Uppo-Nalle is already 45 years old.
Elina Karjalainen photographed at the launch event of the Uppo-Nalle runoreissu video game in 1998. Marja Seppänen-Helin / Magazine photo
Uppo-Nalle is remembered as a beloved fairy-tale character who has had adventures in children’s books, plays, on television and on the big screen.
The likable, rhyming teddy bear has also been a stand-up character, who even got into the middle of an uproar last year. How did we get here?
Journalist-writer Elina Karjalainen (1927-2006) published the first UPPO the bear – his book in 1977, i.e. 45 years ago. The character and its story were born from letters that Karjalainen sent to a child of his acquaintance. The girl was in the hospital for a long time, and to cheer her up, Karjalainen sent a new chapter of Uppo-Nalle’s story to be read every week.
Uppo-Nalle is afraid of finches, likes to eat cotton candy and dreams of a career as a poet. WSOY
– The girl’s mother suggested that the story be sent to a publisher, and to my mother’s great joy and surprise, the book was published, says Karjalainen’s daughter Outi Svoboda62.
A graphic artist was responsible for Uppo-Nalle’s illustration Hannu Taina. Dozens of books were published over the years and appeared in the 1990s UPPO the bear -film and TV series Uppo-Nalle and the waiting for Christmas.
Uppo-Nalle also got its own stamp and video game, and the Children’s Clinic in Karjalainen’s hometown, Kuopio, is named after it.
Children’s books often highlight values that the child hopes to adopt for himself. In a review published in Helsingin Sanomat in 1996, it is written how Uppo-Nalle and diving watch based on the book, the play takes a stand on “The hatred of foreigners shown in Finland”.
In the book Uppo-Nalle and diving bell, Uppo-Nalle has an adventure with Kumma-Teddy. The book was published in 1994. WSOY
Uppo-Nalle, who is described as open-minded in the play, marries the dark-colored Godfather-Nalle. Svoboda confirms that tolerance and acceptance of others was “very important” for Karelia.
– Uppo-Nalle and his friends do their best to follow this philosophy, he says.
The teddy bear was maddening
Last year, Uppo-Nalle got into the middle of a real uproar, when a play was going to be performed in Helsinki’s Kivinokka summer theater in which the teddy bear gets a “courage vaccine”. The scene was featured in advertising for the play before the premiere, and some anti-vaccine people suspected it was propaganda.
The vaccine for courage is in Karjalainen’s original script of the play first performed in 1980. Vaccine critics believed that the vaccine scene in the recent play was intended to put pressure on taking the coronavirus vaccine.
Actor Juha Uutela performed Uppo-Nalle in Kivinokka’s summer theater. Jussi Eskola
The creators of the play received angry messages from anti-vaccines, and there were threats to swing baseball bats at the premiere. To ensure the safety of the audience and performers, the theater manager and the director of the play Kari Kinnaslampi decided to remove the vaccine scene from the play.
The police supervised the premiere just to be sure, but the event was peaceful. According to Svoboda, the courage vaccine of the original play was not intended as a statement.
– Uppo-Nalle was not the bravest teddy bear in the world. He had been floating at sea for a year. Uppis’s friend Reeta always had to keep him a little moist, otherwise he started to get nervous, she repeats the character’s background.
– UPPO the bear – in the play, the teddy bear got help from a courage injection. This was certainly not a medical position, and my mother would have been truly astonished if such had been suggested to her. You got the fairy tale vaccination for Satuna, that’s all, says Svoboda.
Theater manager-director Kari Kinnaslampi received threatening messages because of the Uppo-Nalle play. Jussi Eskola
The adventure continues
Last UPPO the bear -book was published in 2005. The native of Karja died at the age of 79 in 2006, after which Uppo-Nalle’s legacy has been maintained through, among other things, new book printings and a support association.
Now the legendary teddy bear is getting a new life on the big screen: Uppo-Nalle is currently being made into an animated film. Producer Nick Dorra estimates that the film will possibly be completed in 2024.
– We have already got a distribution company for the film and have also had discussions with TV channels. There has been a lot of interest in all directions. Uppo-Nalle is clearly still known and believed in, says Dorra.
The story of the film is based on the first one UPPO the bear -book, where the teddy bear thrown into the sea and the little girl Reeta meet.
– The book is quite episodic, so we have to adapt it somewhat for the film. However, in our opinion, the most important elements are included. Remember UPPO the bear -books could very well lead to more movies, Dorra thinks.
Elina Karjalainen and illustrator Hannu Taina celebrated Uppo-Nalle’s 10th birthday in 1987. Pentti Nissinen/Lehtikuva
Mother’s wish
Uppo-Nalle’s copyright belongs to Karjalainen’s inheritance, i.e. his children. Dorra and her work groups contacted them when the idea for the film was born.
– They were positive about it and it has been really nice to take this project forward with them, Dorra praises.
Svoboda is happy that the story her mother developed is still alive.
– My mother’s wish was that UPPO the bear -books would be read to the children of future generations and the teddy bear would continue to live in the children’s imagination, says the daughter.
– He would have been very happy about the upcoming animated film and Winnie the Pooh’s adventures on the big screen. My brother Pertti and I are looking forward to the completion of the animated film.