By now, most folks have visited — or seen magical photos of — the public art project presented by Scan Design Foundation that’s brought six giant, whimsical, hand-built troll sculptures to our region. While you can now find 159 of these trolls by Danish environmental art activist Thomas Dambo across the globe, six publicly accessible ones can be scouted out in Seattle’s corner of the country thanks to “NWTrolls: Way of the Bird King.”
While we love the story of how these gentle giants got here to begin with, we’re also interested in who’s looking after their upkeep on Pacific Northwest soil now that they’ve been here for two years.
Thomas Dambo helped assemble all the PNW trolls in the summer of 2023. Here he’s working on Pia the Peacemaker, the Bainbridge troll. (Image: JiaYing Grygiel)
Seattle’s 6 Thomas Dambo Trolls
Fidelma McGinn, President of Scan Design Foundation, commissioned the project and was the lead project director for the series of local sites. She explains that her foundation’s mission is to support the cross-cultural exchange between Denmark and the U.S. In 2019 they met in Denmark with Dambo, one of the world’s leading recycling artists, and invited him to Seattle to consider creating one troll sculpture. Unfortunately, Covid then hit and everything paused.
“Then in 2021,” she continues, “I met with him at his studio in Copenhagen and we fleshed out the idea of creating a multi-site series of trolls, in publicly accessible parks, with a fairy tale connecting them all.”
They invited Thomas Dambo back to Seattle in 2022, when he went on more than 20 site visits in order to consider what sculpture locations would best suit his vision for the trolls. (Each sculpture is part of an underlying environmental story, amplifying the connections of cultural heritage between Coast Salish tribal communities and Scandinavian traditions.) They then began negotiating with the property owners to figure out what would be feasible.
“Thomas came up with the concept and storyline, which each host partner got to give input on and come to a final agreement,” McGinn said. “We then organized all of the logistics to have them built in situ over the summer of 2023.”
By early September, they ended up with six “fabulously unique sculptures in very special locations” — in the Seattle area in West Seattle, Issaquah, Ballard, and on Bainbridge and Vashon islands, and with one located across the border in Portland, too.
Much time and effort went into building these trolls, down to the small details. It’s no small task to make sure they’re kept up. (Image: JiaYing Grygiel)
Who Keeps the Trolls in Shape?
So who tends to these trolls when they get damaged — either by natural causes or human intervention? McGinn explains that if it’s just a modest fix, then the host partner is responsible for taking care of the repair or replacement.
“We have a reference guide from Thomas and his crew to use as a helpful resource,” she said. “As the artist, Thomas may need to be involved if the damage is very extensive.”
Community-Powered Repairs
The ‘Troll Team’ who completes these fixes consists of an ad hoc group of volunteers, those connected to the non-profit organizations who manage the host site. These residents were given some basic training when the sculptures first got installed, and they keep a close watch on the status of each sculpture as time goes on.
Luckily, however, the community has wholeheartedly embraced these revered trolls, and they’ve experienced very little damage since their installation.
“There was one incident of some graffiti sprayed on Bruun Idun in Lincoln Park, but thanks to the quick work of the park’s staff, it was removed easily with light pressure washing,” McGinn said. And with some high winds in the winter, a few boards had to be replaced on Jakob Two Trees in Issaquah, yet this was easily fixed by the local team. That community-powered repair had been coordinated by the City of Issaquah’s Arts program, with recycled pallets donated by park operations. The hope is that each sculpture will remain in place for at least three years, and possibly for as long as 15.
McGinn sees how Thomas’s message of turning trash into treasure resonates with people far and wide; ultimately, making art from recycled materials that would otherwise go into the landfill proves a win-win-win for all.
“Plus Thomas’s artistry in creating whimsical characters draws people in with their stories and poems,” she said. “They are a lot of fun! People arrange their vacations to seek them out, all over the world!”
Where to Find the Northwest Trolls
And if you’re interested in diving into the individual stories of all the Seattle area trolls — boy, are you in luck:
- Pia the Peacekeeper (Bainbridge Island Troll): The first of the Northwest trolls. Find her at Sakai Park, one mile from the ferry terminal. She sits cross-legged, gently holding small human puppets — a.k.a., you.
- Bruun Idun (West Seattle Troll): Tucked in Lincoln Park, this troll plays her flute to the orcas asking why they have all left the Puget Sound.
- Jakob Two Trees (Issaquah): Nestled in the woods of Cougar Mountain, Jakob holds onto two trees, enjoying a peaceful moment.
- Oscar the Bird King (Vashon Island): Oscar was the last troll Dambo made on his 100-day road trip tour titled “Way of the Bird King.”
- Frankie Feetsplinter (Ballard): Located at the National Nordic Museum, Frankie is the youngest and “most irresponsible of all the Trolls.”
Plan Your Troll Hunt
To extend the troll hunt at each location, check out the geocaching app (nwtrolls.org/#getapp) to continue the Scandinavian-inspired adventure even further. Here’s hoping these meaningful treasures stick around for many years to come.
