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. More info: Facebook | Instagram | TikTok “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.” “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.” “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. “‘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.” “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. 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. Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
