Japanese woman’s super sweet birthday surprise from husband comes all the way from Moominvalley
The cozy photos of a fun day spent with a Moomin friend had everyone online clamoring for a visit, too!
Japan is home to some of the most passionate fans of Tove Jansson’s Moomin series, and no wonder – Japan itself is responsible for some of the most famous interpretations of the graphic novels, with three separate animated series produced here and two theatrical animations. The series that aired in the 1990s was created alongside a Dutch team and was incredibly popular, causing a nationwide desire for fluffy hippo-snouted plush toys and bohemian print ponchos.
▼ The ’90s series also aired in English, unlike its predecessors
The tranquil world of Moominvalley is so gentle and peaceful that even its adult fans wish they could while away the time with the Moomin family, Snufkin and Little My. One lucky Japanese Twitter user, @shuzo_shizuka, got the next best thing – a personal visit from Moomintroll himself!
▼ “The doorbell rang, and before I knew what was happening Moomintroll appeared! I was surprised to see him, but he made himself right at home on my sofa. Apparently he comes from a land called Amazon? I must fetch him some tea…”
さきほどインターホンが鳴って、なんとうちに突然ムーミンがやって来た。驚いたけどとりあえずソファに座ってもらってる。どうやらAmazonってとこから来たらしい。お茶出さなきゃ。 https://t.co/D6SFaODs90
—
かしわ (@shuzo_shizuka) October 17, 2018
▼ “Here he is with his tea! I asked how he knew me, and it seems he knows my husband somehow…”
▼ “Right now I’m checking on my partner… and my husband.”
▼ “Moomintroll will be staying at our house for some time, so I decided we should all have a day out together.”
The story ended there, but as the favorites and retweets came flooding in @shuzo_shizuka felt compelled to post a follow-up tweet.
▼ A feast fit for a Moomintroll!
“Thank you so much for all the likes and retweets. Actually, my husband invited Moomintroll all the way from his home to come and celebrate my birthday. All three of us dined together like this! What a pleasant Moomin life we lead.”
Comments from delighted Moomin lovers rushed in from all over Japan. Some had cute, funny comments about the Moomin plush itself: “He looks so worried, please check up on him for me?” while others played along with the story: “Tell him to say hello to Snufkin for me!”. But the most striking effect @shuzo_shizuka’s story had was that it instigated a wave of similar Moomin visits, all over the country!
▼ “He’s in my house too.”
▼ “And mine, lol.”
▼ “Moominpapa is in my house! Hee hee.”
▼ “We hugged the Moomin at our house so much his girth decreased to about a third of what it once was…”
▼ “The Moomin at my house brought some treats!”
Some of the visitors seemed significantly less peppy than others…
▼ “He came to visit my house too… and immediately fell asleep.”
▼ “My Mr. Moomintroll has been with me for about two years, and he’s been asleep for almost as long.”
While others seemed to have taken a fancy to the local alcohol stock at their new residences.
▼ “This guy has been here for a while.”
▼ “So cute! There’s a tipsy little fellow in my room, too!”
As the Moomin sightings increased, so did sightings of Moomintroll’s friends Snufkin and Little My, and even a Hattifattener or two.
▼ “When Moomintroll came to see my house, he brought his whole entourage with him…”
▼ “He’s also in my house…”
And then there was this commenter:
▼ “I wasn’t visited by any Moomin creatures, but my son did bring this strange animal home…”
In a follow-up post on her own blog, @shuzo_shizuka said she had been blown away by the amount of individual replies and comments she received about her cute photographs. The huge Moomin plush was a special surprise from her husband, and it arrived the day before her birthday – so she decided to have some fun with it but couldn’t believe the response her little project received.
Maybe the sweetest response was this pretty picture someone made, based on the very first photograph @shuzo_shizuka posted.
▼ “In truth, everybody had gathered together to make sure Moomintroll was alright…”
Delighted, @shuzo_shizuka immediately asked for permission to print out the image and hang it in her home, to which @kouboku_miki replied that it was hers to do with as she wished – it was a drawing of her own home and Moomintroll friend, after all!
With all of these cute plush Moomin characters nestled in homes across Japan, just one question remains: are they invited to the new Saitama theme park, too?
Source: Twitter/@shuzo_shizuka via Hachima Kikou, Note/Kashiwa
Featured image: Twitter/@shuzo_shizuka
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