Thomas Dambo
Thomas Dambo | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979 or 1980 (age 45–46) |
| Children | 2 |
Thomas Dambo is a Danish "recycle art activist" who is known for his installations of giant monumental wooden sculptures called trolls, made entirely out of recycled materials.[1]
Personal life
Dambo was born in 1979 or 1980[2] to his mother, a theater costume seamstress, and his father, a blacksmith.[3] He grew up in Denmark, where he was frequently exposed to troll legends. As a child, he enjoyed spending time in nature.[2] He built treehouses, dug caves, and put up zip lines in the woods.[4]
Dambo is based in Copenhagen.[5] He is married and has twin sons.[4] He has ADHD.[6]
He is also a musician and songwriter, and had a decade-long musical career in Denmark.[6]
Art
Dambo attended Design School Kolding.[3]
Dambo's art centers on sculptures made out of recycled materials. He has created birdhouses, trolls, and installation pieces from reclaimed wood and plastic.[7]
Trail of a Thousand Trolls
In the early 2010s, Dambo began the "Trail of a Thousand Trolls" project, which aims to build a thousand trolls from recycled materials.[5][8] His first troll, "Hector the Protector", was installed in Culebra, Puerto Rico in 2014.[3] The sculpture was destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017, and Dambo created a second Hector sculpture in 2019.[3]
By July 2025, Dambo and his team had created 170 trolls.[8] Often, Dambo recruits local volunteers to help with the installation of the trolls.[3]
The trolls are installed in various locations in 20 countries.[8] Some of the locations include:
United States
- Five trolls at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
- Five trolls at Dix Park, Raleigh, NC [1]
- Rita the Rock Planter, Victor, Colorado[9]
- Six trolls as part of Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King
- A troll at Hainesport Township, New Jersey
- Three trolls at Bernheim Forest in Clermont, Kentucky
- Two trolls at Ninigret Park in Charlestown, Rhode Island
- Twelve at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, North Carolina, as part of "Trolls: A Field Study"[10]
- "Lulu the Troll", California Nature Art Museum, Solvang[11]
- "Isak Heartstone", Breckenridge, Colorado
- "Mama Rosa", Wauwatosa, Wisconsin (Mama Rosa)[12]
- Six trolls at Filoli in Redwood City, California, as part of the “TROLLS: Save the Humans” touring exhibition[8]
- "Greta Granite" and "Erik Rock", Rhode Island[13]
Other countries
- Six trolls as the Giants of Mandurah, five in Mandurah, Western Australia and one in Subiaco[14]
- Ulla, a giant female troll. Parque de la Familia, Santiago, Chile[15]
- The Giant of the Sperrins. Gortin Glen forest park, Tyrone. Northern Ireland
- Børkop, Denmark
- "Mamma Wok", Seoul, South Korea[16]
- Magical troll forest, De Schorre, Boom
Interactive Website: https://trollmap.com/
References
- ^ Free, Cathy (9 July 2024). "He makes giant trolls out of trash, hides them in woods for people to find". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b "Thomas Dambo: Sperrin Mountains 'fairy tale' setting for trolls". 2024-04-13. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ^ a b c d e Blair, Elizabeth (2021-05-06). "Far From The Internet, These Big, Benevolent Trolls Lure Humans To Nature". NPR. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ^ a b Lippman, Ross (2024-09-05). "3 weeks inside Thomas Dambo's world of trolls". New England Public Media. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ^ a b Slogoff, Madeline (2025-01-23). "From Trash to Troll Treasure". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ^ a b Tidwell, Kim (2023-11-28). "What Matters to Thomas Dambo". PRINT Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ^ Gerdes, Vicki (2024-05-23). "For artist Thomas Dambo, every troll has a story". Detroit Lakes Tribune. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ^ a b c d Chea, Terry (2025-07-23). "Giant trolls have a message for humans about protecting the planet". AP News. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ^ Wilson, Spencer (8 August 2023). "Meet Rita the Rock Planter in Victor, a second giant wood troll sculpture in Colorado by Thomas Dambo". CBS News Colorado. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ "Trolls: A Field Study". The North Carolina Arboretum. Retrieved 2026-02-09.
- ^ De La Peña, Randy (7 Feb 2025). "Thomas Dambo giant troll "Lulu" installed at California Nature Art Museum in Solvang". Santa Maria Times. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
- ^ Hernandez, Jovanny (28 May 2025). "Danish recycling artist Thomas Dambo reveals Wauwatosa troll". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
- ^ Lippman, Ross (2024-09-05). "3 weeks inside Thomas Dambo's world of trolls". New England Public Media. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ^ "Giants of Mandurah". Mandurah Tourism. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
- ^ Zambra, Darío (24 Dec 2021). "Conoce a Ulla, la troll de madera gigante que sorprende a los visitantes del Parque de la Familia". La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ Barger, Jennifer (2025-10-22). "This Danish artist makes trash into trolls". National Geographic. Retrieved 2025-10-22.