The tale about Funnys Äventyr
Once upon a time..
..a playwright and director named Staffan Götestam. After being the initiator of the children's cultural center Junibacken and the museum Vikingaliv in Stockholm, he got an idea together with the entertainment entrepreneur Julius Malmström to start up a new cultural center, this time in Malmö.
"All children, regardless of circumstances, should have access to play, reading, fairy tales and the magical imagination."
The Foundation for a Cultural Centre for Children in Malmö
Funnys Äventyr in Malmö is owned by the foundation Kulturhuset för barn i Malmö, which was established by playwright and director Staffan Götestam and entertainment entrepreneur and theatre manager Julius Malmström. The foundation is funded through donations and grants. Its operations are conducted within a wholly-owned subsidiary, Funnys Äventyr i Malmö AB.
The purpose of the foundation is to operate—either directly or through a subsidiary controlled by the foundation—the cultural center "Funnys Äventyr" (Funny’s Adventures) for children within the Municipality of Malmö. The objective is to strengthen high-quality culture for children through theater, play, and learning, where experiences featuring well-known children’s book characters are brought to life via interactive exhibitions and classic fairy tales, complete with set designs, music, and narration.
The foundation’s primary purpose is to encourage reading and reading comprehension among children. Funnys Äventyr does not distribute any profit. All surplus is reinvested into the operations to continue promoting children’s culture.
Staffan Götestam
Staffan Götestam is an actor, director, producer, and playwright.
The role of Jonatan in the film Bröderna Lejonhjärta led to a long-term collaboration with Astrid Lindgren and several productions based on her books. Staffan has written the books about Funnys Äventyr. He is also one of the founders of the children's culture house Junibacken in Stockholm.
Julius Malmström
Julius and Staffan Götestam's common denominator is that they want to work towards children (and adults) being allowed to cultivate their imagination through the three keywords "Read-Learn-Play".
This has led to Julius and Staffan being the founders of the Children's Culture House Foundation in Malmö - also called Funnys Äventyr. A way to, with their common background in the theater and entertainment industry, convey something beautiful and lasting to future generations.
Founder of Funnys Äventyr
Funnys Äventyr was founded by six Malmö companies in collaboration with Malmö City, the property owner Atrium Ljungberg and the Children's Culture Foundation in Malmö. What unites the six founders is a strong desire to help build our shared society—not just for today, but also for those who will take over in the future. They also all possessed the courage to believe in the idea and to fund it back when it was nothing more than just an idea.
Atrium Ljungberg
“Atrium Ljungberg aims to create an attractive, vibrant, and dynamic urban environment at Mobilia. A diverse cultural offering is essential to achieving this. With ‘Funnys Äventyr,’ we will be able to provide one of the best cultural experiences for children in Sweden. We are also very pleased that the City of Malmö and several other local stakeholders are supporting ‘Funnys Äventyr,’ demonstrating a long-term commitment to this new cultural center for children in Malmö.”
Annica Ånäs, CEO Atrium Ljungberg
Malmö Stad
“Funny Äventyr is a fun and exciting initiative focused on culture for children in Malmö and the Öresund region—and on Malmö as a destination for events—but it is also an important effort toward language development and increasing literacy among children and young people. I envision a fantastic adventure that children from near and far can experience, as well as a contribution to our children’s learning and reading, made possible by the opportunity to engage with it during school hours.”
Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh (S), chairman of the municipal board
Co-founder
System Verification
"We are doing this because we want to contribute to the society of tomorrow," says Hamdija, founder and CEO of System Verification. "Nothing could be more important than providing all children and young people with better access to reading, stories, and learning. We hope that this will give today’s children and young people greater opportunities to help shape our future society. It takes courage and faith in the future to invest in new ideas at an early stage—a quality that drives us as an entrepreneurial company. We are therefore especially proud to be a founding partner of Funnys Äventyr and to give back to Malmö, the city where our own journey once began."
Hamdija Jusufagic, CEO System Verification
Malmö Arena Hotel
“We love Malmö and Skåne,” says Nina Ulvinen, CEO of Malmö Arena Hotel. “There is so much to discover here—both for guests traveling from afar and for us locals. But what has really been missing is a great activity for children.”
"With Funnys Äventyr, we can help create an activity that is both fun and developmental. Furthermore, Funny has been given her own playroom here at the hotel."
