The Podgoblin’s Hat
The Podgoblin’s Hat is a Moomins read-through show. Tune in for weekly synopses, discussions, analysis and feelings by Dave, who has been reading Tove Jansson their whole life, and Nina, who’s just started. We’ll be wending our way through the peaks and troughs of the stories, discussing, thinking and feeling about Tove Jansson’s books for children. Listen in if you like stories about soft round creatures being brave and flawed. Write in if you’ve ever wondered, What Would Snufkin Do?
Listen on:
Episodes
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
Tuesday Jun 27, 2023
Our special guest for this episode is Medieval historian Dr Eleanor Janega. Eleanor joins us to shout about how much she loves Comet in Moominland, share her Moomin memes of choice and talk about how Tove Jansson draws on medieval storytelling tropes like weird little guys you find in the woods, comets, and really good food writing. There is a case made for Moominmamma as an agony aunt and a scathing burn for Ian Fleming.
You can find Eleanor's on twitter @GoingMedieval, buy her new book The Once and Future Sex here and her comic The Middle Ages: A Graphic History here. She also has her own podcast We're Not So Different.
The Podgoblin's Hat will return in August with season two, which kicks off with The Memoirs of Moominpappa / The Exploits of Moominpappa. We'll tell you about both versions of the story so you can pick which one to seek out and read!
Tuesday Jun 06, 2023
Tuesday Jun 06, 2023
In this first guest episode, we're talking to Heidi Gilhooly, a lifelong Moomin fan and translator. Heidi did a comparative study of three versions of the Trollkarlens Hatt: in Swedish, Finnish and English. She shares some juicy insider knowledge about what Elizabeth Portch left out when adapting it for an English audience, and what she changed.
We chat about the Thingumy and Bob, a gutsier Snorkmaiden and the origin of Moominmamma's proficiency with an axe.
Many thanks to Heidi for being our first ever guest! You can find out more about her here.
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
It's the end of Finn Family Moomintroll, and the end of series 1!
The Hattifatteners have their barometer back, Snufkin gets around to telling the others about the Hobgoblin and his hat, and we meet Thingumy and Bob, the lesbian-inspired non binary couple of your dreams.
This book has more bumps in the road for us as modern readers than those that went before. #JusticeForTheSnorkmaiden
It also contains some really positive representations of what we might call non-monogamy and queerness. Truly a mixed bag.
Our question for Snufkin comes from Jane Eyre, and concerns marriage and true love.
Our Spirits of the Moomins this week are: The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.
Our Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat is
On Eyre from Hot and Bothered.
We'll be back after a break with Memoirs (or are they Exploits?) of Moominpappa.
Tuesday Feb 07, 2023
Tuesday Feb 07, 2023
This week we're reading the first half of Finn Family Moomintroll. Spring has sprung and the children have discovered a very interesting hat on top of a hill. The hat starts to transform everything that sits inside it, from eggshells, to outlandish words, to Moomintroll himself. Moominmamma is in the mood for a change of scene and leads an expedition to the Hattifatteners' lonely island. Snufkin catches sight of a terrific villain in the heart of a storm.
Our theme for this book is ALCHEMY, and we're looking at transformations and all things golden. Also, colonialist fantasies, various masculinities and the first edition of Nina's Botany Corner.
Our question this week pertains to Dave's nonmonogamous emotional life (!) so you'll definitely want to tune in for that.
Our Spirits of the Moomins are Bluey and Knock Three Times by Cressida Cowell.
Our Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat is Black Men Can't Jump [In Hollywood].
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
This week we're reading the second half of Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson, and what a rip roaring adventure it is! Moomintroll meets the fabled Snorkmaiden and falls in love on the spot, our brave adventurers attend not one but two end-of-the-world parties, and the philosopher gets stuck into something gooey.
We talk about war and climate catastrophes (again! why is Moominland always threatened by climate change?) and discuss the heteronormativity of the Snorkmaiden and Moomintroll's relationship, but also the ways in which they break that mould.
This week, our question for Snufkin was provided by the AITA community on Reddit and concerns landlords.
Our Spirit of the Moomins recommendations are as follows:
By Ash, Oak and Thorn by Melissa Harrison (special shout-out to the audiobook)
Toy Story 3
And our Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat, as provided by Nina this week, is Dragon Babies, a YA fantasy nostalgia podcast.
Tuesday Jan 24, 2023
Tuesday Jan 24, 2023
This week we're reading Comet in Moominland, the first fully fledged chapter book. There's lots of to discuss! The Little Creature from last week has become Sniff, a full member of the Moomin family by adoption. A philosopher comes knocking at the door in the middle of the night. But most importantly, Snufkin joins the cast.
We talk about the way this book is structured, the ways in which it calls back to Flood, and we make another fruitless attempt to discover how big Moomins are.
Our #WhatWouldSnufkinDo question this week is: What would you do if your cat came home wearing a new collar?
Spirit of the Moomins recommendations: The Man Whose Mother was a Pirate by Margaret Mahy.
The films of Hayao Miyazaki, specifically Ponyo, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.
And our Spirit of The Podgoblin's Hat is: Avatar: Braving the Elements
Join us next week when we read the second half of Comet in Moominland!
Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
It's our first read-along and we're reading The Moomins and the Great Flood.
We summarise this fairytale of Tove Jansson's, chat about her influences and make a first attempt at a taxonomy of the broader Moomin bestiary.
This week our question for Snufkin is: Things keep stealing my time, and I can't manage to do the things I want to do. What would Snufkin do?
If you've got a question for Snufkin, catch us on Twitter and Instagram @ThePodgoblin or email us at thepodhat@gmail.com
Our Spirit of the Moomins are:
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke (recommended by Nina)
Journey and What Remains of Edith Finch? (recommended by Dave)
And our Spirit of the Podgoblin's Hat is: Tolkien Black Girls from Black Nerds Create.
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
This is the first episode of the Podgoblin's hat, with Nina and Dave.
We will be introducing ourselves, our relationship with each other, and our relationships with the Moomins.
Check out our twitter @ThePodgoblin and our Instagram @thepodgoblin to see pictures of the tattoos, cuddly toys and dog eared books we mentioned.
Related media
The Japanese cartoon
BBC Tove Jansson documentary
Mentioned in this episode, our other projects:
Getting Better Acquainted
Even the Trunchbull
Down to a Sunless Sea
The Family Tree
Join us next week when we'll be starting our journey with The Moomins and the Great Flood!
Tuesday Dec 27, 2022
Tuesday Dec 27, 2022
A little trailer to let you know what is to come on The Podgoblin's Hat, with Dave and Nina.
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