Lars Jansson • Tove Jansson

01

A close connection in both life and work

Tove's younger brother Lars Jansson understood early on what a unique talent Tove was. Over time, he became Tove's closest colleague and played an incredibly important role in spreading the Moomins around the world and developing the business activities surrounding the Moomins.

Lars “Lasse” Jansson was born on 8 October 1926 as the third child in the Jansson family of artists. When Lars was born, Tove was already 12 years old, but despite the age difference, the siblings had a very close relationship throughout their lives. They were very fond of each other and spent time together both privately and at work throughout their lives. They were both freedom-loving and lived non-traditional lives. Like Tove, Lars was bisexual as a young man and, as an older man, had a long-term same-sex partner. Lars was also a single father to his daughter Sophia, which was unusual in the 1960s and 1970s.

When Tove moved out of her parents’ home and Lars became a young adult around the end of the Second World War, they socialised in the same artistic circles. Lars was also the one who brought Tove and Vivica Bandler, Tove’s first female love interest, together. Lars had an on-and-off relationship with Vivica’s younger sister Erica von Frenckell, and the young couple thought that their older sisters would probably like each other, which turned out to be true.

Lars became an early supporter of Tove in everything related to the Moomins, quickly realising how unique her talent was. He was also very good at English, which came in handy when the Moomins spread around the world in the 1950s. The various Moomin-related business matters became difficult for Tove to manage alongside her creative work, so Lars stepped in to help her.

In 1958, Tove and Lars founded the Moomin Characters company together in order to better control everything from various adaptations of the books to licensed Moomin products. Lars became Tove’s right-hand man in business matters, doing everything from responding to correspondence to acting as a sounding board for his sister in her creative work. Lars and Tove made the decisions that transformed the Moomins from characters in the original books and comic strips into the brand we know today.

Lars and Tove also worked actively together artistically, including on the now classic Japanese animated series from the 1990s, Moomin. The series involved an enormous amount of work, and Lars’ perseverance was crucial to its quality. The animation became incredibly popular when it was released and marked the beginning of a new era of global success for the Moomin stories. Lars oversaw Moomin-related business until 1999, when his daughter Sophia Jansson, current chair of the board of Moomin Characters, took over.

In the short documentary below, Lars’ daughter Sophia Jansson, chair of the board of Moomin Characters, and Christer Timgren, former CEO of Moomin Characters, talk about Lars’ invaluable role in spreading the Moomins around the world.

Photography was one of many interests in Lars' youth.

Vivica Bandler, Tove Jansson and Lars on a Moomin trip to Sweden in 1969.

Tove's younger brother Lars Jansson understood early on what a unique talent Tove was. Over time, he became Tove's closest colleague and played an incredibly important role in spreading the Moomins around the world and developing the business activities surrounding the Moomins.

Lars “Lasse” Jansson was born on 8 October 1926 as the third child in the Jansson family of artists. When Lars was born, Tove was already 12 years old, but despite the age difference, the siblings had a very close relationship throughout their lives. They were very fond of each other and spent time together both privately and at work throughout their lives. They were both freedom-loving and lived non-traditional lives. Like Tove, Lars was bisexual as a young man and, as an older man, had a long-term same-sex partner. Lars was also a single father to his daughter Sophia, which was unusual in the 1960s and 1970s.

When Tove moved out of her parents’ home and Lars became a young adult around the end of the Second World War, they socialised in the same artistic circles. Lars was also the one who brought Tove and Vivica Bandler, Tove’s first female love interest, together. Lars had an on-and-off relationship with Vivica’s younger sister Erica von Frenckell, and the young couple thought that their older sisters would probably like each other, which turned out to be true.

Lars became an early supporter of Tove in everything related to the Moomins, quickly realising how unique her talent was. He was also very good at English, which came in handy when the Moomins spread around the world in the 1950s. The various Moomin-related business matters became difficult for Tove to manage alongside her creative work, so Lars stepped in to help her.

