The Groke graffiti

This graffiti has existed since 2011 in a wall of a local industrial building. The subject is a scary monster, "The Groke", ("Mörkö" in Finnish) from the children books and animated TV series "The Moomins". The text is "Havahdu nyt!", which is Finnish and means roughly "Wake up and be aware now!".

I watch this graffiti often as we drive past by a car, and it is interesting for my kids also as they recognize the character. Also the text above the Groke is readable by kids, which is not the case with many graffitis. The text and the Groke may not belong together (not done by the same person), but in any case now they form a single piece of art. Also the red lips on the cheek of the Groke might be added by yet another (third) person.

Usually we just drive by and everybody in the car wants to see "The Groke"... This time I had my camera with me so we stopped at the parking lot and I took these pictures.

The Groke is a mysterious and an icy monster which freezes everything where it goes and touches. The characters in the books are afraid of the monster, but in reality, the monster is just lonely and is seeking for companion and friendship.


The Groke and the text is telling me to stop for a moment and think what is happening in the society. The monster has appeared to us to warn us all about something which is about to come. But it is not too late to react, we still have a chance if we start making the right choices, now!

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Related to this context:

The Groke in wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Groke