Back in June, our friends Greg and Connor visited us and told us a goal was to see Ole Bolle, the troll. It’s about time for me. I have heard about the Thomas Dambo trolls for years, and have yet to see one. That is silly, because there is a troll 10 minutes from my house. Our visitors from out of town were the perfect excuse to finally get over there and see it!
Thomas Dambo is an artist who works with recycled, or reclaimed, materials. He has a troll series that has become so fabulously popular that there is a website to help you learn about and locate each troll. It says that when he was built in 2023, Ole Bolle was the 120th troll. Currently Dambo has created 188 of them (including the outstanding current garbage troll exhibit at the Danish Arken museum). You will also see gravestones for trolls on the website, so I guess they don’t live forever. Since they are all made of reclaimed material, I can guess they eventually disintegrate.
Conceived as a curious troll, he’s not necessarily mischievous, but has the size and strength to open up the box and see what’s inside. What is inside? Is it us?
We arrived just before closing time of the campus (which is all Nordic stuff, including a museum and restaurant), and soon after we arrived, lights inside the house clicked on. It did add to the atmosphere.
It’s a pretty, forested campus. We walked a short trail around the area and enjoyed the peace, and the nature, and the smells and sounds of the woods before we walked back to the troll.
This website hosts a video about the Nordic Northwest Campus where Ole Bolle resides.
Conscious Engagement 
.That must have been a load of fun. It was interesting to explore through your photos, too
It was fun, Lou! It makes me understand why so many people I know have now begun to make a list of trolls that they want to find and visit!
Wonderful. I’d never heard of those trolls. Or Dambo. (I’ll look him up.) Thanks for the tour.
I believe there are six more in the Seattle area, which is only 4 hours away from me, so I think I can try to see those as well.
I just looked him up. Very interesting project. His goal is 1,000 trolls! Wow!
Oh that’s neat; I didn’t know. Right now I am most interested in his museum display in Denmark. I wish I could see that one.
There’s a whole list of the places where he built a troll. Many in the US actually. Must be fascinating to travel the globe and build trolls.
What good fun Crystal. Sometimes we overlook what’s in the neighbourhood and it takes visitors to get us there.
You are so right! Having visitors is a great reason to finally visit the amazing sights right next door.
A wonderful project well photographed
I am happy to have introduced you to our neighborhood troll. ❤
XX
You captured some great shots! I didn’t know about the lights. That would’ve been so fun. We visited in the afternoon and there were always other people in the shed and we couldn’t get it to ourselves (maybe we weren’t patient enough!). I’m glad you got to see your first troll!
That seems disappointing, Lenore, that you did not get the shed to yourselves. Interestingly, the site was PACKED with people when we were there, but only a couple of them were near the troll. It was a very large group in a motoring club, and they were occupying picnic tables and talking together and mostly left the troll alone. We must have arrived after they were done exploring it. I am also glad to have seen my first troll, and I look forward to more. I’m glad that you have seen several as well!
Oh my goodness, this is SO amazing! I hope this will inspire you on a quest to visit some of the other troll sites, Crystal.
Of course this inspires me. 🙂 I am going to keep the troll locations in mind as I travel from now on, and will certainly make side journeys to see more, whenever possible.