Increasing number of Lappish souvenirs are made in China

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By Tapio Mainio in Kemi
     
      Chinese stuffed toys and thin fleece blankets have replaced traditional Lapp dolls in the souvenir market.
      Increasing numbers of souvenirs are today made in China. However, articles made of wood are usually manufactured in Finland. Such items include for example a bottle opener in the shape of a mobile phone, carved from a block of pine or fir snag [from a standing dead tree, and highly sought-after by builders of cabins].
     
”Two elderly ladies asked whether we are sure that this cuddly toy has been made in Finland. What should one reply to that”, asks Eero Himanen, the Managing Director of Lappituote Oy, Lapland’s largest manufacturer and dealer of souvenirs, while squeezing a stuffed toy elk wearing a pullover with a small Finnish flag and the text ”Finland”.
      Lappituote has three souvenir shops in Lapland, in which a tourist can buy a stuffed elk for three to four euros.
      ”One stuffed elk shipped over from China costs us 80 cents. I have no idea what the manufacturing of such a toy has cost in the factory, as there have been several middlemen on the way. We do not know, either, how much Chinese workers could be paid, as the material that goes into the making of the elks is good. It is not profitable to make such stuffed elks in Finland”, Himanen reports.
     
The gift and souvenir industry is preparing for the Christmas season. In addition to July, the best sales periods include December and January, which is particularly favoured by Russians celebrating the New Year according to the old Julian Calendar.
      Santa Claus dolls are peeking out from cartons, when Himanen is rummaging for goods in the warehouse of the company’s Kemi factory.
      ”The bodies of the Santa Claus dolls have been made in Finland, but we had the heads made in China. We placed an order for 15,000 heads in one go, so they should suffice for some time”, says Himanen.
     
Articles made of snag have to be made in Finland, as such material is not available in China.
      Aarre Salmela is polishing mobile phones made of snag, which will be equipped with keyboards glued on the front side of the articles.
      Initially, these mobiles were made for Ericsson to be used as business gifts. As there was a growing demand for them, the snag mobiles were included in the general selection of souvenirs.
      Klaas de Rijk is glueing handles made of pieces of antler to cheese-slicers.
      ”British tourists tend to buy various kinds of glittery items and postcards, while Finns prefer utility articles. Hopefully wooden articles will continue to grow in popularity, as employers like us are needed in the north”, Himanen concludes.
      Today, the souvenir factory employs 27 people.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 25.10.2008


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Hey, this shirt says "Soumi" on it! (7.9.2004)

Links:
  Snag (Wikipedia)
  Lappituote (in Finnish)

TAPIO MAINIO / Helsingin Sanomat
tapio.mainio@hs.fi