Thomas Dambo's PNW Trolls: Five in Two Years with Revisits

Back when we decided to move to Washington State I never would've thought I'd start collecting trolls... but here we are and...

I've Been Collecting Trolls

The last spotting was over a year ago but ever since the last one I'd been meaning to share these online for you. Going forward I'm not going out of my way to find them... I do however plan to check the troll map before any future vacations.

Backstory

We moved to the Issaquah area a couple of years ago and soon after we arrived I heard something about trolls...

Side Story: In advance of the move I'd joined several Facebook mom groups (perfect when looking for a new dentist, orthodontist, or whatever) and people were talking about Thomas Dambo installing Jakob Two Trees one city over and it sounded amazing.

I'd never heard of Thomas Dambo before but it sounded like we needed to see it so I took my family over soon after it opened. Jakob was incredible!

Thomas Dambo: The artist lives and works near Copenhagen, Denmark and uses reclaimed wood to create large trolls tucked into the landscape like they had always been there.

At the time it was hard to pinpoint where the trolls were, from what I remember, and I heard he wanted people to stumble across them. That said, I got pulled, heard about other Trolls in Washington, found both his website and troll map, and then despite vaguely wanting to see them... but didn't.

It Begins

In the meantime I had joined several hiking Facebook groups as I wanted to explore the area but then no meetups seemed to be at the right time and I kept putting it off. That said, through one of the groups I met someone that also wanted to hike during the day, while our kids were in school, and this ended up continuing my troll story...

Despite me wanting to see all the trolls I had added it to a for later list in my head and didn't push any visits. But this friend, despite not seeing the nearby Jakob Two Trees yet, had seen two others... and she wanted to see the last two and so, while our kids were in school, we went together and saw two in one day.

Completion

From there, having seen three, and knowing only two more trolls were left in the area I knew I needed to see them. Over two separate outings with my family I managed to add both to my list! And with that all five in the area were spotted within the two years I lived there.

Slow Discovery

During the second visit of the first troll I happened to notice a really neat bird house on our way to the troll and snapped a few photos of it thinking it was an Issaquah thing. To be fair it was still a bit away from Jakob Two Trees and I assumed it had been a part of the neighborhood for a while.

As such I have to admit it took me awhile longer to learn that the birdhouses are actually a signal that you're on the right track showing that a Thomas Dambo troll is nearby. And with the subsequent trolls I kept an eye out... though I only snapped three of the five potential signs.

The Trolls

Jakob Two Trees • Issaquah

September 2023 - 2024 • Four Visits

We moved to the Sammamish area mid-Summer of 2023 and that fall I heard there was a troll nearby. It wasn't anything simple... it was actually a proper Thomas Dambo sculpture which meant it was massive, made from reclaimed wood, and tucked into the landscape like it belonged there.

I took my family one of the first weekends after it opened and it was so crowded but oh so amazing. Something about him just got me.

We went back three more times after that. It became a thing we did when our extended family visited. Though by the third visit the kids were more interested in the nearby bench... though to be fair it was novel and really neat matching the troll in wood with resin poured into the holes hiding little treasures.

The troll did his job. He got us out there. And once I found out there were more I wanted to find them all.

Bruun Idun • Lincoln Park, Seattle

February & May 2024 • Two Visits

My hiking friend and I left right after bus drop-off with Lincoln Park being the first place we stopped so we could see Bruun Idun. We got there sometime after 9 and it was a lovely quiet weekday for the walk. What I hadn't realized until I arrived is that Bruun Idun's purpose is to call the whales. I hadn't been to the park before but found a Whale Trail sign nearby showing that whales may show up. Bruun stands near to the water's edge, arms raised to her instrument, and her whole purpose is to summon them.

My one sister absolutely adores whales. When she came to visit later that year I knew she needed to see the whale sign and Bruun Idun. It felt so obvious. And so after a stop at Pike Place we detoured over to the park on the way home to my house. I was surprised to see a flower LOVE message nearby on one of the rocks (though looking back I have a photo from my first visit too) and after snapping some photos with Bruun we sat on the metal bleachers nearby, snacking, visiting, and keeping an eye out for those elusive whales.

Unfortunately, we didn't see any whales but the possibility was alive that day.

Oscar the Bird King - Vashon Island

February 2024 • One Visit

Oscar the Bird King lives on Vashon Island which meant a ferry trip! Since Bruun Idun's park sits right next to the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal, we combined them... Bruun while we waited for the next ferry and Oscar after crossing the water.

Once arriving on Vashon island it took about a half hour drive going from the north tip down to the south end where Point Robinson Park was. That said, once there we quickly found Oscar the Bird King and then, since we had some time, walked down to the lighthouse before passing Oscar again on the walk back to the car.