In 1958, Tove and Lars founded the Moomin Characters company together in order to better control everything from various adaptations of the books to licensed Moomin products. Lars became Tove’s right-hand man in business matters, doing everything from responding to correspondence to acting as a sounding board for his sister in her creative work. Lars and Tove made the decisions that transformed the Moomins from characters in the original books and comic strips into the brand we know today.

Lars and Tove also worked actively together artistically, including on the now classic Japanese animated series from the 1990s, Moomin. The series involved an enormous amount of work, and Lars’ perseverance was crucial to its quality. The animation became incredibly popular when it was released and marked the beginning of a new era of global success for the Moomin stories. Lars oversaw Moomin-related business until 1999, when his daughter Sophia Jansson, current chair of the board of Moomin Characters, took over.

In the short documentary below, Lars’ daughter Sophia Jansson, chair of the board of Moomin Characters, and Christer Timgren, former CEO of Moomin Characters, talk about Lars’ invaluable role in spreading the Moomins around the world.

02

The comic creator

The most famous collaboration between Tove Jansson and her younger brother Lars was the Moomin comic strip, which was published between 1954 and 1975. Lars progressed from initially just helping Tove with the English translation to taking over the creation of the comic strip entirely.

Tove and Lars loved comic strips as children, their favourite being the Swedish series Jocke, Nicke och Majken by Petter Lindroth. Tove herself has said that it is possible that the Moomin comics was influenced by that series. Their mother, Signe ‘Ham’ Hammarsten Jansson, drew satirical cartoons and caricatures for the magazine Garm from the 1920s onwards, so comic art was part of the family from Lars’ early childhood.

As Lars was proficient in English, he helped Tove with the translation of the Moomin comics from the outset. The comic strips were published in English in the London-based newspaper The Evening News, but originally written in Swedish by Tove. The series, with a publication rate of six strips a week, was a major undertaking, and when the constant production of the series became too much for Tove, Lars began writing the stories while Tove devoted herself to drawing the pictures.

When even that became too much for the busy artist Tove, Lars took over the entire creation of the comics. Lars had no formal artistic training but was self-taught, and he practised drawing the Moomins in secret so that he could take over the illustration work as well. Lars sent 15 strips as a work sample to the Associated Press, who handled the syndication of the comic, and they accepted them immediately and announced that they would not be accepting samples from anyone else, but wanted to continue with him. Tove was both proud and hurt by how easily Lars’ strips were accepted. After Tove had drawn the series for five years, Lars continued to create the series for over fifteen years until it was discontinued in 1975 on his initiative. From the outset, the series differed from the Moomin books in that the Moomins move outside Moominvalley and are confronted with the outside world in the comics. This was accentuated when Lasse took over. He followed Tove’s style, satirical tone and aesthetics, and also introduced new characters and situations.

Lars was one of only two professional cartoonists in Finland at the time who made a living from drawing comics. In 1980, Lars and Tove jointly received the Puupäähattu award from the Finnish Comics Society. They received this, the highest award for comic strip artists in Finland, with the following justification: ‘Moomin is the comic strip that has most successfully created and spread the reputation of Finnish comic strips abroad. Its creators are also among the most important pioneers and innovators in our comic strip art.’

Want to know more about the origins of the comic strip, the division of labour between Tove and Lars in its creation, and how Lars’s comics differ from Tove’s? In the short documentary below, comic book expert Paul Gravett, author of Tove Jansson: The Illustrator, and literature professor Boel Westin, author of Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words, give their insights on the Moomin comics.

Lars and Tove's collaboration around the Moomins intensified during the 1950s. Photo: Finnish Heritage Agency

The transition of Lars taking over the creation of the Moomin comic series was handled smoothly by Tove signing the last series she drew with just Jansson instead of Tove Jansson. The fact that it was Lars Jansson who wrote the stories and was not made a big deal of, and when Lars took over both the writing and the drawing, the signature was changed to Lars' full name.

