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GOBLIN KING'S
ON
LINE guide
to
T R O L L
S
HEY WANT TO BUY SOME GREAT NEW DAM TROLLS!
Rogues Hollow Studio!
(
TROLL=
Norwegian TROLL and danish TROLD, from old norse troll: a
giant , or demon)
custom made trolls!!
The artist Rick Butler
will carve your own
special troll to order!! Check out his web page for examples of his very
fine work! This is truely an awesome example of
what he can do. The troll below is about nine
inches high with three heads and a tail!!!!
Want one, or one
made to order? Write to: Rick
Butler studio, 1431 Maple Street, b-2 Pottstown, PA
19464 or email him at: sculptor@zdial.com
HAIR TODAY GONE TOMORROW?
NO PROBLEM!
I f your troll
needs new hair, you can order real mohair from the world of mohair by calling or
writing the world of mohair, 1007 bower road,
west harrison, in 47060 or call (812) 637-3874
or email click
here
FOREST TROLLS Did you know that two hundred years ago certain people in Europe actually believed that trolls were real! Many Europeans (namely scandinavians) walked very carefully through the woods in those day's, in fear of coming across a troll. Trolls were not the cute little figures with wild hair we know them to be today. Back then trolls were large evil giants, that lived deep in the forests and in hills and caves. They ate just about everything, including people. It was downright dangerous for people to wander too deep into a forest.. With no modern technology, little knowledge of the different types of animals , no good maps or airplanes to come look for you when you got lost, venturing into a forest was very scary, to say the least. Those lucky brave souls that found their way in and then back out of the large uncharted wooded areas probably had many stories to tell of strange noises and creatures unfamiliar to them. Perhaps this is when some of the folklore started. Today, of coarse, we know that trolls only exist in our minds, or do we? After all what do you think big foot is?
FIRST TROLL Legend has it that the first troll Ymir was slain by the God Odin. When Ymir fell, his bones created the rocks and hills. His flesh created the land, and his blood brought forth the rivers and seas. It is said that from his rotting flesh crawled small maggots that formed into dwarf like trollish creatures. Some of these creatures flew into the air and became what we call Faeries, the others crawed under ground and became dwarfs/trolls/land faeries. In a mixture of mercy and cruelty Oden decided to let these creatures live.
ALL A
MISUNDERSTANDING
Ok, it is said that trolls don't like
Christians. Why is that? It's all because of
THOR! You see it's Thor's job to protect humanity
and Thor saw trolls as a threat. He sent down lightening
to destroy the trolls. And so the trolls scurried under
bridges and into caves and forests where they were
safe. As the world became more christian, more
churches were built. And with all these new
churches came BELLS that rang loud! The loud bells scared
the trolls because it reminded them of Thor's thunder and
lightning! That's how all the bad blood between
trolls and Christians started!!
My first encounter with a
troll happened a long time ago on a
twilight may's eve. It was late and I was out running
with my dog when suddenly I heard a high pitch schreeech
that came from within the wooded area behind our housing
development. My dog and I ran toward the noise to see
what it was. It was getting dark and I had no flash light
with me but my dog lead me right to what appeared to be a
mangled animal. I assumed it had been hit by a car and
was limping back into the woods. It looked terrified. I
carefully picked it up and brought it to my back yard. I
made a little bed for it in the dog house. My dog was
very unhappy about this but I let him sleep with me for
the next three days while this animal slowly recoverd in
the dog house. Every night after my parents fell asleep,
I snuck out and brought it soup and water, and I dressed
its wounds with some anitbacterial cream I found it the
bathroom closet. On the fourth night when I came out to
care for it, I found that it was sitting up. Its eyes
were bright red. It had removed the bandages I put on it.
As I bent down to give it soup it suddenly lunged at me
and before I even knew what happened I realized that it
had bit me on the hand. I was quite shocked. Then it said
in a clear but strange voice that I will never forget ,
"your as ungly as a goblin, but your kindness will
not be forgotten, we will seek you out one day, and now I
go away" and then it scuried out of my yard with
lightning speed. Of course I told my parents about this
and they punished me for lying. They blamed my poor dog
for the bite mark on my hand and grounded us both (expect
for chuch)for the rest of the spring.Years later I began
to be visitied by trollish creatures of every kind. They
can find me easily wherever I am you see, because (they
say) my blood has been infected by the troll bite and has
a distict oder that only trolls,goblins and trussers can
smell. Don't feel bad for me though, they have never hurt
me, these little creatures. ( exept for the time three of
them tried to kidnap me, but thats another story).
