Thingumy and Bob

Thingumy and Bob (Swedish: Tofslan och Vifslan, Finnish: Tiuhti ja Viuhti) are recurring characters in the Moomin works. Tofslan and Vifslan, as names, were based on those of Tove Jansson and her girlfriend at the time, Vivica Bandler.

Thingumy and Bob speak strangely; in the original work, which is in Swedish, their language is created by adding a sla-syllable in the end of nearly every word. In the English translation, the language is portrayed by spoonerism, e.g. : "'Man you cake it out?' asked Thingumy. 'Mot nutch,' said Bob". Generally, other characters in the works don't understand them.

In the comics "Jorden går under!" (1947-1948) the odd way of speaking was explained as Thingumy and Bob speaking a foreign language. In that comic, Snorkmaiden understands them, because "she had a woman's intuition". Janson draw the comic at the same time as she was writing the book Finn Family Moomintroll  ('The Magician's Hat', Swedish: Trollkarlens hatt, 1948). In the book, only Hemulen can speak their language.

Physical Description
Thingumy and Bob are small, androgynous elf-like creatures that are just slightly shorter than Little My. Both of them have rounded heads, short spiky hair, and long proboscis-like noses. They both wear what appear to be smock dresses, with Thingumy's being blue and Bob's being red. Unlike Bob, who has a visible bald spot on top of her head, Thingumy wears a pointed red hat, making it easier to tell the two apart.

History
Thingumy and Bob are timid little creatures, who initially did not trust anyone. In the book Finn Family Moomintroll they arrive to Moominvalley with a large suitcase, running from the Groke. In the suitcase they are hiding the King's Ruby that they stole from the Groke. They are welcomed in the Moominhouse, but steal Moominmamma 's handbag to use as a bed. The Groke agrees to exchange the ruby for the Hobgoblin's hat. They eventually return Moominmamma's bag, when they realize how upset it makes her. When Thingumy and Bob open the suitcase to reveal the ruby in a party organized in honor of the bag's return, the Hobgoblin sees it all the way to the Moon. He shows up at the party and asks for the ruby, but Thingumy and Bob want to keep it. The Hobgoblin, who can grant wishes to everyone else but himself, proceeds to grant one wish for everyone in the party. Thingumy and Bob wish for the Hobgoblin to have a ruby as beautiful as theirs; the Queen's Ruby.

In the television series Moomin (1990) Thingumy and Bob appear in four episodes: "Tiny Guests" (episode 6), "The Suitcase" (episode 7), "The Hobgoblin's Magic" (episode 8) and "A Wonderful Present" (episode 74). The first three are based on the book Finn Family Moomintroll. In "A Wonderful Present" Thingumy and Bob return to Moominvalley with a present for the Moomins: a bulb of a singing flower. Stinky steals the bulb, but leaves it alone thinking it's just an onion. Moomins are able to get the present back through Mr. Hemulen.

Trivia

 * Thingumy and Bob are a representation of the secret romantic relationship Tove Jansson had with theatre director Vivica Bandler.
 * The genders of both Thingumy and Bob were purposefully kept ambiguous to avoid controversy at the time of their debut. However, due to their symbolism of Tove and Vivica's romance, it is most likely that both of them are female in-canon.
 * Additionally, in animated media they are often given voices that loosely imply their gender, with the implied genders varying noticeably with each adaptation including same-series dubs. Some will make one feminine and the other masculine, and in a few cases they will both be masculine.
 * In the english dub of the 1970's polish series, the narrator refers to both Thingumy and Bob with male pronouns.


 * Their English names are a pun on the word "Thingamabob", used to refer to or address a person or thing whose name one has forgotten, does not know, or does not wish to mention.