Did Swedish authorities just make it legal to own a unicorn?
No, but Jönköping county governor’s reply to an eight-year-old girl’s Christmas wish list is warming the hearts of a nation, after she issued her with a permit for the mythical creature.
"Hej! My name is Elsie and I am 8 years old and live on a farm," the girl's letter reads, sent to the county administrative board in Jönköping, southern Sweden, a few weeks before the holidays.
"I want a unicorn but my mum and dad say that I need to ask you for permission. Please can I have permission to have a unicorn at home if we find some or if I get some for Christmas? Please answer quickly!"
Elsie's letter to Jönköping county governor. Photo: supplied
A few days later, Elsie received a signed letter from Helena Jonsson, Jönköping county governor, informing her that her permit had been granted.
"We approve your permit for unicorn ownership on one condition, that you look after it/them well," Jonsson wrote, before adding that she'd like Elsie to send her a picture if she finds a unicorn or gets one for Christmas.
Her letter quickly went viral in Sweden after Elsie's mother Viktoria shared it in an open Facebook group.
"She thinks it's great and now has high hopes for a magic Christmas present under the tree!" Viktoria told The Local.
When The Local spoke to county governor Helena Jonsson, she wasn't able to confirm whether the permit was legally binding.
"There's no legislation concerning unicorns," she laughed, "so it's unlikely."
Unfortunately, this doesn't necessarily mean that everyone in Jönköping is now allowed to keep pet unicorns, either.
"Well, she was allowed one on the condition that she looks after it properly, and then I also told her that if she finds one or has any proof that they exist, then I'd like her to send us a picture. So I guess it depends on the type of unicorn you mean."
The letter from county governor Helena Jonsson to eight-year-old Elsie. Photo: supplied
Jonsson said that media interest in the story had been "astonishing".
"It's been a surprise and a bit of a shock how much interest there has been in this application," she said.
"It's a story about a girl who is determined, who just before Christmas wants to make sure there are no issues with her Christmas wish list and who wants to make sure she gets a quick response."
"It goes straight to the heart, and it's really, really cute," Jonsson added, adding that she has a grandchild that also enjoys dressing up as a unicorn.
The letter was originally sent to Jönköping local government office. Workers were originally not sure of how they should respond, so they sent the unusual request on to the county governor.
"We don't have any kind of process or legislation in place for unicorn permits," Jonsson said.
When asked whether the county had ever received similar requests, Jonsson, who has been county governor since 2018, said this was the first one she'd come across.
"What kind of excuse can I come up with now?" Elsie's mother wrote in her Facebook post. "And what kind of stable does it need?"
Elsie's not the first child ever to be granted a permit to keep unicorns, though.
In 2022, a young girl in California named Madeline was given permission by the LA County Department of Animal Care and Control to keep a pet unicorn, as long as she promised to look after it, by giving it "regular access to sunlight, moonbeams and rainbows", feeding it watermelon at least once a week, and promising to polish its horn at least once a month with a soft cloth.
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"Hej! My name is Elsie and I am 8 years old and live on a farm," the girl's letter reads, sent to the county administrative board in Jönköping, southern Sweden, a few weeks before the holidays.
"I want a unicorn but my mum and dad say that I need to ask you for permission. Please can I have permission to have a unicorn at home if we find some or if I get some for Christmas? Please answer quickly!"
A few days later, Elsie received a signed letter from Helena Jonsson, Jönköping county governor, informing her that her permit had been granted.
"We approve your permit for unicorn ownership on one condition, that you look after it/them well," Jonsson wrote, before adding that she'd like Elsie to send her a picture if she finds a unicorn or gets one for Christmas.
Her letter quickly went viral in Sweden after Elsie's mother Viktoria shared it in an open Facebook group.
"She thinks it's great and now has high hopes for a magic Christmas present under the tree!" Viktoria told The Local.
When The Local spoke to county governor Helena Jonsson, she wasn't able to confirm whether the permit was legally binding.
"There's no legislation concerning unicorns," she laughed, "so it's unlikely."
Unfortunately, this doesn't necessarily mean that everyone in Jönköping is now allowed to keep pet unicorns, either.
"Well, she was allowed one on the condition that she looks after it properly, and then I also told her that if she finds one or has any proof that they exist, then I'd like her to send us a picture. So I guess it depends on the type of unicorn you mean."
Jonsson said that media interest in the story had been "astonishing".
"It's been a surprise and a bit of a shock how much interest there has been in this application," she said.
"It's a story about a girl who is determined, who just before Christmas wants to make sure there are no issues with her Christmas wish list and who wants to make sure she gets a quick response."
"It goes straight to the heart, and it's really, really cute," Jonsson added, adding that she has a grandchild that also enjoys dressing up as a unicorn.
The letter was originally sent to Jönköping local government office. Workers were originally not sure of how they should respond, so they sent the unusual request on to the county governor.
"We don't have any kind of process or legislation in place for unicorn permits," Jonsson said.
When asked whether the county had ever received similar requests, Jonsson, who has been county governor since 2018, said this was the first one she'd come across.
"What kind of excuse can I come up with now?" Elsie's mother wrote in her Facebook post. "And what kind of stable does it need?"
Elsie's not the first child ever to be granted a permit to keep unicorns, though.
In 2022, a young girl in California named Madeline was given permission by the LA County Department of Animal Care and Control to keep a pet unicorn, as long as she promised to look after it, by giving it "regular access to sunlight, moonbeams and rainbows", feeding it watermelon at least once a week, and promising to polish its horn at least once a month with a soft cloth.
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