1983 World Figure Skating Pin: Finland, Finland, Finland!

Last Updated on September 13, 2025 by Netropolitan Museum

A keepsake from Finland’s turn on the world skating stage

In the frosty early days of March, Helsinki played host to the 1983 World Figure Skating Championships, marked by a logo pin that, while colorful, offered little in the way of imagination. It’s fair to say that the pin did its job—and that’s all. Meanwhile, outside the Helsinki Ice Hall, site of the event, things were a bit more interesting: the Baltic inlets were frozen solid, the city’s streets were dusted with snow, and the season gave the event a distinctly northern European flavor. Although some visitors described Finland as bleak and gray, The Curator of The Netropolitan instead saw a place rich in culture, striking natural beauty, and understated character. The low winter light cast a gentle warmth over the city, where both traditional façades and modern lines stood sharp against pale skies, and the air carried the bite of cold along with the unmistakable feel that Helsinki was very different from much of the rest of Europe.

Pin Gallery: 1983 World Figure Skating Championships

Design-wise, the 1983 World Figure Skating Championships pin is modest. A glossy epoxy dome covers the pin’s underlying design. Across the top is “1983 World Figure Skating Championships,” accented with a heart borrowed from the then-current logo of the Finnish Figure Skating Association (today called Skating Finland). In addition, a bold, stylized skate blade anchors the bottom, with “Helsinki-Finland” below (note the odd use of the hyphen between the city and country, almost as if it’s to be pronounced as one word). The quirky serif lettering lends a playful, informal touch.

One can’t help wondering why the creators of the pin failed to draw on Finland’s distinctive spirit for inspiration. Instead of looking to some of the country’s defining elements—Lapland’s midnight sun and Northern Lights, striking geography carved by ice and water, thousands of lakes, or acres of elegant birch forests—the design is something simpler and more generic. By contrast, Finland offered a wealth of inspiration that could have given the pin more character. Moreover, by the 1980s, many host cities were favoring broad, international appeal in their event branding—perhaps unintentionally flattening the local character that could have made the pin more memorable.

And now, for something completely different … if you’d like an offbeat soundtrack to accompany your pin collecting, give a listen to Monty Python’s “Fisch Schlapping Song” from Spamalot. Finland, Finland, Finland! That’s the country for me!

This blog was originally published at The Netropolitan Museum of Figure Skating Pins on October 17, 2020, and has been updated with new and expanded information.

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