STANDARDS

NGSS: Core Idea: ETS1.A, ESS3A, ESS3.C

CCSS: Writing: 2

TEKS: 6.3B, 6.11B, 7.3B, 8.3B, ENV.3B, ENV.6F

Troll Takeover

A small town in Minnesota is now home to giant troll sculptures made entirely out of trash

May 12, 2025

By Jess Romeo

AS YOU READ, THINK ABOUT why an artist might use discarded materials to create their work.

A massive troll stands in the middle of a park in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. She holds a wooden spoon above her head, which is covered in spiky sticks. In fact, the troll’s whole body is made of discarded pieces of wood. The troll, named Alexa, stands in front of an open book. It invites people on a quest to find four other trolls—and one rabbit—hidden throughout the nearby forest.

A massive troll stands in the middle of a park in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Her head is covered in spiky sticks, and she holds a wooden spoon above it. The troll’s whole body is made of scrap pieces of wood. Her name is Alexa, and she stands in front of an open book. It invites people on a quest to find four other trolls and one rabbit. They’re hidden inside the nearby forest.

COURTESY OF THOMAS DAMBO

BAREFOOT FRIDA
Frida the troll challenges you to walk a mile barefoot, because when you feel the earth under your feet, you feel more connected to it.

These whimsical giants were created by Thomas Dambo, a “garbage artist” from Denmark. He makes sculptures out of salvaged materials like old fences, fallen trees, and wooden pallets. Our world is drowning in trash, says Dambo. His art transforms waste into something new. It also helps conserve natural resources—materials that come from the environment. “There’s no need to cut down living trees when you can get all the used wood you need for free,” says Dambo.

Over the past decade, Dambo and his team have built more than 150 wooden trolls. Some tower up to four stories tall and weigh as much as 5 tons. They lurk in forests, parks, and cities in 15 countries, including Denmark, China, and the United States (see Where Are They Hiding?). The trolls of Detroit Lakes were completed last summer. They make up Dambo’s largest-ever exhibition—and his team’s most challenging feat of art and engineering to date.

Thomas Dambo created these imaginative giants. He’s a “garbage artist” from Denmark. Dambo makes sculptures out of salvaged materials. He uses things like old fences, fallen trees, and wooden pallets. Our world is drowning in trash, says Dambo. His art turns waste into something new. It also helps conserve natural resources. These materials come from the environment. “There’s no need to cut down living trees when you can get all the used wood you need for free,” says Dambo.

Dambo and his team have built more than 150 wooden trolls over the past decade. Some reach up to four stories tall and weigh up to 5 tons. They lurk in forests, parks, and cities in 15 countries. These include Denmark, China, and the United States (see Where Are They Hiding?). The trolls of Detroit Lakes were completed last summer. They make up Dambo’s largest-ever exhibition. And they’re his team’s most challenging art and engineering feat so far.

BIGGER AND BIGGER

Detroit Lakes wasn’t supposed to be home to such an ambitious project. The small Minnesota town wanted a way to draw more visitors to their community. Originally, Dambo planned to install just one or two trolls. But his design process leaves a lot of room for creativity.

First, Dambo gets to know the community where his trolls will live. From 2022 to 2024, he visited Detroit Lakes multiple times. “We walked a bunch of fields and trails, searching for places that might be a good home for a troll,” says Amy Stearns. She’s the executive director of Project 412, the nonprofit that invited Dambo to Detroit Lakes.

Whenever Dambo found a spot he liked, he’d act out how a troll might look, including its pose and facial expression. “He’s like a giant little kid,” says Stearns. “He would lean against a tree and say, ‘There could be a troll here. It could be going, RAH!’” Dambo came up with so many ideas that the Project 412 team wondered: Could he create something larger than originally planned?

Detroit Lakes is a small town in Minnesota. It wasn’t expecting to host such a big project. The town wanted a way to draw more visitors. At first, Dambo planned to build just one or two trolls. But his design process allows him to get creative.

Before Dambo builds his trolls, he gets to know the community around them. From 2022 to 2024, he visited Detroit Lakes multiple times. “We walked a bunch of fields and trails, searching for places that might be a good home for a troll,” says Amy Stearns. She’s the executive director of Project 412. It’s the nonprofit that invited Dambo to Detroit Lakes.

Dambo would find a spot he liked. Then he’d act out a troll’s appearance, with its pose and facial expression. “He’s like a giant little kid,” says Stearns. “He would lean against a tree and say, ‘There could be a troll here. It could be going, RAH!’” Dambo had planned something small, but he came up with many ideas. So the Project 412 team wondered if he could create something larger.

