This year marks the 40th anniversary for Mauri Kunnas’ classic Christmas book Santa Claus. Several licensees, such as Ekelunds, Muurla, Dermosil and Alfmix have created new products with Kunnas’ classic illustrations in time for the anniversary. The publisher Otava has also released a special edition of the book with the original cover artwork.
Alfmix continues last year’s success with new milk chocolate-coated toffee sweets and chocolate advent calendars, wrapped in a winter wonderland landscape packaging illustrated with familiar Christmas book characters.
Dermosil are experts on hygiene products and skin care. This Christmas they’ve decorated their best-selling hand and kitchen soaps with illustrations from Kunnas’ stories ”Twelve Gifts for Santa Claus” and “Santa’s Christmas Holiday”
From Muurla, decorative Christmas balls made of glass and candles and trays with illustrations from Santa Claus, including the ones with magical Mount Korvatunturi.
Ekelund has created vowen products in Horred since 1692, making them the oldest weaving family company in the world. For this holiday season they have collaborated with Mauri Kunnas and created four different kitchen towels made in organic cotton.
Mauri Kunnas’ books have been translated into over 40 languages and have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Santa Claus has reached readers around the globe as it has been translated into 28 languages. Mauri Kunnas has published four Christmas books: Santa Claus, Twelve Gifts for Santa Claus, Santa Claus and The Magic Drum and Santa’s Christmas Holiday, the latest holiday inspired publication, was released in 2020 and has already been translated into 10 languages, for example Japanese, Swedish, German, and Russian.
Santa Claus’ 40th anniversary
This year is the 40th anniversary for Mauri Kunnas’ classic Christmas book Santa Claus. To celebrate the anniversary, Otava has released a special edition of the book with the original cover artwork, the way it looked when it was first published in Finnish 40 years ago. Santa Claus is Mauri Kunnas’ most popular book and the bestselling Finnish title of all times with over 2 million printed copies sold worldwide.
In the book Santa Claus, we learn everything there is to know about Santa Claus, his elves, and their magical home Mount Korvatunturi in Lapland. In the book, Mauri Kunnas allows us to accompany the elfin scouts on their exciting expeditions, to see for ourselves the great heaps of letters in Santa’s post office, to experience the preparations for the Christmas gift-giving, and to journey through a far-off land. It is easy to see why this Christmas classic continues its success as people and children of all ages will find something intriguing on each spread.
Interested in a collab with Mauri Kunnas? Hit us with your idea by sending an e-mail to licensing@rightsandbrands.com