Moomintroll hides inside the hat during a game of hide-and-seek and is temporarily transformed beyond recognition. Next day the clouds have disappeared and nobody knows where they came from. An egg shell discarded into the hat becomes five clouds the children ride and play with. Moomintroll, Sniff and Snufkin discover the Hobgoblin's top hat on a mountain-top, unaware of its strange powers.

The novel forms the basis of episodes 1–8 in the 1990 TV series. Otherwise, the book was translated by Elizabeth Portch. The 1961 English publication features a foreword 'by Moominmamma', where she explains the nature of Moomins for fear that English children may not have heard of them she also apologises for her 'rottn' English. It owes its title in translation to the fact that it was the first Moomin book to be published in English, and was actually marketed as the first in the series until the 1980s. And that, after all, is the type of ideal that causes so many travelers to set out from home.Finn Family Moomintroll (original Swedish title Trollkarlens hatt, ‘The Magician's Hat’ US edition The Happy Moomins) is the third in the series of Tove Jansson's Moomins books, published in Swedish in 1948 and translated to English in 1950.

I may not have grasped this as a 10-year-old, but the world of the Moomins often offers up an example for how to live a peaceful yet adventurous life. While talking to another local Finn in Helsinki, I learned that the books themselves are often viewed as an allegory for the struggle between good and evil. So why exactly are the Moomins so popular-in Finland, abroad, and with people like myself? I think it has something to do with the books' underlying message.

When I asked a local Finn about the Moomins, and how much tourism she thought they drove, I heard that it was not uncommon for tourists from Japan to come to Finland to get married in the MoominValley. And in my explorations, I realized that I was far from alone in my appreciation for these characters-in fact, the Moomins are an even bigger deal than I had previously thought. Seeking out Moomin-focused destinations was a great guiding principle to direct my wandering, leading me to great food, shops, and other attractions (like Loyly, a lovely waterfront spa) along the way.

Finn family moomintroll