Tampere Moomin Museum to Open 200-Mug Exhibition and Sell Exclusive 'Winter Night's Glow' Mug; Rare Cup Fetches €46,000

The Moomin Mug Mania exhibition opens on 26 September, showcasing 200 Moomin mugs and introducing a limited 'Winter Night's Glow' collector's mug, Tamperelainen reports. It brings together every 0.3-litre ceramic Moomin mug produced by Arabia, nearly 40 Japan-market designs and the first mugs illustrated by Tove Jansson. It's a collector's feast.

Museum communications specialist Heli Hakala says the most valuable pieces include the Diving with Shells cup and a 2004 Fazer mug. The shell-pattern cup was likely a staff-only test run of about ten pieces. Hakala says one Diving with Shells mug sold for €46,000, while a 2020 auction recorded a €12,005 sale.

The new Winter Night's Glow mug borrows a 1972 coloured book illustration by Tove Jansson depicting a meeting between Moomintroll and the Groke. The museum has exclusive sales rights for one month before the mug appears through Moomin Arabia channels and other retailers. A limited but undisclosed number will be produced, and the museum expects a rush when sales start at 9:00 on 26 September at the museum and a pop-up shop.

The release and exhibition were announced earlier in September when the museum first revealed the Winter Night Glow mug and the opening date.