Moomins 80th anniversary events are unfolding across continents in 2025, with exhibitions in New York and Tampere honoring the life and legacy of Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson. Her whimsical characters, known around the world, are being reintroduced to new audiences through immersive storytelling and carefully curated displays.
At the Brooklyn Public Library, the new exhibition “Tove Jansson and the Moomins: The Door Is Always Open” invites visitors into Jansson’s world. This is the first large-scale US exhibit focused entirely on the Moomin universe and the mind that created it.
Running through September, the show brings together original texts, rare books, personal archives and community events. There are public readings, films, panel talks and creative sessions designed to introduce both children and adults to the heart of the Moomin stories.
A central part of the exhibition connects American audiences to the world’s only Moomin Museum, located in Tampere, Finland. This museum holds thousands of pieces from Jansson’s original works and stands as the only permanent cultural space dedicated to the Moomins anywhere on the globe.
The collaboration behind this celebration includes Moomin Characters Ltd, the City of Tampere, Finnair, and Arabia. Iina Ojala, who heads Tampere’s global marketing, said the goal is not just to promote the museum, but to present Tampere as a creative capital worth visiting.
At the same time, a companion exhibition in Finland runs until the end of August at the Moomin Museum in Tampere Hall. That show centers on the original Moomin House model, explaining how it was designed and built over a period of three years. It is one of the most beloved artifacts in the collection.
Another highlight is coming to New York in December, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens its first major exhibit focused on Helene Schjerfbeck, one of Finland’s most important painters. Together with the Moomin events, this marks a rising wave of Finnish culture making its way across the Atlantic.
These exhibitions are not just about nostalgia. They carry something timeless, something quiet, and something that lasts beyond trends. That is the enduring magic of the Moomins.
