This guy is trolling us

July 9, 2024 12:19 PM

Danish artist Thomas Dambo constructs giant trolls out of trash and hides them in the woods to surprise people.

You might meet a lot of trolls around Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, or they may surprise you in other states. “Inside your trash can is the possibility to change the world if you apply some creativity and some love,” Dambo said. “All trash is treasure.” As are these kindly trolls. (WaPo gift link)

posted by zenzenobia (11 comments total)

Love love love. I've been aware of him since he recently installed some trolls in the pacific NW, but I was unaware that the trolls were composed of upcycled materials. All the better.

This site has a map of other trolls in the US, though it may be a bit out of date given that it doesn't include the Minnesota site in the post.

I just love their whimsy. I need one in my yard!
posted by hydra77 at 12:31 PM on July 9 [3 favorites]

There isn't a whole troll in Fargo, but one of the Detroit Lakes trolls has a long reach, through a portal into Downtown Fargo!

I have many friends who have devoted trips to see the trolls in DL, but I haven't had enough free time to do so yet.
posted by AzraelBrown at 12:56 PM on July 9 [1 favorite]

Trollmap.com is the official, always-updated map to the trolls. I rarely let a website know my location, but this is a rare exception.
posted by AzraelBrown at 1:07 PM on July 9 [6 favorites]

When Dambo brought his trolls to the Morton Arboretum outside of Chicago, he put one on top of a hill overlooking I-88. It was pretty cool to drive by and see that dude up there staring back.
posted by JoeZydeco at 1:07 PM on July 9 [4 favorites]

We very recently got one in Austin. It's delightful.
posted by mykescipark at 1:15 PM on July 9 [2 favorites]

Paywalled unless you give up your email.
posted by ITravelMontana at 3:00 PM on July 9 [2 favorites]

Dambo + team's work is so delightful to experience in person. We recently visited all the trolls in the Puget Sound, Washington, area and you really can't help but to blurt out "oh, wow!" at the first glimpse of a troll, which might be sitting cross-legged in a forest clearing, sitting on a throne ringed with bird houses, or standing in grove of cedar trees. This making of video goes into the process of piecing together the trolls from reclaimed wood.
posted by prinado at 3:59 PM on July 9 [1 favorite]

Ooooh, there's one near me in Central New Jersey. Thanks for the road trip idea, and the post!
posted by mollweide at 5:57 PM on July 9

Sorry, didn’t realize gift links required an email. This link will work, I hope.
posted by zenzenobia at 7:33 PM on July 9 [2 favorites]

Mod note: We were wandering around in the sidebar and Best of Blog and found a post about this, um, post!
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 6:52 AM on July 10 [1 favorite]

I’ve managed to stumble upon three of the PNW trolls the way they were meant to be seen - walking along a trail, and boom, there’s a troll. Just delightful. I finally went and sought out a fourth one nearby.
posted by umber vowel at 6:57 AM on July 10 [2 favorites]