The Magical World began in the childhood of fairytale artist Petronella Grahn.
“It is a blessing to grow up in an artistic home filled with siblings, imagination, joy and every beautiful colour imaginable. Throughout my childhood I lived in worlds of my own. I played, invented stories, sang, composed, played the violin and piano, and listened to the fairy tales my grandmother read to me. Imagination made even the impossible possible — creativity played through stories, dance and music. My childhood was full of magic, and in the nearby forest, Kuusien Kuiske, one adventure after another was always waiting for its adventurer.”
The Magical World of Pomenia became visible when fairytale artist Petronella Grahn sewed the first dragon hat for her eldest son. The pattern was drawn freehand on a copy of Helsingin Sanomat spread across the kitchen table and cut into shape with scissors. The hat was sewn on a sewing machine inherited from her grandmother. Hip-hey! The adventure towards her own whimsical and playful children’s clothing collection had begun!
Pomenia founder Petronella Grahn opened the family park Lasten leikkipuisto Nelli in Vantaa, where children played wild and wonderfully fun outdoor games. Parents met one another there and shared the joys, sorrows and best advice of everyday life. Petronella’s fairytale paintings on the play structures, fabric dens, climbing ropes, real pots and jugs, water and mud play truly set the children’s play in motion. The park created wonderful shared memories, offered valuable peer support for parents and formed deep friendships. Petronella’s first fairytale sewing creations were also tested and sold there.
Suddenly play took flight in clothing too, and EVERYONE wanted to be dragons, fairies, foxes, bunnies and… trolls! So Petronella founded the Tinttu.com children’s clothing studio and online shop. Fantasy clothing brought adventure and play into the everyday lives of families across Finland and Europe. The Magical World of Pomenia, with its stories and fairytale characters, saw daylight for the first time through the children’s clothing collections.
The door to Pomenia also opened through large mural paintings. The first Magical World of Pomenia landscape was created at Daycare Vekkuli in Kotka in 2001. Petronella then painted large murals around Finland, including at Mehiläinen in Tikkurila, wards L1 and L3 of Jorvi Children’s Hospital, and a 250 m² mural at Kotka Children’s Hospital. Several private homes and daycare centres have also been transformed with the atmosphere of the Magical World. Wow!
Walls could not be moved for others to see, and the fairytale characters could not adventure into Tinttu.com prints and interior stickers without learning new skills. So the large wall paintings became drawings on paper and then sparkling canvas works. The first art exhibition was created from these artworks, and the original illustrations became prints for clothing, posters and cards. The first mural wallpaper and interior sticker collection was also created.
The fairytale illustrations and characters told the story of Pomenia and opened the door to the Magical World for everyone. Magic Dust!
Petronella gave her Dreamland the name Pomenia and began writing down and sketching the painted images of the Magical World into storybooks.
Tinttu.com decided to publish Pomenia’s first storybook, Keijun taikapöly. When the book sold out, it was turned into an enchanting read-aloud story video for all magnificent adventurers. Oh!
Petronella wanted to make her dreams real and bring Pomenia’s stories and characters out from behind the design work. She put the children’s clothing brand Tinttu.com on hold, wrote the bedtime stories she had told children for more than twenty years into actual storybooks, and learned to draw digitally. The fairytale world of Pomenia was digitised and the characters were animated. The Magical World of Pomenia, created over many years, was brought to life.
The first part of the Pomenia book trilogy, Pomenia — Taikamaailman suuri seikkailu (The Great Adventure of the Magical World), together with the picture book for younger children, Taikapölyn salaisuus (The Secret of Magic Dust), launched the extensive Pomenia product series in Finland in autumn 2020. (kummakustannus.fi)
In November 2020, both Pomenia books appeared on Finland’s bestselling children’s books list, and in November 2021 the final part of the trilogy did as well. (Kirjakauppaliitto)
At the same time, participatory educational Pomenia activity cards and the Satuseikkailu board game were published.
In 2021, the second and third parts of the book trilogy were released, together with the smaller storybook Sisu sankarina (Sisu the Hero) and Dragon Sisu’s Courage Cards. In addition, Pomenia’s main story was developed for global distribution as an animated series and film by a European production company.
Indeed! The Magical World of Pomenia is much more than a dragon hat!
It was time to open the Pomenia Shop and create enchanting Fairytale Design by Petronella Grahn Pomenia products. The first Pomenia indoor clothing collection made in Finland was launched in autumn 2021 through a licensing collaboration with Ehta by Dream Circus. At the same time, licensed fabrics began selling in more than 15 countries.
In 2021, an agreement for the translation rights to the storybooks was also signed with the Bonnier Rights literary agency. Pomenia storybooks for children around the world — hooray!
In 2022, Petronella Grahn’s Magical World of Pomenia took to the stage as a magnificent two-act ballet production, performed to sold-out audiences at Oulu Theatre.
More than 400 dancers, original music, distinctive costumes, set design and choreography brought Pomenia’s characters and stories to life in a way that deeply moved audiences.
The production was created by the students and teachers of Balettikoulu Sinikello in collaboration with composer Mika Tourunen and Rolf Gustavson — a tribute to Finnish fairytale and dance art.
It was a moment when the story became movement — and magic grew wings.
During 2024–2025, Petronella Grahn continued her series of fairytale murals around Finland, creating a magical cavalcade of mural works that transform public spaces into living parts of a story.
Works from 2024:
Satumetsä Salaisin, Viertola School, Vantaa
Satumainen Satuhuone, Forssa Main Library
Sydänpuu, Hannula School, Tornio
Satumetsä, Early Childhood Education Sports Centre, Tornio
Day Dreaming, Kihniö Comprehensive School
Moonbeam Magic: A Night of Wonders, Siuntio Library and Family Centre
Ja Aina Sattui Ja Tapahtui, Pihlava Library, Pori
Satua ja Seikkailua, Hämeenlinna Main Library
Pomenia’s first own fabric collection, “Ripaus Taikapölyä — A Puff of Magic Fairy Dust”, was launched in spring 2025 and is sold both in Finland and in more than ten countries outside Finland. Discover the collection — and fall in love!
The years 2025–2026 take the Ripaus Taikapölyä art exhibition on tour around Finland.
The exhibitions combine fairytale paintings, ceramics and illustrated storytelling — every work is part of the Magical World of Pomenia, where colours, characters and stories awaken the imagination.
The whole also expands into interior art and design.
Petronella Grahn’s art invites both children and adults to stop for a moment — and believe again that magic is real.
Petronella Grahn’s beloved fairytale character Little Fox and his friends are moving from the pages of books into the international world of animation.
In 2025, Petronella signed a development agreement with the British Studio Liddell — an award-winning, BAFTA-nominated animation studio known for productions including Cloudbabies, Fifi and the Flowertots, Roary the Racing Car, RaRa the Noisy Lion and BooSnoo! (Sky Kids).
Studio Liddell, founded in Manchester, is a creative studio specialising in CGI animation and immersive XR experiences, with projects for international production companies, AAA game studios and Disney Nat Geo Discovery centres.
Together with Petronella, Studio Liddell is developing Little Fox and the Magical World of Pomenia for international distribution — as a series combining adventure, imagination, friendship and courage.
Petronella serves as creative director and the original creator of Pomenia’s story world, ensuring that the work’s emotion, values and the core of its fairytale art remain intact in every image and story.