Doll-A-Day 2023 #150: Arne Hasle Nisse Dolls or Haslenissen

   Yes, this is yesterday's post. You'll get one today too. Yesterday we left early in the  morning and were gone all day. I did a lot of driving yesterday, and when we got home it was very late. Frankly, I was just too tired to post. I took a shower and laid down to watch some YouTube with Ken. I fell asleep before we had gotten very far into that. But eventually I'll tell you what we were doing yesterday, and all about the doll I photographed while we were out. This late post will have been worth it.

  So since I have two posts to do in one day today, plus work on something else, this will be a quick post to show you a couple of interesting dolls I saw at an antique mall. They're Nisse dolls by Arne Hasle.

This guy's white eyebrows kill me. The short pants and stockings are traditional Nisse garb.

A woolen sweater, usually belted at the waist, as was the traditional farmer's, is also traditional for a Nisse. These were fairly large guys, maybe  16 or18 inches tall.

    They are by Arne Hasle. They're described on the dealer's tag as troll dolls, but I think they look more like gnomes.

  They are what's called 'Nisse' dolls. Nisse is the Danish name for a being from Nordic folklore. (The Norwegian name is actually Tomte, but the most common name, and the name the dolls seem to go by, is Nisse.) Nisse are supposed to be short, with long white beards and pointed knit caps. They are associated strongly with the Winter Solstice, and Christmas. Nisse were supposed to live in farm houses or barns, and be sort of guardians, protecting the farm and livestock from evil and bad luck. But if they were insulted or offended, they would punish the offender by playing tricks, stealing things, or even killing the farm animals! The tradition is to leave the Nisse a bowl of porridge on Christmas Eve, They sound sort of like the usual description of elves, except I don't remember ever reading of the bite of an elf being poisonous! After the Christianization of Scandinavia the Nisse became seen as evil spirits, having a connection  with the Devil. Those who believed in the Tomte, or Nisse could be accused of believing in false gods. Those with a Nisse on their farm could also be accused of luring the Nisse there with heathen ceremonies. (Okay. Are you allowed to believe in the Nisse or not? If you can't believe in the Nisse without being under the power of the Devil, then how can you accuse someone of being evil because they have a Nisse on their farm? To do that, you must believe in the Nisse, in which case you are in league with the Devil too! You can't have it both ways!)

  Arne Hasle still sells Nisse dolls. On their website,  (They do offer English translation.), they call them Haslenissen. The first Haslenissen were made in 1958 by Arne Hasle and his wife, Solveig. Arne was an engineer, and knew about latex and PVC. (The early dolls were made of latex, and today can become sticky as the latex breaks down.) Solveig  had attended the Norwegian Academy of Art and Design, and she helped with the traditional costuming of the dolls. The dolls were popular in the 1970's,and became popular Christmas decor, but the Arne Hasle company eventually discontinued the dolls and went on to make...wait for it!...boats! Arne Hasle is a kayak, boats, and boat supply company in Norway, and is, in fact, the only manufacturer of canoes and kayaks in Norway. In 2018 Arne Hasle's granddaughter presented a small new collection of Nisse dolls for sale. Today the dolls are still made, and available from Arne Hasle, (the company, not the guy.). Their slogan is "No Christmas without Haslenissen!". 

  Those are the dolls for...yesterday! Check in later today for today's dolls, and I'll also, of course, see you again tomorrow.