Moomintrolls

Moomintrolls (Swedish: Mumintroll) are a fictional species of trolls created by Tove Jansson. They are depicted as joyful and carefree, with round shape, white fur and a big snout. The most well-known Moomintrolls are Moomintroll and his parents Moominmamma and Moominpappa, and for the most part these are the only Moomintrolls appearing in the various books, comics and adaptions, except for a few minor exceptions. While their appearances are very similar, Moomintrolls and Snorks are two different species. The difference being that Snorks change color according to their mood, and also have more hair. They also shouldn't be confused with Hemulens, who have similar but longer snouts, larger bodies and no pointy ears or visible tail.

Characteristics
Moomintrolls stand at just half the height of an average human, and are very animal-like in appearance, with bodies covered in short white fur, a long tail ending in a cow-like tuft, pointed horse-like ears, and a large rounded snout. Their bodies are heavily built, with a rounded belly and relatively short legs. Generally, their appearance is roughly similar to that of a bipedal cow or a hippopotamus, and they are sometimes mistaken as such. Despite their outwardly clumsy-looking frames, Moomintrolls are very physically capable, and are able to run, climb and even swim very well. They are also very hardy eaters, and can ingest tough plant material such as pine needles. Moomintrolls can thrive in winter environments, and their fur grows longer in response to the cooling climate. Despite this, they typically hibernate during winter for the sake of tradition, falling asleep in late November and waking up during early April.

Moomintrolls as they appear today evolved from an ancient ancestor that lived thousands of years ago. These "ancient Moomintrolls" looked significantly different from their modern counterparts, being smaller with shaggy brown fur, possessing a relatively longer tail and prehensile toes. These ancestors also hibernated, eating large quantities of pine needles before spending the winter resting inside of the stoves of more advanced species. Their evolution into their modern likenesses likely occurred as a result of the invention of central heating, which rendered the stovepipes they lived in obsolete.

Background
The figure of the Moomintroll appeared first in Jansson's political cartoons, where it was used as a signature character near the artist's name. This "Proto-Moomin," then called Snork or Niisku, was thin and ugly, with a long, narrow nose and devilish tail. Jansson said that she had designed the Moomins in her youth: after she lost a philosophical quarrel about Immanuel Kant with one of her brothers, she drew "the ugliest creature imaginable" on the wall of their WC and wrote under it "Kant". This Moomin later gained weight and a more pleasant appearance, but in the first Moomin book The Moomins and the Great Flood (originally Småtrollen och den stora översvämningen), the Immanuel-Kant-Moomin is still perceptible. The name "Moomin" comes from Tove Jansson's uncle, Einar Hammarsten: when she was studying in Stockholm and living with her Swedish relations, her uncle tried to stop her pilfering food by telling her that a "Moomintroll" lived in the kitchen closet and breathed cold air down people's necks.



History
The origins of the Moomintrolls is up for debate, as Tove Jansson gave two conflicting backstories in her books. In The Moomins and the Great Flood, Moominmamma tells of how Moomintrolls used to live with the housetrolls inside and behind stoves in human houses, but that they've since been driven out as people started using central heating. It is told how Moominmamma and Moominpappa used to live in stoves, and that Moominpappa was constantly on the move. Here they are portrayed as being very tiny creatures, which seems to have been retconned already in the very next book, and even creates some contradictions within the very book this backstory is told. The story of Moominpappa's life as told in The Exploits of Moominpappa also contradicts this backstory, although the book in a very confusing manner stills mentions having stove doors on moominhouses as a remnant of the time when all moomins lived behind stoves.

In Moominland Midwinter, Moomintroll encounters The Ancestor, an old apelike troll which is believed to be the ancestor of the Moomintrolls. Too-Ticky explains that's what Moomintrolls looked like a thousand years ago, before evolution turned them into their current shape. The Ancestor takes residence in the Moomin's stove, which Moomintroll sees as a sign of their relation, as Moominmamma had always said their ancestors lived behind stoves. This origin is similar to the one described in The Moomins and the Great Flood, yet contradicts it by having the ancient trolls live in stoves instead of Moomintrolls. It's likely this was a retcon on Tove's part to provide a better and more relevant backstory for the Moomintrolls, as the apelike appearance of the Ancestor can be compared to humans and their connection to apes. In the 1947 comic adaption of Comet in Moominland there is also a passing mention that the moomintrolls are descended from the pharaohs (possibly a pun on 'moomin' and 'mummy').

Moomintrolls hibernate every winter from November to April, and do so today to keep the tradition of their ancestors. Before hibernation they fill their stomaches with pine. While they are physiologically capable of hibernation, the Moomintrolls are still adaptable to winter climates. In Moominland Midwinter, Moomintroll wakes up early from his hibernation and experiences the rest of the winter from January to April. It is also described that his fur slowly grows thicker as soon as he encounters snow.

The Moomintrolls background of living in stoves is the reason why the Moominhouse has its tall cylinder shape.

Other Moomintrolls
While the Moomin family are the only prominent Moomintrolls in the various books, comics and adaptions of the former, there have been brief appearances and mentions of other Moomintrolls througout the works.


 * In The Moomins and the Great Flood, several Moomintrolls can be seen in Moominmamma's story of their origins.
 * In The Exploits of Moominpappa, Moominpappa grows up at an orphanage for Moomintrolls, though none of the other children are shown in the books illustrations. In the Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka anime series, this is changed to an ordinary orphanage, with Moominpappa being the only Moomintroll living there.
 * In the Moomin comic strips, there are more direct appearances of other Moomintrolls, the most well-known being Wimsy. There are also several mentions of Moomin relatives, such as Moominmamma's grandma's recipe for potions, Moominpappas cousin Alfred or their rich but strict Aunt Jane.
 * In Moominland Midwinter, an old family picture of Moomintrolls is shown dated "Helsinki 1878 3.10.". These are likely old relatives of Moominmamma as Moominpappa's origins are unknown and Moominmamma is the one who has shown affinity for the family albums prior.
 * In Who Will Comfort Toffle?, silhouettes resembling Moomintrolls can be seen in the background of the party scene.
 * In The Dangerous Journey, Wimsy makes a brief appearance.

Trivia

 * In their debut book, The Moomins and the Great Flood, Moomintrolls are described as being very small, about the size of a phone book. This was retconned as the series progressed, and subsequent installments and adaptations depicted them as being just shorter than an average human.