Nina Ulvinen, CEO Malmö Arena Hotel
Rights and Brands
“Rights & Brands is a brand agency that works to bring Nordic brands to a global audience. We represent well-known characters such as the Moomins, the *LasseMaja* Detective Agency, Mamma Mu, Pettson and Findus, *Lilla Spöket Laban* (Laban the Little Ghost), and many more. Our core values are reading, storytelling, and—not least—humanism and equality,” says Roleff Kråkström, CEO of Moomin Characters and one of the founders of Rights & Brands.
“It was a natural choice for us to participate in this project to help spread these important messages—both locally and to attract visitors from the nearby continent. Today, more than ever, reading and showing care for our fellow human beings are things we must all cherish and encourage.”
Roleff Kråkström, CEO of Moomin Characters and one of the founders of Rights & Brands
Wihlborgs Fastigheter
“For us, it is important to engage with and contribute to positive societal development in the Öresund region, and we believe that Funnys Äventyr will stimulate children and help them acquire language. Not possessing a language contributes to a segregated city.”
The more young people who leave school with passing grades, the more they help to build a strong and sustainable city and region.
Hans Andersson, business developer, Wihlborgs Fastigheter
Agartha Förvaltning
“We are a family-owned investment company based in Malmö,” explains Greg Dingizian, Chairman of the Board and owner of Agartha Förvaltning; “that is why Malmö and the city’s future are close to our hearts.”
“Furthermore, we prefer to invest in businesses that contribute something positive to society. Beyond generating economic value, we also consider a company’s role in creating value for society at large. It was therefore entirely natural for us to support the children’s cultural center, Funny’s Äventyr.”
Greg Dingizian, Agartha Förvaltning
PS Enterprise
“PS Enterprise invests in companies and helps them to further develop. It was therefore a natural choice to invest in an initiative that can promote children’s reading and strengthen their opportunities to develop as individuals, to participate actively in society, and to contribute to the positive development of Malmö.”
Anders Pettersson & Roland Schylit, PS Enterprise
Co-founder
Hamdija Jusufagic
CEO, System Verification"We are doing this because we want to contribute to the society of tomorrow," says Hamdija, founder and CEO of System Verification. "Nothing could be more important than providing all children and young people with better access to reading, stories, and learning. Through this, we hope that today’s children and young people will gain greater opportunities to help shape our future society."
"It takes courage and a belief in the future to dare to invest in new ideas at an early stage—something that drives us as an entrepreneur-led company. We are therefore especially proud to be a founder of Funnys Äventyr and to give back to Malmö, the city where our own journey once began."
Nina Ulvinen
CEO, Malmö Arena Hotel“We love Malmö and Skåne,” says Nina Ulvinen, CEO of Malmö Arena Hotel. “There is so much to discover here—both for guests traveling from afar and for us locals. But what has really been missing is a great activity for children.”
"With Funnys Äventyr, we can help create an activity that is both fun and developmental. Furthermore, Funny has been given her own playroom here at the hotel."
Roleff Kråkström
CEO Moomin Characters and one of the founders of Rights & Brands“Rights & Brands is a brand agency that works to bring Nordic brands to a global audience. We represent well-known characters such as the Moomins, the *LasseMaja* Detective Agency, Mamma Mu, Pettson and Findus, *Lilla Spöket Laban* (Laban the Little Ghost), and many more. Our core values are reading, storytelling, and—not least—humanism and equality,” says Roleff Kråkström, CEO of Moomin Characters and one of the founders of Rights & Brands.
“It was a natural choice for us to participate in this project to help spread these important messages—both locally and to attract visitors from the nearby continent. Today, more than ever, reading and showing care for our fellow human beings are things we must all cherish and encourage.”
Hans Andersson
Business developer, Wihlborgs Fastigheter“For us, it is important to engage with and contribute to positive societal development in the Öresund region, and we believe that Funnys Äventyr will stimulate children and help them acquire language. Not possessing a language contributes to a segregated city.”
The more young people who leave school with passing grades, the more they help build a strong and sustainable city and region.
Anders Pettersson & Roland Schylit
PS Enterprise“PS Enterprise invests in companies and helps them to further develop. It was therefore a natural choice to invest in an initiative that can promote children’s reading and strengthen their opportunities to develop as individuals, to participate actively in society, and to contribute to the positive development of Malmö.”
Greg Dingizian
Agartha Förvaltning“We are a family-owned investment company based in Malmö,” explains Greg Dingizian, Chairman of the Board and owner of Agartha Förvaltning; “that is why Malmö and the city’s future are close to our hearts.”
“Furthermore, we prefer to invest in businesses that contribute something positive to society. Beyond generating economic value, we also consider a company’s role in creating value for society at large. It was therefore entirely natural for us to support the children’s cultural center, Funny’s Äventyr.”
Collaborative partners
