Designer Annika Tickle swapped fashion for Moomin mugs: “Tove Jansson’s signature style remains intact from head to tail”
Moomin mugs enticed 39-year-old Annika Tickle to leave Sweden and the fashion world behind. In her role as Moomin Arabia’s Head of Design and Creative, she now brings these familiar characters to textiles. “Our office is a bit like Moominvalley,” she says.
You previously worked in international fashion. What drew you to Moomin mugs?
Moomin mugs are like a national treasure, known everywhere in Finland and worldwide. It was tremendously valuable to get to work alongside the previous illustrator Tove Slotte, and to expand my expertise into ceramics and glass. Being on the design team lets me be part of the history of Moomin mugs.
How is a Moomin mug designed?
First, I work with the product managers to plan the concepts, such as whether the mug is part of a larger product lineup. Then we brief the designers on the plan, and they get to dive into the archives. Tove Jansson was incredibly prolific and left behind a vast number of illustrations, particularly comics. The designers have a gratifying job, because they have quite free rein to explore the archive and craft stories for the products and color palettes. The designs are approved by a different team so that Tove Jansson’s signature style remains intact from head to tail.
For me, the most significant Moomin mug has been the Journey mug, created in collaboration with Finnair’s 100th anniversary. It was the first mug concept I helped produce from the ground up.
Moomin products are designed in Finland. What’s teamwork like?
The design team has grown a lot because we now also design things like home textiles. It’s been fun to see that, while business is obviously serious, the Moomins add a sense of joy and humor to our work environment. Our entire Moomin team sits together in the Espoo office, so it’s easy to walk over to marketing, for instance, to get a quick opinion on an idea. We’re a bit like our own Moominvalley. That’s even what we call our WhatsApp group.
“We’re a bit like our own Moominvalley. That’s even what we call our WhatsApp group.”
What is your own Moomin history like?
Moomins are part of my DNA, because as a child my mother read me the books and I watched the Moomin shows on TV. My favorite character is Sniff, and I especially love the turquoise mug where Sniff shows his softer side by holding a kitten in his arms. Moomins are part of my growth story, so it’s funny that I ended up working with them as an adult.
