View source for Finnish Nightmares

{{short description|2015 stick figure webcomic}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox comic strip
| title       = Finnish Nightmares
| image       = Finnish Nightmares logo.png
| caption     = Logo
| author      = Karoliina Korhonen
| current     =
| url         = {{URL|https://finnishnightmares.blogspot.com/}}
| status      = Ongoing
| first       = [https://finnishnightmares.blogspot.com/2015/10/ 2015]
| syndicate   = 
| publisher   = 
| genre       = 
}}
'''''Finnish Nightmares''''' is a webcomic by Karoliina Korhonen, presenting the daily life and struggles of Matti, a [[socially awkward]] [[Finnish people|Finn]]. The webcomic is particularly popular in [[China]], where the Finnish vision of [[privacy]] and [[personal space]] struck a chord with people living in crowded cities.

==Overview==
[[File:Finnish Nightmares cartoon.png|thumb|right|Matti gets anxious when people around him are loud in public.]]
''Finnish Nightmares'' is an English-language [[stick figure]] webcomic initially developed by Korhonen with the goal of entertaining herself and her friends.<ref name=yle>{{cite web|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-10339464|work=[[Yle]]|title=Finnish Nightmares villitsee Kiinassa – kiusallisten tilanteiden Matti poiki kieleen jopa uuden sanan|last=Gustafsson|first=Miia|date=2018-08-06}}</ref> The cartoon stars Matti, a socially awkward character who prefers minimal contact and avoids social situations. Korhonen describes the character as "a stereotypical Finn who appreciates peace, quiet and personal space. Matti tries his best to do unto others as he wishes to be done unto him: to give space, be polite and not bother with unnecessary chit chat." The character comes across as perpetually uncomfortable who hides from his neighbors and hates being singled out. Korhonen wrote on her blog that some traits associated with [[introvert|introversion]] are part of Finnish culture and code of conduct, such as giving others a large amount of [[personal space]]. Ephrat Livni of ''[[Qz.com|Quartz]]'' noted that Matti seems introverted even by Finnish standards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://qz.com/1351850/why-the-comic-finnish-nightmares-is-a-hit-in-china/|work=[[Qz.com|Quartz]]|title=Are you socially awkward, or just "spiritually Finnish?"|last=Livni|first=Ephrat|date=2018-08-09}}</ref>

==Popularity in China==
Privacy and personal space are often unfamiliar luxuries to people living in crowded Chinese cities. ''Finnish Nightmares'' became strongly popular on Chinese online platforms in 2019. Matti's fear of crowds and small talk resonated with many Chinese readers who experience anxiety in the overpopulated streets of Chinese cities. Many of these readers are appealed to Finnish culture as presented in the webcomic; a culture in which privacy and personal space are considered important and commonplace. Fans of the webcomic coined the Mandarin word ''jīngfēn'' ({{lang-zh|s=精芬|l=spiritually Finnish}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sohu.com/a/248684549_157164 | title="精芬"成最火新词，网友：芬兰真是社恐者最想移民的国家……_马蒂 | website=[[Sohu]] }}</ref>) to describe people who, like Matti, dislike socializing and long for more personal space.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2018/aug/05/why-do-millions-of-chinese-people-want-to-be-spiritually-finnish|work=[[The Guardian]]|title=Why do millions of Chinese people want to be 'spiritually Finnish'?|last=Yu|first=Verna|date=2018-08-05}}</ref>

Korhonen was surprised by her webcomic's popularity in China. Writing to ''Sixth Tone'', she said "I thought Chinese people might be used to crowded places." Korhonen supports the term ''jingfen'', noting that "everyone can have a little bit of Matti in them, regardless of where they are from."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boingboing.net/2018/07/26/how-a-quirky-finnish-comic-cam.html|title=How a quirky Finnish comic came to resonate with Chinese millennials|work=[[Boing Boing]]|last=James|first=Andrea|date=2018-07-26}}</ref>

==Publication==
Korhonen launched her webcomic in 2015 on [[Blogspot]]. The webcomic was adapted into a comic book in 2016 and published by {{ill|Atena (publisher)|fi|Atena (kirjankustantamo)|lt=Atena}}. A second adaptation of ''Finnish Nightmares'', titled ''Matti in the Wallet'', was published by Atena in Q2 2019. Both books were listed on the {{ill|Booksellers' Association of Finland|fi|Kirjakauppaliitto|lt=Bookstore Federation}} charts for several months in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.marmai.fi/uutiset/finlandia-ehdokkaat-julki-niita-ei-viela-ole-myyty-paljoa-naita-kirjoja-ostettiin-eniten-lokakuussa/4dcefabc-d74d-4d0f-be88-428a59ac8b35|work=[[Marmai.fi]]|title=Finlandia-ehdokkaat julki, niitä ei vielä ole myyty paljoa: Näitä kirjoja ostettiin eniten lokakuussa|last=Isoniemi|first=Jaakko|date=2019-11-07}}</ref> The webcomic was internationally published in August 2019 as a 96-page humorous guidebook, titled ''Finnish Nightmares: An Irreverent Guide to Life's Awkward Moments''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://coolhunting.com/design/finnish-nightmares/|work=Coolhunting|title=Finnish Nightmares: An Irreverent Guide to Life's Awkward Moments|last=Graver|first=David|date=2019-08-12}}</ref>

''Finnish Nightmares'' was translated into Chinese and Japanese, and has possibly also been translated into Korean. Sales expectations in these regions were high, as Atena received exceptionally high advances on translations.<ref name=yle /> ''Matti is Still Depressed Today'' won a [[Gaiman Award]] in Japan in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gaiman.jp/top/2017.html#senbatsu|work=gaiman.jp|title=結果発表:センバツ作品賞|date=2017|access-date=2019-11-12|archive-date=2019-12-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213123951/https://gaiman.jp/top/2017.html#senbatsu|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Portal bar|Comics|Finland}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2010s webcomics]]
[[Category:2015 webcomic debuts]]
[[Category:Comics set in Finland]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Finnish people]]
[[Category:English-language mass media in Finland]]
[[Category:Finnish webcomics]]
[[Category:Satirical comics]]
[[Category:Short form webcomics]]
[[Category:Webcomics in print]]