(Limping along corridor with a stick), “Moominmamma, that caring for everyone schtick might go down OK for some people, but please. Snufkin, you’re a f**in neurotic. If you wanna go and travel the world, don’t let me stop you. Where are my pills???! (Glug) Aaargh, where was I? Hemulen, have you done the damn intubation on that goddamned hattifattener woman…”

etc.

Thanks for reviving those memories.

To make it clearer what John means I’ll quote a bit more of the section of his post above:

But the characters are all changed.

Hattifatteners who demand cocktails?

Where’s the small jolt of the silent, nordic, static electricity of vaguely yearning existential dread in that? No Moominmamma and Moominpappa? Sniff as an incompetent, pushy get-rich-quick schemer, played to broad, slapstick effect? Silly fake elixir of youth turning old ladies into old men who roar off after can-can girls? Obviously I must withhold judgment, but it looks as though – at least initially – Jansson didn’t trust the subtle tones of her storytelling to the three-panel form and somewhat condescended to it, letting lovely pictures do all the work. Or maybe she just has to grow into it.

If you’ve read FFM as a child, the hattifatteners are a bit creepy! To have them march into Moominhouse and demand cocktails is just a bit too jolly. There is a lovely eerie touch to FFM which the strip seems to have abandoned.

Of course, that’s just me (and John Holbo) and many people might actually prefer the strip.