'Glow of the Winter Night' Moomin mug goes on sale at Tampere's Moomin Museum on 26 September

The "Glow of the Winter Night" mug, based on a Tove Jansson gouache from the museum's collection, will be released on 26 September and initially sold only in the museum shop, YLE reports.

A collaboration between Muumimuseo and Moomin Arabia, the mug will launch with an exhibition called "Moomin Mug Mania," which explores the popularity of Moomin mug collecting. A January official decision shows the museum acquired 4,500 mugs. But communications specialist Heli Hakala said the sale will be a limited run and the exact number is not being publicly promoted. Muumimuseo will have exclusive sales rights for one month before the mug is distributed more widely in limited quantities.

Hakala said the release is not primarily commercial and that the design highlights Jansson's original work. The new piece is intended to pair with the 2017 Moominvalley mug issued when the museum opened. That launch famously drew queues. YLE has reported signs that Moomin mug collecting may have cooled in Finland, but the museum's social post announcing the new mug drew more than 2,000 likes within hours, a response Hakala says signals clear public interest.