200k People Are Loving This Funny Instagram Page That Shares “Very Finnish Problems” (50 New Pics)
Interview With Author
When you think of Finland, what things pop straight into your mind? If you pictured the Moomin valley or the Santa Claus village, it’s so much more than that. With their insanely complex language and world-class education system, there’s also the mesmerizing nature, clean air, and thousands of crystal clear lakes. Heck, it’s even been nominated as the happiest nation in the world for four consecutive years!
But like every country, it too has its own weird little quirks, even if they seem hilarious and silly. Enter the Very Finnish Problems, an Instagram account dedicated to highlighting Finland’s national identity with a pinch of fun.
From the Finns' burning love for saunas and coffee to their sacred personal space, we have collected some of the best memes the account had to offer. Continue scrolling and upvote the ones that made you laugh! And if you’re hungry for some more Finnish goodness, check out our previous posts about it right here and here.
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Very Finnish Problems is one of the biggest projects celebrating the Finnish lifestyle online. Tens of thousands of followers enjoy its content on Instagram, but it's just the tip of the iceberg. People can also stumble across such hilarious memes and jokes on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Plus, there’s even a whole website dedicated to honoring the Finnish charm.
The founder of this project, Joel Willans, is a British Helsinki resident who created the account in 2016. A year later, he published a best-selling book 101 Very Finnish Problems: A Foreigner's Guide to Surviving Finland, and then a sequel More Very Finnish Problems: An Even More Essential Guide to Surviving Finland. These books are full of humor and essential insights into the highs and lows of fantastic Finland to help people deal with all this country can throw at them.
"I’m the Creative Director at a digital marketing agency, Ink Tank Media, and I bet one of my clients that I could create a Facebook page of 10K fans in a month without spending a penny," Joel explained the origins of Very Finnish Problems in a previous interview with Bored Panda last year. "The bet was made during 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, and I remember thinking how winter is trying to kill me, and what a very Finnish problem that is."
He then realized it was one of the very many Finnish quirks "faced by an Englishman in the far north. That was how it all began, and it clearly resonated with lots of people, because I won the bet and got nearly 20K fans in a month."
When asked about his followers, he said they’re extremely active. "The biggest demographic is Finnish women between 25-54. But there’s lots of other nationalities and age groups too," he explained. "Besides Finns who enjoy hearing about Finland from a British man’s perspective, there’s foreigners who love Finland and foreigners who might have a Nordic background."
Well, Joel was once a foreigner too. While he quickly fell in love with the Finnish lifestyle, he told Bored Panda he’s still getting used to it, even after living there for over 18 years. "Of course, the culture shock isn’t as hardcore as it was, and I do a lot of Finnish things now without even noticing it. For example, if somebody had told me 20 years ago I’d learn to love saunas, I’d have laughed at them," he revealed jokingly.
The 4 guys in the front arguing about who's generic black middle class car it actually is.
Most of the VFP memes showcase a slice of Finnish life. From the harsh yet beautiful weather to the deep introversion of this country’s citizens, there are plenty of clichés that fuel such hilarious content. "Like all stereotypes, there’s an element of truth," Joel said. "But also like all stereotypes, it’s exaggerated."
The creator of this project personally thinks Finns are just more straightforward and honest than many other nationalities. "Rather than being polite and pretending to be interested in chatting like we do in the UK, if Finns don’t want to talk to you, they won’t."
He continued: "Living in the EU’s least densely populated country, I think they’re also more comfortable being alone or with family in the wilderness. That’s another thing I’ve certainly learned to love."
actually, i learned this interesting fact from a park ranger. apparently, squirrels can fall from amazingly high heights and be perfectly fine. for some reason, only if they are starving will they die from falling.
When shoveling is utterly futile and you say, f**k it, stab the snow with the shovel, and go inside to start binge drinking
While some beliefs people have about the Finns are inaccurate, they can still be a great source of entertainment. "Needless to say, for all the horrors of COVID-19, there was lots of talk about how self-isolating and maintaining distance suited Finns. Even in difficult times, I think it helps to try to laugh, so at times we had some fun with that." Also, research that highlights unexpected characteristics about this country helps him think of new memes. To illustrate, he mentioned a study that found pineapple was Finland’s most popular pizza topping.
From what I've gathered so far, both counts as a threat in Finland.
Moreover, Joel sees many more opportunities to brighten people’s dull days by celebrating the relatively odd and charming Finnish habits. "I’ve plans to relaunch the Very Finnish Problems podcast very soon. We originally launched it four years ago and, for a while, it was one of Finland’s top five podcasts, but then work and life got in the way. We only did 19 episodes, so there’s plenty left to talk about."
"I’m also looking at getting into the world of Finnish-themed NFTs and considering a third Very Finnish Problems themed book, although it would take a different angle to the previous two. So, plenty of things in the pipeline!"
They should have included the box since it can be used as a baby bed and isn't just there to hold the contents.
No. At least Poland and Germany does that too. I think there are other countries as well, but I don't know which. Probably the whole east of Europe tough. It's not about the snow either, it's about fresh air.
We do it here in Denmark as well. All Scandinavia I believe. A Danish tourist was arrested in New York when she left her infant daughter outside the coffee shop...
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What happens if someone accidentally takes the wrong stroller with someone else's baby? Do the choose to raise the kid anyway just to avoid contact with the actual parents?
There is a reason we all sleep better in cooler temps. And we search out those cool sheets. And crack open that window in the dead of winter. Dropping the body temperature helps the body shut down so you sleep better.
No idea what you are talking about cause i never open windows or look for cool sheets while sleeping in winter! I sleep with an electric blanket!