We did not have time for the lighthouse though. We were cutting it pretty close the whole drive back and although we may have arrived in time the super long roadside line waiting for the ferry once we got there said otherwise. So ended up waiting in line for the next ferry. That said... two trolls, one ferry (both ways), one lighthouse, and one weekday morning while the kids were in school. It was busy but we did it... though I can't remember if Matt had to get the kids from the bus in the end or if we made it just in time... assuming it was the first... but if we had made that ferry it would have been different.

Pia the Peace Keeper • Bainbridge Island

March 2024 • One Visit

With three trolls spotted I knew I needed us to find the last two trolls. That spring I also kept hearing about the blooming cherry blossoms at the University of Washington... and apparently we either stay home or go big so we decided we might as well combo them up in one day.

That wasn't the day we should've gone though. This day the university was hosting a race, we missed the turn off for public parking, and got stuck driving around the quad in a super slow single lane of traffic for an hour to get back to the parking. By the time we found the really busy cherry blossoms we were tired... and looking back maybe we should've enjoyed the race-related stands and music, stayed a bit, gone home, and tried to visit Pia another day...

Instead we rushed the blossoms (though I did find a Magnolia tree!) and we set off for Bainbridge Island. The plan was to park in a parkade nearby, walk down to the ferry terminal (or power walk... ferry was taking off soon), and do ride on. Once we got to Bainbridge Island we found a kids-approved pizza restaurant, recovered, and then walked off to find Pia the Peace Keeper. She was gorgeous! And in case you're curious it's about 31 minutes to walk from the ferry to Pia ignoring any stops on the way.

With our goal accomplished we walked back to the ferry with a stop to grab some coffees and juice to drink on the way. Once back in Seattle we grabbed our car and headed home. Looking back, and in the moment, I vaguely wanted to stay longer but our parking was expiring, the next ferry would be too late, and everyone was getting tired.

It was a full day... but doable if you choose to do the same.

Frankie Feetsplinter • Ballard, Seattle

September 2024 • One Visit

This was the last of the five trolls I wanted to see. But first some side stories:

• Issaquah has a Salmon Fish Hatchery which we'd visited several times by this point including just a week or so before. I'd also kept hearing it compared to and mentioned with the Ballard Locks in Seattle. The first time it was too late but salmon were still currently jumping and I wanted to go before this season ended.
• At the same time I'd also heard about the year round farmer's market in Ballard and I was missing the Mountain View market I used to go to all the time.
• Frankie Feetsplinter is in Ballard... and oh look right between Ballard Locks and the farmer's market...
• Plus I absolutely love sour beers and back in June after sight seeing in Seattle with the family I finally got to try Urban Family Brewing and adored them. They're in Ballard too and I was missing them... especially the sour beer slushie!

So we put all of that together to do an epic Ballard Seattle trip. And with the salmon season we couldn't put it off so let's go!

Funny story: We started at the farmer's market, had a bite to eat, and then I kind of forgot about the troll as we walked towards Ballard Locks... and then somewhere along the way we just happened upon it tucked right into the path we were already on.

Which was awesome and I'm so glad as it would've been so sad to miss Frankie after all of that. Then after seeing him we visited the Locks, walked back to the car, and visited Urban Family Brewing.

Overall I recommend a walk around. We saw so many cool statues and it was a great trip.

In the Future

I considered leaving the post at this as I've seen all the Thomas Dambo trolls in Washington state... but I wanted to mention two more trolls I came across while researching.

Ole-Bolle - Portland

There is one more Thomas Dambo troll in the PNW I haven't seen. Back when I'd only seen Jakob Two Trees and was researching more I kept seeing a really neat image online and discovered Ole-Bolle in Portland. It's been years since I've been through Portland but if we find ourselves there again I definitely want to make a stop for this troll.

Fremont Troll - Fremont, Seattle

Although not a Thomas Dambo troll while attempting to research more I kept coming across the Fremont Troll that lived under a bridge. Not wood... concrete. Way more city-esque and living under the Aurora bridge is an 18 foot tall stone troll from 1990. Here's a link to the Yelp page if interested.

And with that there's all the trolls of the PNW. I hope you enjoyed this foray into the Seattle area with the epic trolls. I love how there's a mix of planned, slightly surprised, and revisited. All the PNW trolls here were worth the trip... they're large and strange and a little magical and they each have names and stories which I love more than I expected to.

Have you visited the trolls? If so which ones? What would you recommend doing before or after visiting each? Which was your favorite?

Like always I hope you’re having an epically great day.

I'm Kyra. An indie Apple developer and founder of SimplyKyra where I build calm tools that reduce mental load. If you’d like to keep up with future posts like this, I usually share them on my Facebook page and Instagram account. If you become a free member on the site you can sign up for my newsletters and join the conversation on any of my posts.