Crafts by Tanhupallo

Kiti Kokkonen 2018: Tanhupallon askartelukirja

I adore this book!

Ms. Kiti Kokkonen is a comedienne, who created a character for the tv-show "Putous" this year.  The Character's name is Tanhupallo (Squaredance-ball) and she is five or six years old.  I love this character, she is so funny and clever taking like a grown up and not making any sense. Ms. Kokkonen is about 150 cm (5 ft) and next to the Putous host, who is 190 cm (6 ft 3 inch) the contrast is remarkable.

This book is about the crafts that Tanhupallo makes. It has also stories about Tanhupallo's parents, grandparents and the neighbor girl.

The crafts are categorized in three sections: super super easy, pretty easy and might get frustrated. All are easy to make with kids and with materials you have at home.

Might get frustrated section starts here.

I love crafts, but I don't think I am very good at. Now I have made peace with this and I settle in making Christmas cards and nothing else, because my crafts look like they were made by a five-year old.

Puppet theater with paper figures. Lovely!

In Finland the high class craft show is called Strömsö. We even have a saying that something did not go as in Strömsö (ei mennyt niin kuin Strömsössä). Meaning that the result is far from perfect.  At Strömsö everything looks easy, but when I do it, it is not. Now Tanhupallo's book I can imagine that I actually could make my crafts look like hers.

I added a clip from Putous this spring, where Tanhupallo is taking a vacation and is suggesting all kinds of destinations and activities to the host. But when the host suggests that they should go to New York, Tanhupallo makes a face indicating that the host has lost his mind. This imagination game isn't for grownups! I wish I could make the same face, when people make absurd suggestions at work or just act stupid.

Pixon brothers and the homely glow of TV

Malin Kivelä 2013: Bröderna Pixon & TV:s hemtrevliga sken
Illustraded by Linda Bondestam


The four Pixon brothers love to watch TV and eat candy and chips. One day the TV does not work anymore and the boys have to come up with something else to do.

That is a bit troublesome, since they have the muscles size of a pea, but they do come up with imaginative things.

The books is a great example and an exaggeration of what happens when you watch too much TV. I guess the same goes for too much video games or playing with your phone. Exaggeration is a fantastic way of making a point and the illustrations remind me of the Addams Family.

I personally think the TV and actually the Finnish National Broadcasting Company have done a great job at least in educating people in languages: the foreign TV programs have subtitles and therefore we hear all possible languages from Chinese to Danish.  I started learning German with die Schwarzwaldklinik. But then again it is wonderful to watch TV in Germany, where  Fran Drescher and other Americans speak German.