Toni Oittinen – Creator of the Uki-themed hit board game and avid fisherman

Just over a year ago in November, Toni Oittinen spent a board game evening with his partner Janita Päivärinta and their friends Markus Kotiranta and Miia Manninen. During the game, the idea of a Uusikaupunki-themed board game was born. It didn’t take long before Oittinen and Kotiranta rolled up their sleeves, and the planning was in full swing.

The Uki Game was completed just in time for Christmas, the golden season for board games. Demand was so high that the games quickly sold out, but no worries – a new batch of 100 games will be available before Christmas.

– It’s been really fun to see people walking around town with the board game under their arm, Toni laughs about the great reception of the locally themed game.

Over the course of the year, Oittinen and Kotiranta crafted 70 questions covering topics from the 1600s to today.
– The game is suitable for the whole family and almost all ages: you can play it from the age of 6 until you can no longer hold the cards, he describes.

The game is also a fun way for cottage owners and tourists to learn about Uusikaupunki. For Toni, building the game taught him a lot about the history of his hometown. The stylish design was handled by Toni’s “game buddies,” Markus and Miia, from the local design firm Vakka-Suomen Designtuotanto. The game is conveniently packaged in a cardboard tube and received a grant from the Varsinais-Suomi Cultural Fund in the spring. It is available in Uusikaupunki from Sannin Paperi & Kirja and the Christmas shop, both located on Alinenkatu.

Born in Uusikaupunki, Toni Oittinen works as a production manager at Seger Oy, a local metal industry company. In his free time, his favorite hobby since boyhood has been fishing. Fond memories remain of fishing trips with his father and brother, and now, at 40, Toni is living his dream, able to fish straight from his own shore on Tammio Island.

Over the years, Oittinen has mastered various types of fishing in Uusikaupunki’s waters. This fishing year has been lucky, with great catches of vendace, perch, and pike.

– Lately, I’ve been net fishing more, and lure fishing has taken a back seat, he says.

When asked about his most memorable catch, Toni answers without hesitation: “It must be a pike weighing just under 10 kilos and some big perch,” he says, adding that he doesn’t use sonar for fish locating.

Toni’s family includes his partner and two children, 7-year-old Minka and 4-year-old Kasper. The children consider the fish their father catches and cooks to be the best delicacy. “Dad, fry some fish!” is a frequent request that always makes Toni happy.

– The kids’ favorite food is fish soup, and we often have perch fillets for supper, he shares.

Sometimes Toni is left empty-handed as the catch quickly disappears into his kids’ mouths. This Christmas, the family’s table will feature self-prepared fish dishes, both cold and hot smoked. Toni loves trying new recipes, like cold-smoked pike and shiraza salmon.

Fresh fish is easy to find in a coastal town, Toni points out, praising local fish processing company Kalaset alongside grocery stores. For hesitant home cooks, Toni encourages watching Vakuumiukko.fi Tik Tok videos for tips.

– You learn by doing, he assures.

The Vakuumiukko online store started when Toni found himself using vacuum bags so often that he thought he might as well sell them himself. Now, customers span all the way from southern Finland to Lapland. The store offers vacuum packaging, fishing, fish-smoking, and even hunting supplies.

Toni, a hands-on craftsman, also designed a compass rose made of brushed stainless steel that can be installed on a dock or terrace to indicate directions. In addition to his day job and Vakuumiukko, Toni runs a dock company, Sun Laiturit, with a friend.

For Toni, the sea and fishing are integral to Uusikaupunki life, with family time spent actively pursuing hobbies.

– We have all sorts of activities: band workshops, visual arts, dance, swimming, gymnastics, and basketball, he lists his children’s schedules.

The family’s home, completed in 2020 on Tammio Island, provides a perfect setting to enjoy nature and peace all year round. With no streetlights in sight, the city’s services are still just a short distance away.

– I’m curious to see what the new multi-activity center Wintteri will bring. I hope it inspires people to get out and about, he says.

As the interview wraps up, the living room window reveals a stunning view: a December sunset colors the snowy shoreline.

– That view always gives me a good feeling, and I never get tired of it, he concludes.