British Man Living In Helsinki Shares âVery Finnish Problemsâ And Theyâre Hilariously Accurate
Interview With AuthorIn 2023, Finland was declared to be the world's happiest country for the sixth year in a row. However, even this Nordic country has its own set of challenges.
Enter "Very Finnish Problems." Created by Joel Willans, a Brit living in Helsinki, it hilariously highlights the quirks and idiosyncrasies of local life, entertaining both Finns and international audiences alike.
From popular spring activities to unorthodox road signs, continue scrolling to check out some of the most popular memes that have recently appeared on this fun corner of the internet.
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HyvÀÀ NaistenpÀivÀÀ!
Hat Tip To Helsinki Uni đ©đ
We managed to get in touch with Joel Willans, and he told us that everything began while he was dancing in The Dogstar, a nightclub in south London.
"I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turned round to see a beautiful blonde Finnish girl in a shimmering silver dress, smiling," Willans explained to Bored Panda.
"'Can you buy me a beer?' she asked. Needless to say, I said yes. A year later, Anna and I moved in together. We lived in London for a few years, with both of us working in advertising."
Facts đ
Everyone Needs An Aimo In Their Lives đ»
When Youâre Bored Of Snow âïž
However, the couple eventually got disillusioned with their careers and went backpacking around the world for a year.
"Following the sunshine from Southeast Asia to Australia and South America, I'd purposely got return flights to the UK in July for a British summer, but the weather when we landed in Heathrow was battleship grey and drizzling," Willans recalled.
"So, I suggested we go to Finland. When we arrived, it was the hottest summer in 200 years. 'Yay! Let's stay for a while,' I thought, expecting to remain just for the summer. That was over twenty years ago and I'm still here."
Which One Is Your Fav? đ
When You Can Live In Forest For Summer đđČ
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We love Sauli! Hope our next president will be as great as he has been! (Vote for 10 !)
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Avid Bored Panda readers might remember one of our earlier pieces on 'Very Finnish Problems,' in which Joel, who works as a creative director at a digital marketing agency called Ink Tank Media, revealed that the social media project is the result of a wager.
"I bet one of my clients that I could create a Facebook page with 10K fans in a month without spending a penny," he then told us. "The bet was made during the Finnish winter, which was typically dark and very, very cold. The pavements were super slippery, and it was taking me ages to walk to work. I remember thinking how winter is trying to kill me and what a very Finnish problem that is."
The Englishman in the far north then realized that he faced many more Finnish problems and launched the page, gaining nearly 20K fans in a month and winning the bet.
When You Donât Have A Police Reindeer
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Now the Facebook page has over 517K followers, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of fans on other platforms.
"'Very Finnish Problems' content comes from a few sources. Approximately 75% is content I create, often inspired by real life or my two 'Very Finnish Problems' books," Willans said, letting us in on the process.
"Typically, that's short-form video for 'Very Finnish Problems' on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and the occasional meme. My videos typically get hundreds of thousands of views, often millions."
When You Canât Control Your Emotions đ
They're hockey fans, not football fans. Different breed of sports fan.
Hat Tip To Genius Kids Finishing School Today đđ
Youâre Going To Need A Bigger Swatter đ
When You Canât Wait Any Longer đ»
"In the past, I had a team creating a wide variety of content, such as infographics, fun facts, illustrations, etc.," Willans added. "We also used these ideas for VFP merch in the 'Very Finnish Problems' shop. But now, because so much of VFP is video, we don't create as much new meme content."
"The rest comes from what people send me. There are now nearly 1.3 million 'Very Finnish Problems' fans, so I get sent a lot." The Helsinki-based Brit said there's also the VFP hangout, which is a Facebook group with 65K members. "Typically, we adapt if I decide to share it."
According to him, the criteria for sharing a particular snippet are quite simple: it basically boils down to whether Joel thinks VFP fans will like it and whether it will put a smile on people's faces. After 8 years of running the show, he's developed a pretty good feel for it.
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As for the problems themselves, Willans said that in wintertime, the weather is the most talked-about. "As a result of the climate crisis, the whole country has been experiencing insanely cold temperatures, even worse than normal. I experienced hardcore arctic conditions skiing in Lapland and had a 'How I dress to ski in minus 28' (by wearing 6 layers) rack up 1.3 million views on Instagram. Another video comparing the names for winter storms got 11 million."