INSPIRATION FROM THE DUMP

While he brainstormed, Dambo started searching for building materials. His designs are often inspired by trash he finds in local junkyards and recycling centers. At the Detroit Lakes dump, Dambo noticed piles of yellow plastic crates—and a story started to take shape in his mind. He decided to use the boxes to build a sinister Golden Rabbit. In his story, the rabbit made a bargain with the town’s citizens, promising “that if they work for her and give her all their money, then the rabbit will then make them twice as happy,” says Dambo. But “we don’t get happier from working more. We just have less time to do the things that actually make us happy.”

Dambo named the exhibition “Alexa’s Elixir.” It would include nine sculptures: the rabbit, five trolls, and three portals (mirrors with troll arms sticking through them). Each troll would be paired with a challenge, like walking barefoot in a forest or making a stranger laugh. Visiting all five trolls and collecting their “ingredients” would create the elixir, or potion, needed to defeat the Golden Rabbit and reveal its secret location.

Dambo searched for building materials while he brainstormed. He often gets ideas from trash in local junkyards and recycling centers. At the Detroit Lakes dump, Dambo noticed piles of yellow plastic crates. A story started to form in his mind. He would use the boxes to build an evil Golden Rabbit. In his story, the rabbit made a deal with the town’s citizens. It promised “that if they work for her and give her all their money, the rabbit will then make them twice as happy,” says Dambo. But “we don’t get happier from working more. We just have less time to do the things that actually make us happy.”

Dambo named the exhibition “Alexa’s Elixir.” He designed nine sculptures, including the rabbit and five trolls. Three sculptures would be portals. (These are mirrors with troll arms sticking through them.) Each troll would come with a challenge. People might have to walk barefoot in a forest or make a stranger laugh. They would visit all five trolls and collect their “ingredients” to create an elixir, or potion. The elixir would defeat the Golden Rabbit and reveal its secret location.

TROLLS COME TO LIFE

With a plan in place, it was time to start building. Dambo’s team had only a month to complete the project. First, workers hammered planks together to create the rough shape of each troll. Then they attached the hands, feet, and heads, which had been constructed in Dambo’s studio in Denmark. Finally, they covered the frame in chunks of wood to complete the trolls’ bodies.

To create the Golden Rabbit, Dambo decided to cut the yellow crates into flat sheets and layer them over a wooden frame. The rabbit holds a scepter made from an old patio heater. Her eyelashes are windshield wipers, and her eyeballs are motorcycle helmets.

The exhibition also features hundreds of birdhouses marking the paths to the trolls. These were built and painted by more than 200 volunteers, mostly locals from Detroit Lakes.

After four weeks of building, “Alexa’s Elixir” was complete. The exhibition opened in June 2024. Since then, thousands of visitors have flocked to Detroit Lakes to see the trolls. Dambo is grateful for all the support his sculptures have received. His goal is to build at least one troll in every U.S. state. Dambo “takes people’s trash, and he sees treasure in it,” says Stearns. “He sees beauty in what everybody else in the world throws away.”

The plan was ready, and Dambo’s team started building. They had only a month to complete the project. First, workers hammered planks together. This formed the rough shape of each troll. Then they attached the hands, feet, and heads. These had been made in Dambo’s studio in Denmark. Finally, they covered the frame in chunks of wood. The trolls’ bodies were complete.

To create the Golden Rabbit, Dambo cut the yellow crates into flat sheets. Then he layered them over a wooden frame. The rabbit holds a scepter. It came from an old patio heater. Her eyelashes are windshield wipers, and her eyeballs are motorcycle helmets.

The exhibition includes hundreds of birdhouses. They mark the paths to the trolls. More than 200 volunteers built and painted them. Most of the volunteers were from Detroit Lakes.

After four weeks of work, “Alexa’s Elixir” was complete. The exhibition opened in June 2024. Since then, thousands of people have visited Detroit Lakes to see the trolls. The sculptures have gotten a lot of support, and Dambo is grateful. He wants to build at least one troll in every U.S. state. Dambo “takes people’s trash, and he sees treasure in it,” says Stearns. “He sees beauty in what everybody else in the world throws away.”

WHERE ARE THEY HIDING?

Whenever a troll is finished, it is added to a map on Thomas Dambo’s website, trollmap.com. In the U.S. alone, Dambo has built 53 trolls across 17 states, plus 4 trolls in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. This map shows which states have trolls, and how many there are.