In 1960, Lars took over the creation of the Moomin comics, which he continued until 1975 when the series was discontinued on his initiative.

The most famous collaboration between Tove Jansson and her younger brother Lars was the Moomin comic strip, which was published between 1954 and 1975. Lars progressed from initially just helping Tove with the English translation to taking over the creation of the comic strip entirely.

Tove and Lars loved comic strips as children, their favourite being the Swedish series Jocke, Nicke och Majken by Petter Lindroth. Tove herself has said that it is possible that the Moomin comics was influenced by that series. Their mother, Signe ‘Ham’ Hammarsten Jansson, drew satirical cartoons and caricatures for the magazine Garm from the 1920s onwards, so comic art was part of the family from Lars’ early childhood.

As Lars was proficient in English, he helped Tove with the translation of the Moomin comics from the outset. The comic strips were published in English in the London-based newspaper The Evening News, but originally written in Swedish by Tove. The series, with a publication rate of six strips a week, was a major undertaking, and when the constant production of the series became too much for Tove, Lars began writing the stories while Tove devoted herself to drawing the pictures.

When even that became too much for the busy artist Tove, Lars took over the entire creation of the comics. Lars had no formal artistic training but was self-taught, and he practised drawing the Moomins in secret so that he could take over the illustration work as well. Lars sent 15 strips as a work sample to the Associated Press, who handled the syndication of the comic, and they accepted them immediately and announced that they would not be accepting samples from anyone else, but wanted to continue with him. Tove was both proud and hurt by how easily Lars’ strips were accepted. After Tove had drawn the series for five years, Lars continued to create the series for over fifteen years until it was discontinued in 1975 on his initiative. From the outset, the series differed from the Moomin books in that the Moomins move outside Moominvalley and are confronted with the outside world in the comics. This was accentuated when Lasse took over. He followed Tove’s style, satirical tone and aesthetics, and also introduced new characters and situations.

Lars was one of only two professional cartoonists in Finland at the time who made a living from drawing comics. In 1980, Lars and Tove jointly received the Puupäähattu award from the Finnish Comics Society. They received this, the highest award for comic strip artists in Finland, with the following justification: ‘Moomin is the comic strip that has most successfully created and spread the reputation of Finnish comic strips abroad. Its creators are also among the most important pioneers and innovators in our comic strip art.’

Want to know more about the origins of the comic strip, the division of labour between Tove and Lars in its creation, and how Lars’s comics differ from Tove’s? In the short documentary below, comic book expert Paul Gravett, author of Tove Jansson: The Illustrator, and literature professor Boel Westin, author of Tove Jansson: Life, Art, Words, give their insights on the Moomin comics.

03

The author and the handy jack-of-all-trades

Lars was a real jack-of-all-trades who earned his living as everything from a cartoonist and author to a stamp collector and salesman. He was handy and knowledgeable in several areas. Sewing clothes, metalworking and catching butterflies were just a few of his many skills.

Lars published his first book, Skatten på Tortuga (“The Treasure of Tortuga”), in 1941 at the age of 15. The book is about two 13-year-old boys who find a treasure map hidden by a pirate several centuries earlier.

His mother Ham illustrated the cover. When Lasse was 19, his second book, Härskaren (“The Ruler”), was published, an adventure story set in the Stone Age, for which he won the Swedish Young Adult Book Award. The following year, his third book, ‘…och ändå gryr dagen’ (“…and still the day dawns”) was published and received favourable reviews. Both Lars and his brother Per Olov Jansson, who published the novel Ung man vandrar allena (“Young Man Walks Alone”) in 1945, were members of the Finnish Writers’ Union before Tove joined.

However, Lars did not primarily earn his living as a writer, even though he had already written seven novels by the mid-1970s. In the early 1950s (1952-1956), he earned his money through the company Aerofoto, which sold photographs taken from the sky. Lars founded the company together with his brother Per Olov, who was a photographer, and the pilot Börje Hielm. During their active years, they took more than 10,000 aerial photographs of houses in cities and the countryside. Many of these aerial photographs still hang framed on the walls of houses throughout Finland. The division of labour was that Börje flew the plane, Per Olov took the photos, and Lasse sold them in the Helsinki area.