According to him, "The whole country has been caked in ice too, which makes walking tricky. So how Finnish winter tries to kill you is a theme that really resonates."
"In short, anything to do with extreme winter weather and how it messes with your life. Happily, we only have another 4 months to deal with before we get to enjoy our 15 minutes of summer," he added, laughing.
When You Get Over-Excited By Sunshine đ
Easy Mistake To Make đ
How do you say "I'll meet you and kill you", then? Asking for a friend.
And Has Much Longer Hair đ
Oh look, that one person didnât show up to announce she is no longer prime minister.
When You Live In Lapland And You Like Sunsets
Fact: 12 Cups A Day Keeps The Sadness At Bay đđ How Many Do You Drink?
The assignment appears to be âconsume something Japaneseâ so Iâll just eat Pocky instead.
One in morning, one in lunch and one in evening. Thats it. But i know many who drinks more. And you get coffee on birthdays, funerals, wedding, when have visitors in home, everyplace
Green tea ice cream is my favourite when in Japan. (Not available at home.)
From 1-10, How Strong Do You Go? đâïžâïžâïžâïž
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When People Do This At Your May Day Barbecue
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Went to visit my penfriend in Finland when I was 16. All her friends spoke English! They actually told me how lucky I was to speak English, "Nobody speaks Finnish and it's a b***h to learn."
Fact đđ
When Youâre The Worldâs Happiest Country Again And You Just Canât Hide Your Excitement đđ
When You Learn In Might Snow On May Day đ„¶
We get the same message in the northern United States, but it is delivered by a particularly qualified rodent.
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People...they're Everywhere!
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Those are only the PUBLIC saunas. Almost all homes have one. There are 3,5 million saunas in a country of 5,5 million.
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What A Prime Minister Looks Like When Their Country Wins The Ice Hockey World Championship!! đđđđđ» #leijonat
When You Get Over-Excited By Spring Sunshine đâïž
Would You Ride This? đđŠ
Do NOT try this at home, kids! This goofy-looking taxi will unalive ya with one toss of his antlers.
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Every Car Driver In Finland This Morning âïžđ
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When This Is April âïž
I love Montana for it's winters, I've embraced the darkness. Keeps my soul ice cold, too.
Proof There Are Different Types Of Happiness đđđ«đź
If Toby from the Office and Adam from Mythbusters had a child, that'd be him.
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The snow on midsummer is extra evil of the weather deities. (has happened twice to me)
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Reindeer Chillinâ
Which Do You Prefer? Summer Or Winter? âïžâïžđ
Whoâs Had Their Ice Cream Snatched? đŠ
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When People Say Finnish Is Hard
Has Everyone Stocked Up For The Weekend? đșđ·đ
As a British person, I love that they buy their wine & beer from 'Alko' :D
Whoâs Travelled The Entire Length? đȘ
When Itâs Too Hot And Too Cold All On The Same Day
Wonder Whoâll Win? đ€đ
What? We have an ice hockey team? When did that happen?
Sisu In Action đ„đ
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When One Morning You Wake Up And Realise Winterâs Coming âïž
Sauna For The Win đ„đ
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When The Weather Trolls You Day After Day After DayâŠ
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Who Knew? đ
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When The Weather Trolls YouâŠagain!
When You Need Beer To Go To School đ»đ
How Does These People Even Get Through The Day? đ
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Poll Question
Thanks! Check out the results:
I enjoyed this! Better than the usual recycled stuff on this site. I learned quite a few things, such as their love of coffee
We almost had a revolt at work when our employer suggested that they are no longer going to provide us with free coffee.
Load More Replies...I love these type of posts. I wish they would do another 'meanwhile in Australia' one
I can get Luxembourg citizenship. After the next election I may have to.
I enjoyed this! Better than the usual recycled stuff on this site. I learned quite a few things, such as their love of coffee
We almost had a revolt at work when our employer suggested that they are no longer going to provide us with free coffee.
Load More Replies...I love these type of posts. I wish they would do another 'meanwhile in Australia' one
I can get Luxembourg citizenship. After the next election I may have to.