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Lithuania and Estonia does it too! I was in balcony at 3 days old (born in December)
I can relate... I prefer my bedroom to be cold when sleeping (while I am comfortably cocooned in my sheets and blankets). I struggle to sleep when it's warm/hot.
You can't do this in the US cause someone might take your child. And even if hypothermia wasn't a possibility, there are like 12 other things that could go wrong. What if an animal attacks them? Hell, what if they need something and you can't hear them crying?
Hypothermia is not an issue. We don't put our children outside in nothing. Wool do excist. Animals... No. We do have babyalarms so we can hear our children and what is going on outside... The most dangerous animal near your child is a cat. It can fall asleep over the babys head and is the host of a parasite that can make the baby very sick or even kill them... Toxoplasmosis.... So keep cats away from where baby sleeps...
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My parents love too tell me how my babysitter (swedish, I think) nearly got arrested for leaving infant me alone in a stroller outside the grocery store. This was the 1980s and I think the practice was more widespread.
Cold actually makes everyone sleep better best temp 67° f sorry don't remember metric. Never needed it. I have read the reasons are fresh air. Though in U.S. unless adults out watching someone might take the baby. Yes,sucks.
My Mom did this to her four kids. To this day. (68 years later) I still sleep best when you can see your breath.
The human body will learn to accomidate the weather be it fresh air at 5 below or a Finnish summer at 5 above.
They sleep better in the cold because hypothermia sets in. Eyes water and can't keep them open and yawning a lot and then the head gets dizzy and off I go to sleep.
Heck, I sleep better in the cold. I keep the bedroom window open at least 3 inches all winter.
So do adults. I pop my heat down to 63 at night. We both sleep better and are sick less. We have plenty of blankets also, but heat dries out your nose and then it can bleed and crack. So sleep in the colder room!
The babies are dressed and bundled up appropriately for the cold weather. The cold helps them sleep better.
A old European custom to get the snugged up babies immune systems well balanced for their future life in the cold
I work in a café in Sweden and first time I saw customers leaving their babies in the strollers outside I was thinking "how can they do that to their babies while their inside drinking coffee" then I learned it's actually good for them and I know now that it is a normal thing to do 😅😊
My Mother put me out in my carriage in all weather's. Winters included. We had a push sleigh for winter walks. I am from Nova Scotia, Canada.
Actually, all humans no matter which age sleep better when it's cold.
The US to many people try's to raise your baby for you when it became illegal to let your 8 year old to the the park 3 blacks away alone
I did that with both sons and now the are living furnaces but my daughter is always cold.
My Mom did that to my brother and I in Winnipeg as babies. Said we slept like logs
It's to teach the body to deal with cold weather. Also sleep without clothes help
If they really sleep outside? Yes. They are tucked in very warmly, but yes, lots of countries put their Babys outside to sleep. This can be behind the house in the garden or on a balcony.... It is very healthy and if you are worried about crime rates. They are very low. I've never heard about stolen or killed Babies in such a scenario. These things are extremely rare here.
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Finn here! Finnish is indeed not related to the Indo-European family of languages, it belongs to the family of Finno-Ugric languages. Therefore the grammar is completely different from most European languages. We actually have borrowed a lot of words from German, Swedish, and Russian due to historical reasons, but their spelling has been adjusted to fit Finnish pronunciation. We also have a layer of ancient words which are based on a language (Proto-Uralic) spoken 7000–2000 BCE. It's especially those words that nobody else gets.
Looks like it has seen some sh!t and spontaneously grown hair that even more spontaneously turned white.
For sex to occur, that would mean that two Finnish people would have to interact.
Luckily in Finland the forest to people ratio is ideal for lots of remote cabins in the woods.
Note: this post originally had 102 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
Enjoyed this post and am glad the Finns were nominated for the happiest nation. Yet, somehow I can't get snow, cold and months of darkness to jive with happiness. Has anyone checked their water for drugs? If they find any I want some.
H-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s! A toast, at a very long distance, to the Finns.
I had a Finnish roommate in college. She invited me to come home with her one weekend for some family party. I am 5'1". I felt exceptionally small that weekend.
How do you know if a Finn is extrovert or introvert. if he/she looks at yours or his'/hers own feet
The only thing missing is the classic "sun rises, sun goes down in different cities" -report in a paper which says something like "sun rises the next time at Feb 18th."
Finnish is a superlogical language. It's difficult for other Europeans to learn because it's not indoeuropean.
so what im getting from this post is finnish people are introverts /lh
Think I was born in the wrong country, the lack of social interaction sounds ideal!!! Cant be dealing with that snow tho so I guess I'll trade off some convos about the weather for a bit more sunshine
It's a stereotype, because we don't do small talk. Small talk is just not a part of our culture. We are definitely not all introverts, but many of us are.
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Enjoyed this post and am glad the Finns were nominated for the happiest nation. Yet, somehow I can't get snow, cold and months of darkness to jive with happiness. Has anyone checked their water for drugs? If they find any I want some.
H-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s! A toast, at a very long distance, to the Finns.
I had a Finnish roommate in college. She invited me to come home with her one weekend for some family party. I am 5'1". I felt exceptionally small that weekend.
How do you know if a Finn is extrovert or introvert. if he/she looks at yours or his'/hers own feet
The only thing missing is the classic "sun rises, sun goes down in different cities" -report in a paper which says something like "sun rises the next time at Feb 18th."
Finnish is a superlogical language. It's difficult for other Europeans to learn because it's not indoeuropean.
so what im getting from this post is finnish people are introverts /lh
Think I was born in the wrong country, the lack of social interaction sounds ideal!!! Cant be dealing with that snow tho so I guess I'll trade off some convos about the weather for a bit more sunshine
It's a stereotype, because we don't do small talk. Small talk is just not a part of our culture. We are definitely not all introverts, but many of us are.
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