Troll doll
A troll doll (Danish: Gjøltrold) is a type of plastic doll with furry up-combed hair depicting a troll, also known as a Dam doll after their creator Danish woodcutter Thomas Dam. The inspiration came from trolls in old Scandinavian folklore. The toys are also known as good luck trolls.
A "wizard" troll doll, manufactured by Russ Berrie in the 1990s | |
| Type | Doll |
|---|---|
| Inventor(s) | Thomas Dam |
| Company | Dam family (1959–2013) DreamWorks Animation (2013–present) |
| Country | Denmark |
| Availability | 1959–present |
The dolls were first created in the late 1950s, and introduced in 1959, before becoming one of the United States' biggest toy fads in the early 1960s. They became briefly popular again during the 1970s through the 1990s and were copied by several manufacturers under different names. During the 1990s, several video games and a video show were created based on troll dolls.
In 2003, the Dam company restored the United States copyrights for the trolls, stopping unlicensed production.
In 2005, the Dam company licensed the brand to DIC Entertainment, who attempted to modernize the brand by creating a cartoon under the name Trollz, but the show only lasted one season. The failed cartoon also lead into a lawsuit followed by a counter-claim lawsuit.
In 2013, the brand was bought by DreamWorks Animation, with an animated feature film called Trolls being released in 2016, a sequel being released in 2020, and another sequel released in 2023.