After 30 years of Moomin illustrations for Arabia, designer Tove Slotte has retired and her work is now carried on by Moomin by Arabia’s own design team. Over the years, Slotte’s illustrations have adorned over 100 Moomin mugs – but which one is the artist’s personal favorite?
THE STORY OF MOOMIN MUGS is about to see a new leaf turned as their beloved illustrator Tove Slotte has retired from her work as a freelance designer for Arabia. Slotte has illustrated Moomin mugs since the early 1990s – so, ever since the first modern Moomin mugs. Back then, she surely didn’t know how important a collaboration this would be and that Moomins would become her life’s work.
But what will happen to Moomin mugs now that Slotte has retired? Fret not, Moomin fans, they will not be discontinued! In the future, Moomin illustrations will be created by Arabia’s own design team, Annika Tickle and Parvati Pillai, who both work in Finland at the head offices of Fiskars Group, the parent company of Arabia.
From the studio to the cupboard
Tove Slotte started working for Arabia in 1985 as a designer in the brand’s own design team, and in 1993, she went freelance. As you might know, Moomin mugs are based on original drawings by Moomin writer Tove Jansson, with Slotte handpicking characters and details from different stories and rearranging them to fit the forms of the tableware.
The journey of a Moomin illustration from Slotte’s desk to a finished mug or plate typically takes a few years. According to Slotte, seeing one’s own hand-drawn illustration on a finished product is always fun and exciting.
“It’s always a very emotional moment,” she says in Arabia’s press release. “The illustration looks so different on the glazed surface of a mug.”
Over 30 years and over 100 mugs
In the last 30 years, Slotte has created over 100 Moomin mug illustrations with the latest being the 2022 winter seasonal mug Winter wonders. All winter-themed mugs are among her own favorites, as she reveals to be a winter person at heart.
“My favorite of all Tove Jansson’s Moomin stories is Moominland Midwinter.”
“My favorite Moomin story is Moominland Midwinter,” she says. Partly because I love winter and snow. Partly because the tale of the lonely Moomintroll is so touching.”
Yet one of Slotte’s all-time favorites, the 2018 Moomin’s Day mug, is decidedly summery.
“The landscape and sunset remind me of my family’s own summer island getaway on the west coast of Finland,” Slotte says.
Moomins continue to spark joy
You don’t need to say your goodbyes just yet, as Arabia still has some unreleased Moomin mugs by Tove Slotte up their sleeves. In the following years, we will see Slotte’s mugs and the Moomin team’s mugs side by side, although Slotte herself has already retired and is now focusing – instead of Moomins – on gardening, pottery, and her grandchildren.
“I am more than confident in leaving the Moomin tableware in the hands of Arabia's own talented team. It's been wonderful to work together with them, even if only for a while, and notice how strong the brand is and how exciting its future looks. Tove Jansson's stories are an endless source of inspiration for illustrators as well as all those to whom Moomin objects bring joy day after day,” says Slotte.
Moomin favorites by Arabia
See also:
• All Moomin products by Tove Slotte >
Edit: Emmi Ratilainen Images: Arabia