Thomas Dambo

Last updated
Thomas Dambo
Born1979or1980(age 45–46)
NationalityDanish
Children2
Sculpture by Dambo Trolden Ask fra Ashoj.jpg
Sculpture by Dambo

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]

Contents

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

Other countries

References

  1. ↑ Free, Cathy (9 July 2024). "He makes giant trolls out of trash, hides them in woods for people to find". The Washington Post .
  2. 1 2 "Thomas Dambo: Sperrin Mountains 'fairy tale' setting for trolls". 2024-04-13. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Blair, Elizabeth (2021-05-06). "Far From The Internet, These Big, Benevolent Trolls Lure Humans To Nature". NPR. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  4. 1 2 Lippman, Ross (2024-09-05). "3 weeks inside Thomas Dambo's world of trolls". New England Public Media. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  5. 1 2 Slogoff, Madeline (2025-01-23). "From Trash to Troll Treasure". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  6. 1 2 Tidwell, Kim (2023-11-28). "What Matters to Thomas Dambo". PRINT Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  7. ↑ Gerdes, Vicki (2024-05-23). "For artist Thomas Dambo, every troll has a story". Detroit Lakes Tribune. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Chea, Terry (2025-07-23). "Giant trolls have a message for humans about protecting the planet". AP News. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ Hernandez, Jovanny (28 May 2025). "Danish recycling artist Thomas Dambo reveals Wauwatosa troll". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  12. ↑ Lippman, Ross (2024-09-05). "3 weeks inside Thomas Dambo's world of trolls". New England Public Media. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  13. ↑ "Giants of Mandurah". Mandurah Tourism. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ Barger, Jennifer (2025-10-22). "This Danish artist makes trash into trolls". National Geographic . Retrieved 2025-10-22.
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