and public. While in Moomin stories, Tooti became ‘Too-Ticky’, a pragmatic voice of reason who eases the worries of Moomintroll – a character who is thought to be Tove’s alter-ego. 

‘With the characters in Moominvalley, Tove created this microcosm of an ideal world where the characters all live harmoniously and find ways of resolving problems in a peaceful way,’ explains Sophia.

‘There’s a sense of “everyone is welcome in the Moomin house, the door is open.” I think for anyone in the LGBTQ+ community, or for young people in general going through a lot of change, that acceptance is reassuring.

‘Moominvalley is a universe we’d all like to live in.’

The continuing impact Tove’s work has on the LGBTQ+ community is something that cannot be ignored. With the uncertain and anxiety-inducing state of the world, many adults are turning back to the ‘safe’ Moominvalley for a sense of reassurance and nostalgia. In the UK, homophobia remains so rife there’s even a map of ‘hotspots’ up and down the country.

One safe space for the LGBTQ+ community is the Common Press bookshop, in the heart of Shoreditch, London. It celebrates all things queer and champions work by marginialised authors.

Nestled in a room beneath the shop is a small event space, which was full to the brim on June 19 to mark the UK’s first Moomin Pride event. Fans travelled from across England to celebrate Tove’s creations with a talk and Q&A session.

‘The Moomins are just the ultimate chosen family’, Freddie Merry, manager of the bookshop told Metro at the event. As a child, he spent countless weekends excitedly watching the Moomin television series with his best friend. He read the Moomin books and explored Tove Jansson’s other work as he grew older. 

‘Moomins show us no matter how “strange” or “different” you feel, you will always find home and people who love and celebrate you,’ explains Freddie.

‘The characters Tove created are so uncompromising in who they are, just like her. They’ve meant a lot to me since I was very young, it was a dream to bring them here [the Common Press.]’

Fans excitedly chatted to Metro about the ‘strength’ the characters gave them as children which continues into adulthood. One attendee explained: ‘I think the characters provide a sense of home. I’ve got Moomin badges, a Moomin top, a Moomin notebook. It might sound materialistic, but honestly they just bring me joy to look at.’

Meanwhile Paul Gravett, whose book Tove Jansson: The Illustrators explores the late artist’s work, hopes her sexuality – and her life story as a whole – can one day become as well-known and accepted as her characters.

Speaking from the Common Press bookshop, he tells Metro: ‘In the past, people would discover the Moomins then stumble on Tove’s story. But now, that’s changing and people realise there is so much more to her than just the Moomins. And even if you didn’t know Tove’s sexuality when reading the books, her characters speak for themselves when it comes to acceptance.

‘We’re living in a very polarised world right now. The messages of the Moomins are something we need to listen to more than ever.’

Tove Jansson had several same-sex relationships during her life (Picture: Reino Loppinen/Shutterstock)

Sophia Jansson hopes her aunt’s creations will forever provide hope (Picture: Emily Manley/Getty Images)

That’s a sentiment the Jansson family hope to demonstrate with their handling of the Moomins since Tove’s death. Sophia explains that her aunt is still at the forefront of every decision made by the company. Charities chosen for partnerships – such as Oxfam and The UN Refugee Agency – are ones she feels Tove would have chosen herself.

‘The Moomins turn 80 next year and we’re partnering with the Red Cross to do lots of events across the world,’ says Sophia. ‘I think Tove would be really happy to see the money earned from her characters which have been put to good causes.’

Today, the gentle, unassuming Moomins provide a vessel for hope amid a ‘difficult’ world, she adds.

‘Unfortunately, the way things are now, there are people very focused on excluding or stepping all over those who look different, or feel ambiguous about their gender or sexuality,’ explains Sophia.

‘But we need to remember; we all have the same right as anybody else to tread this miserable earth and be treated with respect while doing so. Good literature, like the Moomins, can be such a joy – a sort of parallel existence which makes us feel good.

And what message would her aunt likely have for the world this Pride Month?

Sophia says simply: ‘Tove would want us to focus on being nice to each other, that was always her hope.’

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Kirsten.Robertson@metro.co.uk 

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