Moomin Arabia launches new mug inspired by rare Tove Jansson illustration
Moomin Arabia is launching Winter Night Glow, a new Moomin mug created in collaboration with the Moomin Museum in Tampere. Inspired by an original illustration by Tove Jansson from 1972, the mug will debut on 26 September, the same day the museum opens its new exhibition, The Magic of the Moomin Mug. For its first month, it will be sold exclusively at the museum.
The new design serves as a winter companion to the Moominvalley mug, released by Arabia in 2017 to mark the opening of the Moomin Museum in Tampere. Both mugs are based on original works by Tove Jansson preserved in the museum’s collection, and the original artwork behind Winter Night Glow will be displayed at the museum for one month beginning on 26 September.
The illustration featured on Winter Night Glow was originally created as the cover for the 1972 French edition of Moominland Midwinter. The mug depicts a wintertime encounter between Moomintroll and the Groke. Throughout her career, Tove Jansson occasionally produced new illustrations for international editions of her books, and this particular image evolved from an earlier illustration published in a Swedish edition.
“I fell in love with Tove Jansson’s illustration the moment I saw it at the Moomin Museum in Tampere. It felt almost magical,” says Parvati Pillai, illustrator and member of Moomin Arabia’s design team.
Pillai adapted the original artwork to fit the curved surface of the mug, making only subtle adjustments to the colour saturation while staying remarkably faithful to Jansson’s original composition.
Winter Night Glow will launch alongside the Moomin Museum’s new exhibition, The Magic of the Moomin Mug, which explores the evolution of the iconic mug from Tove Jansson’s early designs to Arabia’s modern collections. The original illustration behind the new mug will also be displayed at the museum for one month.
The mug will be sold exclusively at the Moomin Museum from 26 September until 26 October, before becoming available through Moomin Arabia and selected retailers. A limited collection of matching accessories, including mini plates and other collectibles, will be released alongside the wider launch.
