Why one man has photographed Finland's Moominworld every day for 17 years

Tauno Vintola is able to claim something no one else in the world can. For almost 17 years, he has visited Moominworld in Finland every day. Well, unless it’s raining.

“I try to go every day but of course, if it’s raining heavily, I don’t go,” Vintola, a photographer, admits. “But I do go almost every day. The park is only 200 metres from my house and I’m retired, so I have time. It’s a nice place to visit, and new things happen there almost daily.”

In fact, not only does Vintola visit every day, but he takes photographs every time he goes, resulting in quite the art project.

According to Vintola, most Finns are fans of the Moomins, the cute, hippo-like characters created by national heroine Tove Jansson. But what would lead someone to visit the theme park created in their honour every day?

Well, Vintola had an invite from the owner of Moominworld himself. In the year 2000, Dennis Livson, knowing Vintola was a photographer who lived near the park in Naantali, asked if he would like free access to the park and the copyright to take photos. He wouldn’t be paid, but he’d be able to sell his Moomin pictures. Vintola said yes.

Although there was no commitment as to how often he had to go or how many photos he had to take, Vintola has visited the park pretty much every single day that it’s been open.

And though Moominworld isn’t open year-round, Vintola even visits off-season. “The park is open when it’s closed – anyone can go in to walk around,” he explains. His photos of the deserted park aren’t just a contrast to the busy summer pictures; they reassure Moomin superfans that everything’s under control. “Of course I miss them too [when the park is closed],” he says of the Moomins. “They’re like a second family.”

That might explain why asking who his favourite character is seems akin to asking him to name his favourite child. “They all are, I can’t choose – it would be rude,” he protests. He gets to know the people behind the costumes at the park, but they’re mainly students, so tend to change every season.

The park has changed, too. “In the beginning there was only the Moominhouse and some kiosks; now there are lots of new places, different buildings for the different Moomin characters, and new restaurants. It’s a very different place compared to when it started.”

In a way, Vintola is the most stable fixture in Moominworld. His modus operandi is to start at the Moominhouse – the three-storey conical tower, painted sky-blue, where the Moomin family lives – and improvise from there. “Everything happens round the Moominhouse,” he says.

Vintola exhibits his Moomin photos annually in Naantali, as well as showing them on his website. He has about 5,000 photos of the park, he reckons – not as many as you might think, but if he takes a better version of the same subject, he deletes the original.

If you’re planning a visit to Moominworld, Vintola suggests visiting in either June or August – July is too hot and crowded, and younger visitors tend to get fractious – and leaving ample time to explore.

“You’ve paid the entrance fee, and everything inside is free, so take your time,” he says. “It takes easily one or two whole days to enjoy Moominworld.”

Don’t expect Disney-style rides, though. “One of the best things about Moominworld is that there are no carousels,” he says. “It leaves a lot of room for children’s and adults’ imagination, and almost every visitor seems thankful for that.”

Yes, adults too – because Moominworld and the Moomins aren’t just for kids. Plenty of child-free grown-ups come to visit the theme park, and Vintola insists that the books aren’t just for children: “You must read them again, and think about what they mean. The Moomins are about the whole of life.”

Let that be your reading resolution for 2017.

Keep track of Tauno Vintola’s Moominworld photos on his website.