Thomas 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.
Personal life
Dambo was born in 1979 or 1980 to his mother, a theater costume seamstress, and his father, a blacksmith. He grew up in Denmark, where he was frequently exposed to troll legends. As a child, he enjoyed spending time in nature. He built treehouses, dug caves, and put up zip lines in the woods.Dambo is based in Copenhagen. He is married and has twin sons. He has ADHD.
He is also a musician and songwriter, and had a decade-long musical career in Denmark.
Art
Dambo attended Design School Kolding.Dambo's art centers on sculptures made out of recycled materials. He has created birdhouses, trolls, and installation pieces from reclaimed wood and plastic.
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. His first troll, "Hector the Protector", was installed in Culebra, Puerto Rico in 2014. The sculpture was destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017, and Dambo created a second Hector sculpture in 2019.By July 2025, Dambo and his team had created 170 trolls. Often, Dambo recruits local volunteers to help with the installation of the trolls.
The trolls are installed in various locations in 20 countries. Some of the locations include:
United States
- Five trolls at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
- Five trolls at Dix Park, Raleigh, NC
- Rita the Rock Planter, Victor, Colorado
- 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
- "Lulu the Troll", California Nature Art Museum, Solvang
- "Isak Heartstone", Breckenridge, Colorado
- "Mama Rosa", Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
- Six trolls at Filoli in Redwood City, California, as part of the “TROLLS: Save the Humans” touring exhibition
- "Greta Granite" and "Erik Rock", Rhode Island
Other countries
- Six trolls as the Giants of Mandurah, five in Mandurah, Western Australia and one in Subiaco
- Ulla, a giant female troll. Parque de la Familia, Santiago, Chile
- The Giant of the Sperrins. Gortin Glen forest park, Tyrone. Northern Ireland
- Børkop, Denmark
- "Mamma Wok", Seoul, South Korea
- Magical troll forest, De Schorre, Boom