In addition to his comic strip drawing, the Moomin business and his writing, Lars also earned money over the years by buying and selling stamps and art. He was a handy person who spent his free time sewing clothes, forging metal, and catching butterflies, among other things.

Want to know more about what Lars was like as a person? In the short documentary below, Lars’ family, friends, and former colleagues open up about their fond memories of him.

Lars was only 15 years old when his first book, Skatten på Tortuga (The Treasure of Tortuga), was published in 1941 by Söderströms. His mother, Signe ‘Ham’ Hammarsten Jansson, designed the cover.

Lars's hobbies included catching and studying butterflies.

Lars was a real jack-of-all-trades who earned his living as everything from a cartoonist and author to a stamp collector and salesman. He was handy and knowledgeable in several areas. Sewing clothes, metalworking and catching butterflies were just a few of his many skills.

Lars published his first book, Skatten på Tortuga (“The Treasure of Tortuga”), in 1941 at the age of 15. The book is about two 13-year-old boys who find a treasure map hidden by a pirate several centuries earlier.

His mother Ham illustrated the cover. When Lasse was 19, his second book, Härskaren (“The Ruler”), was published, an adventure story set in the Stone Age, for which he won the Swedish Young Adult Book Award. The following year, his third book, ‘…och ändå gryr dagen’ (“…and still the day dawns”) was published and received favourable reviews. Both Lars and his brother Per Olov Jansson, who published the novel Ung man vandrar allena (“Young Man Walks Alone”) in 1945, were members of the Finnish Writers’ Union before Tove joined.

However, Lars did not primarily earn his living as a writer, even though he had already written seven novels by the mid-1970s. In the early 1950s (1952-1956), he earned his money through the company Aerofoto, which sold photographs taken from the sky. Lars founded the company together with his brother Per Olov, who was a photographer, and the pilot Börje Hielm. During their active years, they took more than 10,000 aerial photographs of houses in cities and the countryside. Many of these aerial photographs still hang framed on the walls of houses throughout Finland. The division of labour was that Börje flew the plane, Per Olov took the photos, and Lasse sold them in the Helsinki area.

In addition to his comic strip drawing, the Moomin business and his writing, Lars also earned money over the years by buying and selling stamps and art. He was a handy person who spent his free time sewing clothes, forging metal, and catching butterflies, among other things.

Want to know more about what Lars was like as a person? In the short documentary below, Lars’ family, friends, and former colleagues open up about their fond memories of him.

04

The love of islands and adventure

Lars loved adventure and dreamed of emigrating to the Tonga Islands when he was young, but it was in Ibiza and especially in the Pellinge archipelago that he found an outlet for his love of islands.

Having lived through World War II as a teenager, Lars dreamed of travelling far away from his homeland of Finland. In 1945, he had far-reaching plans to emigrate to the island kingdom of Tonga, and after his older brother Per Olov declined to accompany him, he drew Tove into his plans. However serious the move may have been, the dream was shattered after Lars wrote to the British consul of the island nation and received the reply that they could not accept emigrants due to the poor social and economic conditions after World War II.

Instead, in the late 1940s, Lars and Tove built a summer house together on an island in the Pellinge archipelago, which they named Vindrosens hus (“The House of the Wind Rose”). When Tove built a house on the island of Klovharu in the 1960s and began spending her summers there with her life partner Tuulikki Pietilä, Lars and his daughter Sophia remained on the island with Ham. The summers in the late 1960s, when Lars and Ham took care of Sophia alone after her mother passed away, inspired Tove to write the beloved novel The Summer Book. The winters during Sophia’s early childhood were spent in Ibiza, so during the 1960s, Lars lived mostly on islands.

