To celebrate Moomin’s Day on 9 August, Arabia will release a limited edition Moomin’s Day mug. The mug, based on Tove Jansson’s novel ‘Moominpappa at Sea’, features Moomintroll, Moominmamma, Moominpappa and Little My on a shore and portrays an island theme that is important in the Moomin stories.
❗Scroll down until the end of the article to find answers to frequently asked questions.❗
A new Moomin’s Day mug, “Sea Breeze”, will be launched in honour of Moomin’s Day in August – and this year, the launch is made even more special with the release of a platinum version of the mug, “Sea Breeze Platinum”, to celebrate Arabia’s 150th anniversary.
Unlike the Moomin’s Day mug, the platinum mug will only be available for purchase through a raffle held in June. Read more about the platinum mug further below in this article.
The Moomin family enjoying the island life
On the mug, we see Moomintroll, Moominmamma, Moominpappa, and Little My on the shore. The design is based on Tove Jansson’s novel “Moominpappa at Sea” from 1965, where the Moomin family moves to a lighthouse island, as Moominpappa feels useless in the safe environment of Moominvalley.
A wreath that decorated Tove Jansson’s fan letters
The illustrations adapted for the mug also decorated the writing paper Tove Jansson used to answer her fans.
The adaptation for the mug was created by the recently retired Tove Slotte – this year’s Moomin’s Day mug is her 100th Moomin mug design.
The mug shows a beautiful windy islet scenery with violets, wild roses, spiny sea buckthorns, and seashells as ink-blue illustrations on a white background.
The scenery of the mug not only ties to the story of ‘Moominpappa at Sea’, but also to Tove Jansson’s own childhood and times spent in the Swedish and Finnish archipelago. Her family villa and its surrounding valley provided Tove Jansson with inspiration for both the Moominhouse and Moominvalley. The archipelago life became a symbol of freedom for her – a theme, which is also reflected in this year’s Moomin’s Day mug illustration.
The Moomin’s Day mug is sold and delivered in a beautiful gift box, which is adorned with the same atmospheric illustrations as the mug.
A rare platinum version of “Sea Breeze” marks Arabia’s 150th anniversary
Founded in 1873, Arabia, one of Finland’s most well-known and respected brands, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. The Moomin mugs were produced at the Arabia factory in Helsinki until the 2010s, and the first mugs bear the Arabia mark on their base.
To acknowledge Arabia’s rich history, a rare platinum version of the Moomin’s Day mug was also released in June 2023. This “Sea Breeze platinum” mug was produced in just 5,000 pieces and could only be purchased through a raffle.
The platinum plated horseshow and oar details of the mug are applied by hand and resemble hidden treasures. Each mug has an exclusive platinum Arabia 150th anniversary stamp and item number on the base.
The raffle was open on Arabia’s website 7.-13.6.2023, and has now closed. The mug is not available for purchase online or in physical stores – it was only available by entering and winning the raffle.
All you need to know about the release
Updated 21.8.2023: The 2023 Moomin’s Day mug is no longer on sale.
When will the sale start and how many mugs will be sold?
The sale starts on Wednesday 9.8.2023 at 08.00 EEST. There will be a limited batch of mugs, which will be sold as long as stock lasts.
Where can I buy the Moomin’s Day mug?
The mug will be available in the global Moomin shop online, as well as the official Norway, UK, Germany and Japan Moomin shops online. Arabia will also sell the mug online at moominarabia.com.
The mug will also be sold at these physical Moomin Shops:
Lasipalatsi, Helsinki
Mannerheimintie 22-24, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
Forum, Helsinki
Shopping Mall Forum, Mannerheimintie 20, 1st Floor, Helsinki, Finland
Hansa, Helsinki
Kauppakeskus Hansa, 1st floor, Antintalo, Eerikinkatu 15, 20100 Turku
Covent Garden, London (small stock)
43 Covent Garden Market Building, Covent Garden, WC2E 8RF, London, United Kingdom
Arabia will also sell the mugs in Iittala stores and outlets in Finland, Sweden and Japan, as well as in Illums in Norway and Denmark.
How much does the Moomin’s Day mug cost?
The price of the Moomin’s Day mug is:
37.90€ / £39.95 / 399 SEK / 399 NOK / 289 DKK / 6000 JPY
Is there any limitation on how many mugs I can buy?
The number of items available is limited to 6 mugs per one buyer.
When will the mugs be shipped?
The mugs will be delivered on a first-come-first-served basis starting August 9. We anticipate a rush of orders and there will likely be delays in the shipping times listed in the Moomin online shops.
Can I reserve the mug in advance?
The mugs can’t be reserved in advance. If you want, you can join the waiting list to be notified when the mugs are in stock.
However, we will have a special stock reserved for Moomin Fanclub members. Join the Fanclub and you will receive a secret sale link before Wednesday. The conditions of the sale are the same for the general sale and the secret Fanclub sale, and we cannot guarantee you will get one.
Is it possible that the mugs will be sold out immediately?
The mugs will be sold as long as the stock lasts. It is not possible to give an estimation on the availability, but the stock is limited and there will not be any additional stock after this campaign. The stores will start selling the mugs according to their opening times on 9 August 2023.
Will the mug be reserved for me when I add it to the cart?
No, items added to the cart in the Moomin online shop are not reserved. The item is only reserved for you after checkout.
Will Sea Breeze Platinum also come out for sale?
No. Sea Breeze Platinum is a special version of the Moomin’s Day Sea Breeze mug, which was available for purchase only through winning a raffle organised by Moomin Arabia. The raffle of 5,000 pieces was held in June, so the platinum mug is not available for purchase anymore.
What size is the mug?
The Sea Breeze 2023 Moomin’s Day mug is 0.3l.
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