Tulsa Needs a Troll
It was a cool day in Breckenridge, Colorado a few weeks back. It’s a place our family frequently visits, and for the past few summers we’d been hearing about a short hike to a huge troll in the woods. The troll’s name is Isak Heartstone, and he’s a creation of artist Thomas Dambo.
In 2015, Dambo started experimenting with large-scale recycled wooden sculptures, which led to the creation of many trolls created in this same fashion within the coming years, particularly 2019 to the present. They all seem to have distinct personalities, but all exist in beautiful places. As of 2024, 23 trolls exist in the United States with more than 100 trolls worldwide. Dambo is based out of Copenhagen, Denmark, aside from his extensive travels.
We put on our hiking shoes and set off to meet Isak. My only regret was that we hadn’t done it sooner. He was bigger than I had imagined — 15-feet tall — and the detail was captivating. Several other groups were there to take photos. Dambo’s mission to bring awareness to recycling and upcyclying through magnificent creations is something to behold. It also opens a door to talk about those subjects as a family.
Isabelle and I have made up stories about trolls for years, so learning about Dambo’s art was a real treat. Visiting it was magical. When we arrived home, I had to search and find the locations of Dambo’s trolls. You can easily do so by searching his Trollmap. I highly encourage you to look at the places they are located and the uniqueness of each one. Perhaps you are going on a trip and will be close enough to visit one of them.
While on Trollmap, there is something glaringly obvious. There is currently no troll in Oklahoma! That needs to change. Dambo’s creations are commissioned and then made in and with local communities. They are usually in picturesque, wilderness locations. Imagine where such a troll might be a perfect fit around the area?!? Turkey Mountain…Oxley Nature Center…there are many options.
What I know is this — TULSA NEEDS A TROLL! Who’s with me?!?