Lars was a practical man, which came in handy during the long summers the family spent in Pellinge. He built houses and fished, and when he eventually became a grandfather, he read books to his grandchildren, taught them how to gut fish, and how to make bows and arrows. Socialising during the summers in Pellinge was intense, not only with the rest of the Jansson family but also with various friends who eventually all acquired summer cottages in the area.

During the 1960s and 1980s, Lars spent several weeks in Lapland digging for gold during the summers. Together with his brother Per Olov, they developed a system where they used a kind of vacuum cleaner to suck up sand and sediment from cracks in the riverbed where gold grains, sometimes nuggets, had collected. The brothers and their friends, and sometimes also Lars’ daughter Sophia, slept in tents and endured everything from weeks of rain to huge numbers of mosquitoes. Sometimes they found so much gold that Lars could melt it down and make bracelets and earrings out of it. When Lars had just taken over the Moomin comics, he was inspired by the gold mining adventures in Lapland and created the story Moomins and the Gold Fields (1961).

An involuntary plunge in ice-cold water, gold mining in Lapland and a police intervention are just some of the adventures Lars experienced! In the short documentary below, Lars’ godson Sebastian Hielm and Lars’ daughter Sophia Jansson talk about their fondest memories of Lasse.

Lars loved spending time in the Pellinge archipelago during the summers.

Lars and his brother Per Olov panned for gold in Lapland during several summers from the 1960s to the 1980s, an interest that inspired Lars to create the Moomin comics Moomin and the Gold Fields (1961).

Lars loved adventure and dreamed of emigrating to the Tonga Islands when he was young, but it was in Ibiza and especially in the Pellinge archipelago that he found an outlet for his love of islands.

Having lived through World War II as a teenager, Lars dreamed of travelling far away from his homeland of Finland. In 1945, he had far-reaching plans to emigrate to the island kingdom of Tonga, and after his older brother Per Olov declined to accompany him, he drew Tove into his plans. However serious the move may have been, the dream was shattered after Lars wrote to the British consul of the island nation and received the reply that they could not accept emigrants due to the poor social and economic conditions after World War II.

Instead, in the late 1940s, Lars and Tove built a summer house together on an island in the Pellinge archipelago, which they named Vindrosens hus (“The House of the Wind Rose”). When Tove built a house on the island of Klovharu in the 1960s and began spending her summers there with her life partner Tuulikki Pietilä, Lars and his daughter Sophia remained on the island with Ham. The summers in the late 1960s, when Lars and Ham took care of Sophia alone after her mother passed away, inspired Tove to write the beloved novel The Summer Book. The winters during Sophia’s early childhood were spent in Ibiza, so during the 1960s, Lars lived mostly on islands.

Lars was a practical man, which came in handy during the long summers the family spent in Pellinge. He built houses and fished, and when he eventually became a grandfather, he read books to his grandchildren, taught them how to gut fish, and how to make bows and arrows. Socialising during the summers in Pellinge was intense, not only with the rest of the Jansson family but also with various friends who eventually all acquired summer cottages in the area.

During the 1960s and 1980s, Lars spent several weeks in Lapland digging for gold during the summers. Together with his brother Per Olov, they developed a system where they used a kind of vacuum cleaner to suck up sand and sediment from cracks in the riverbed where gold grains, sometimes nuggets, had collected. The brothers and their friends, and sometimes also Lars’ daughter Sophia, slept in tents and endured everything from weeks of rain to huge numbers of mosquitoes. Sometimes they found so much gold that Lars could melt it down and make bracelets and earrings out of it. When Lars had just taken over the Moomin comics, he was inspired by the gold mining adventures in Lapland and created the story Moomins and the Gold Fields (1961).

An involuntary plunge in ice-cold water, gold mining in Lapland and a police intervention are just some of the adventures Lars experienced! In the short documentary below, Lars’ godson Sebastian Hielm and Lars’ daughter Sophia Jansson talk about their fondest memories of Lasse.