The Moomins surprised Eden Project visitors this February: younger and older adventurers were charmed by different elements and characters from the Moomin stories, which were sprinkled around the humid paths that wiggle through forests of palm trees and tropical flowers in the largest greenhouse in the world.
Situated in a 160-year-old former china clay mine in Cornwall, England, UK, the Eden Project is like a living theatre of plants and people. In its essence, it is a garden built into humongous domes that house more than 1 million plants, and it is considered the largest greenhouse in the world. Its’ global mission is to create a movement that builds relationships between people and the natural world to demonstrate the power of working together for the benefit of all living things.
At Eden, one can wander around the world, from the Mediterranean to the rainforest, and explore space-age Biomes, weird and wonderful plants, birds even – and sounds and smells of the jungle. People of all ages will connect with nature in new and surprising ways, from walking through rainforest clouds to clambering in the massive Minibeast Mansion, and they may gain inspiration and practical tips on how to look after our beautiful planet and nature – which is something the Moomins also hold very dear.
Nature is something the Moomins also hold very dear.
The idea to include a variety of Moominous elements into Eden’s half-term program – which is one of the most popular times for families to visit Eden – might at first sound exotic, but walking around the exciting paths and trails surrounded by breathtakingly beautiful nature, it feels very natural. That is what Moomin stories are all about, adventures in exciting places, curiously exploring surroundings and paying attention to all the beautiful details, animals and plants we are surrounded by. Also, the Moominous program at Eden offered families a new way to combine the world of fantasies and stories into our own world – and thus maybe inspire children to see nature in a new light through stories.
The Moominous program from 19-27 February 2022 included
- the Meet the Moomin trail where one could learn more about all the much-loved characters from the Moomin books,
- immersive and interactive Moomin-inspired storytelling in the Mediterranean dome,
- the possibility to flex some creative muscles at a Moomin craft station,
- the beautiful Moomin-illustrated ABC Exhibition, helping children to explore their emotions, and
- a couple of chances to settle in to see a mischievous puppet show performed by Get Lost and Found.
Meet the Moomin trail at Eden
Imagine a child (or why not an adult!) walking around the parks and paths of the magical world’s largest greenhouse and suddenly noticing their favourite Moomin character peeking from behind the trees and plants.
Different Moomin characters were sprinkled around the surroundings and the domes of the domes – with engaging descriptions of their characteristics written down on information plates to give the visitors a touch of the Moomin stories while wondering around the domes.
Once getting accustomed to bumping into new characters, the eye started to look for more, and the trail became even more adventurous.
“I’ve been here three times already!”
One of the highlights of the Moomin event was when the performers brought the Moomin stories and characters to life in the Citrus Grove in the Mediterranean Biome. They engaged audiences by performing an immersive, interactive show featuring an exclusively developed soundscape.
In practice, the audience had the joy of both listening and taking part in the adventure from the Book about Moomin, Mymble and Little My.
The performers told that a little girl had been in the show already three times and that she knows the book by heart.
The smiles on children’s faces were invaluable when the story got to its end: as a part of the show and inspired by the book, the little Moomin plush toy had been hidden from the audience and with help of the parents, finally found at the end of the show.
The first Moomin ABC exhibition in the UK at Eden
For the first time in the UK, as a part of the Moomin program, also the Moomin ABC exhibition was brought to Eden to engage even the tiniest of visitors who were eager to crawl through the colourful modules inspired by alphabets and the Moomin stories.
The modules are adult-sized and invite children to crawl inside and through them: they make the Moomin stories and the play of letters and alphabet come alive.
In the exhibition, children can, for example, look into a kaleidoscope to see if they can see what they long for, play with letters and make words or a poem, draw their happy place or test different ways to express anger.
Moomin craft station at Eden Project
The theme of emotional education continued also at the Moomin craft station, where children were encouraged to describe their feelings and emotions through their craft.
Held in a cosy tipi, the craft station was all the time crowded by people of all ages.
Eden Project’s shop also featured some of the most loved Moomin books and products.
If you are interested in some of the Moomin products, look at our webshop here!
Moomin stories to delight children and adults at Eden Project, the world’s largest greenhouse
The Moomin stories will delight children and adults at the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK. Eden Project is the world’s largest greenhouse.
The Moomin ABC exhibition invites children to play with words and to learn about emotions
The Moomin ABC exhibition offers a thrilling introduction to the alphabet and a tour of the magical Moominvalley.
Oh joy! Free printable #MoominABC activity pages for all ages
These free, printable activity pages are perfect for any Moomin fan of any age include crossword puzzles, word searches and wordokus.