Characters in The Moomin Series - Close Friends

Close Friends

• Sniff (Sniff: sniffa, "to snuff/sob; to sniff") (Nipsu in Finnish) - Moomintroll's immature friend. He is a small animal of unknown species, though he somewhat resembles a brown rat or mouse. He is one of the few characters who is sincerely interested in money, and is always on the lookout for another way to get rich quick.
• Snufkin (Snusmumriken: dialectical snusmumrik or mumrik, "old man who talks carelessly; old codger, old bore; old snuff-taker; snotty or scruffy old man," derived from snus, "snuff," + interjection mum, also in mumla "mumble," with pejorative ending -ik) (Nuuskamuikkunen in Finnish) - Moomintroll's best friend, who goes south every winter and returns in the spring. He is the son of the Mymble and the Joxter, and is half-brother to The Mymble's Daughter and Little My. Snufkin is an adventurer and a vagabond, admired by those who are small and shy. Snufkin wears old green clothes and a wide brimmed hat he's had since birth. He lives in a tent, smokes a pipe, and plays the harmonica. Snufkin also has a great dislike for The Park Keeper, and the many regulation signs and fences he puts up. At one point he sabotages The Park Keeper by planting Hattifatteners in his garden, causing them to grow and drive him out. He is based on Tove Jansson's friend Atos Wirtanen.
• Little My (lilla My: my, "micron, mu") (Pikku Myy in Finnish) - She is a small, determined and fiercely independent Mymble. When she wants something done, she does it straight away. She is very aggressive and totally disrespectful, but can be a good friend. She has a brash personality. She is Snufkin's half-sister. A comment in MoominPapa at Sea about people who have been adopted may be read as implying that little My was adopted into the Moomin family.
• The Snork Maiden (Snorkfröken: snorkig, "snooty, snotty"; fröken, "Miss") (Niiskuneiti in Finnish) - Moomintroll's fair lady friend and admirer. She does fall in love with others sometimes, but returns to Moomintroll before things get too serious. She has blonde hair and sports a golden anklet. She changes color according to her mood, with her baseline color in the books described as pale yellow. Snorks are almost identical to Moomintrolls except that Snorks come in different colors (Moomintrolls are white), and a Snork's skin changes color depending on their mood.
• Snork (Snorken) (Niisku in Finnish) - The Snork Maiden's brother, also friends with Moomintroll. He and his sister first meet Moomintroll in Comet in Moominland. He is described as mauve in colour, though changes to a pale green when frightened. His character is obsessive over details, rules and protocol in the books. In the Japanese TV series, he develops as an avid inventor, constructing crazy things including once a tricycle for Moominmamma's birthday.