The Trolls in DL
A Permanent Exhibition • Open in every season
• if the trails are safe and walkable •
WINTER SEASON
Trails to the trolls are not maintained in the winter.
Please use good judgment during your troll adventures.
Alexa's Elixir • Ronny Funny Face • Barefoot Frida
Jacob Everear • Long Leif • The Golden Rabbit
3 Ways to Find Them
Click on the tabs below to read about your options to find them.
To play the Troll game:
- Start your “troll adventure” in the DL City Park at the troll named Alexa’s Elixir.
- Read the storybook that is with her there. A digital copy of the story book is displayed below. You may preview it and download a copy for your use.
- Follow the steps to solve the riddles to find the trolls.
- When you find each troll, look at the necklace around its neck. The necklace has a number on it and a symbol. The symbol corresponds to a letter in the troll alphabet cited in the book on Page 4. The number corresponds to the placement order of the letter in a word.
- When you collect all the letters from the troll necklaces and put them in the right order, it will spell a word. That word reveals the name of the symbol on the map on Page 4 of the story. This symbol signifies where the hidden secret Golden Rabbit is located.
To see the trolls without playing the Troll game:
- Read the story below.
- Meet the Trolls in DL in the section below by hovering or clicking on each Troll. Read about it and its location.
- Click on the location button and it will open a Google Map to find the troll – except the rabbit.
- You still have to search a bit, but there are birdhouses that mark trails and subtly guide the way.
- Want to find more Thomas Dambo trolls around the world? Visit TrollMap.com.
Discover the Trolls via Geocaching, the world’s largest treasure-hunting game
We’ve partnered with Geocaching HQ to place six Virtual Geocaches!
To find the trolls using the Geocaching App, visit this page to learn more and redeem your free 30-day trial of Geocaching Premium Membership.Start here: https://www.partners.geocaching.com/trollsdl
The Story Map
Meet the Trolls in DL
to figure out the clues to finding the other trolls.
Hover over or click on the image of each troll below to reveal its story and the clues to finding it!
You will be sent on a journey to find 6, larger than life sculptures and may stumble upon 3 portals in the region too!
Meet the Trolls in DL
to figure out the clues to finding the other trolls.
Hover over or click on the image of each troll below
to reveal its story and the clues to finding it!
You will be sent on a journey to find 6, larger than life sculptures
and may stumble upon 3 portals in the region too!
Six Giant Adventures!
Trolls are HERE!
Danish recycling artist Thomas Dambo arrived in Detroit Lakes in May of 2024 and built six troll sculptures at locations from Dunton Locks to Detroit Mountain and a handful of other art installations between Fargo and Perham.
Dambo’s work in Detroit Lakes is documented in the YouTube videos here!
This is my biggest and most ambitious exhibition of my career.
I am so happy to have been given so much trust in my artistic decisions
and support from Project 412 and the Detroit Lakes community.
I am very excited to show you what is being stirred up.
Background about the Trolls
Danish Recycle Artist Thomas Dambo built six of his GIANT Trolls in the Detroit Lakes(DL) area during spring/early summer 2024. These whimsical Trolls are part of a permanent, themed art installation with a story focused on environmental awareness, the beauty that can be found in trash, and the joy of being outside.
The DL Trolls are part of Thomas Dambo’s global Troll installation that now exceeds 130 sites across Europe, Asia, Australia, and the United States. You can learn more about Dambo and his Trolls at www.thomasdambo.com and www.trollmap.com
About the Artist
Thomas Dambo
Thomas Dambo is a Recycle Artist. He works to create art, design and useful things from of old thrown away materials, also known as trash. By doing this he hopes to inspire others to play with the world’s leftovers, see the possibilities and have fun.
All of Dambo’s projects are realized using hundreds of tons of recycled materials, working in and with local communities, who are co-creators of the art because the mission Dambo follows needs the involvement of everybody.
Trolls DL Gallery
Click on photos to enlarge into full scene
Trolls DL Gallery
Click on photos to enlarge into full scene
Thank you for your support
Trolls DL Sponsors
Ken & Helen Foltz
Frank & Barb Foltz
The Herzog & Hvidston Families
& the Lind Family
Scott & Susan Busker
The Fritz & Lundmark Families
in memory of
Dick & Lois Lundmark
FATQs
Frequently Asked
Troll Questions
Have questions about the Trolls? Find out more here!
Project 412 commissioned artist Thomas Dambo to bring his Trolls to our region. All the money was raised with generous donations from private businesses, foundations, and individuals to build the Trolls in Detroit Lakes!
This GIANT art project includes six sites in the Detroit Lakes and Frazee area plus three “portals” cleverly hidden in Fargo, North Dakota, Detroit Lakes, and Perham, Minnesota. Part of the magic is that you read a riddle provided by the artist, Thomas Dambo, and follow the clues to find the Trolls, so we cannot share exact locations. We recommend beginning your journey at Alexa the Elixir in Detroit Lakes City Park and use the kiosk to access the rest of the journey.
It will take a small army of volunteers to build the Trolls along with Thomas Dambo’s Danish crew. To sign up to volunteer to build the Trolls, click HERE! We’ll also be looking for a team of “Troll Huggers” to help with basic maintenance and caring for our Trolls after the build. If you’re interested, please reach out to [email protected].
Absolutely! Selfies are encouraged. Please remember to tag Project 412 and Thomas Dambo. The intention is for visitors to interact with the Trolls – hug, take photos, walk around them, but climbing is discouraged! We want to avoid injury and ensure the Trolls can be enjoyed for many years to come.
Yes! All the Trolls live on publicly accessible land with various types of trails (some paved, some more rugged). Some Trolls are easier to reach than others, and we encourage the public to enjoy the search and experience the beauty of our 412 Lakes Area while you look for the Trolls.
The Trolls will be constructed in May into the first part of June 2024. They’ll be introduced to the public in mid-June. This is a permanent installation. While the Trolls are made of recycled materials, we plan to care for and maintain them long-term.
Art and being in nature is one of the best ways to enjoy our beautiful 412 lakes. Project 412 thought it would be magical to go BIG and invite Thomas Dambo to bring his Trolls to our area. Thomas Dambo was named #5 in the world for art installations in 2023 (by My Modern Met). People around the world have become passionate about being “Trollhunters” and finding all his installations. We anticipate this project will bring tourists and business to our area and shine a light on Becker County and the Highway 10 corridor of Minnesota as being one of the best places to live and visit!
Each Troll is made of recycled materials including a combination of structural wood, used pallets, and found decorations including tree branches, stones and other organic material. Much of the wood came from trees/lumber rescued from the Highway 34 road construction project plus pallets, scrap pieces, donated wood, and other materials from local businesses and individuals. Of special note, the head, hands, and feet of each troll were built by the Dambo team in Denmark and then the bodies of the Trolls were built by 100s of volunteers working side by side with the Dambo crew
Yes! Pets are welcome. They must be on a leash and please pick up after them.
The DL Trolls are part of Thomas Dambo’s global Troll installation that now exceeds 130 sites across Europe, Asia, Australia, and the United States. You can learn more about Dambo and his Trolls at www.thomasdambo.com and www.trollmap.com