Actually they have looked after me, for the most part,but
they do like to cause trouble and they seem to come as
quickly as they go. Some times years will go by without
ever seeing one, then suddenly when I thought I was cured
a strange little troll will be sitting on my desk, or
rooting through my closet.
TYPES OF TROLLS DOLLS
DAM THINGS are the creation of Thomas Dam
( correctly pronounced "DOM" however most
people mispronounce it as "Dam" Probably as a
take of on the saying "damn things" ) of
Denmark. His creations are favored by most troll
collectors and for good reasons. Dam trolls are well made, well dressed
and have been around since the fifties. They became
popular in the 1960's in America when they took the
hippie generation by storm. Some Dam trolls made in
the sixties are demanding hundreds of dollars
today. Even the more modern Dam trolls seem to be
holding their dollar value, that is to say, one can often
sell their Dam troll for the same price, or more than
what they paid for it. Below is a
picture of three Dam trolls dressed as
pirates. The one on the right was made in the
eighties. It is called a 'NORFIN' which is the name
given to imported Dams by the company
E.F.S.. It is still a Dam.
The
other two are Dam things made in the sixties.
They are made of a harder plastic. Their dollar value is
about fifty to one hundred dollars for the
older trolls and about twenty to forty dollars for the
newer troll.
Note the ears on the
male trolls are pointed and on the
female troll they are
round. This distiction is only true
for this eight to nine
inch size (old and new) and also the
22 inch large new
trolls by Dam.
hold onto your tails! You are looking at the super dooper rare Aligator trolls. they are believed to be Dam trolls. Their markings are unkown at this time. The owner is unkown. they are pictured here with other rare trolls by Dam. To the right is a small dam ape troll (1960's). In the background is a Dam clown troll made in the sixties also. hiding in the far left hand corner is a tailed troll. It's a dream of mine to find one of these aligators some day. aren't they purdy. If you have any information on them please email me
WOW!! And here they are again. The aligator trolls! Pictured with some othe trolls. I think the flag under the trolls is very timely.This wonderfull picture was sent to me by Joe, who collects vintage trolls. It was very kind of him to share it with us. Thanks Joe. Please note that I do not own these trolls or this picture. But I'm willing to marry or adopt anyone who does!!
Below is a picture of two turtle trolls. The one on top is smaller, has hair and was made in the sixties. It is marked 'Dam things establishment 1964'. The guy on the bottom is bigger, has no hair and is also a bank. He is marked ' Dam 1984'. He has a slot to put coins in his shell. The turtle on top is valued at $150 to $250 dollars, the remake is valued at $50 to $100. debra clark's book "trolls" is a great reference especially for older vintage trolls. This book will show you many of the trolls from the sixties and help you to identify older trolls from newer ones. It has a lot of information with some great pictures! It can be ordered from HOBBY HOUSE PRESS, 900 Frederick Street, Cumberland, Maryland 21502. Debra's book is favored by troll collectors and for good reasons. It is highly informative and includes some really great rare troll doll pictures. She is ready to write another book. Contact Hobby House Press and let them know you are waiting to see it!!!
Below are some rarer trolls by DAM. To the right is
a troll ape dressed as a sailor. He is marked
Thomas Dam on the back. He was originally sold with a red
wrist tag. He is about 7 inches tall. I paid $365
dollars for this guy. There is also a female ape and
smaller 2 1/2 inch ape. Then we have two
animal banks: a kangaroo and a penguin and finally
Krolle Bolle. Krolle bolle is a popular
cartoon character in part of Denmark. This is the DAM
Companies version of the cartoon. He is also
a bank. There is also a three inch version of Krolle
Bolle made by Dam.
Some of the rarest
Dam trolls include; black trolls, 2 1/2 and 3 inch tailed
trolls ( six inchers with tails are more common but still
rare), the famous alligator trolls (has anyone
actually seen one?! mmm I wonder sometimes) . I
have also seen a 3 inch reindeer, I wonder if there
is a larger one? A bumble bee bank also exists I
believe. If you have any of these consider yourself
blessed!! I am sure there are also trolls
I have not heard of. If you know of any that
should be added to the list please let me
know. Thanks! You can click picture below to email
me. You can also surf to The troll Company by
clicking the purples letters below the picture.
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YES! This little guy is my curent favorite. Can you guess what he is? Find out more about him on my troll forrest web page by clicking the link on the top of this page. |
moreondams
click
here to learn more about Krolle Bolle
Animal trolls by DAM are very popular with collectors and also can be very expensive. Here is a picture of some elephants. There is a six inch (large elephant) on the left from the sixties and also a three inch elephant from the sixties on the left. Prices range from $30 to $75 dollars for the small sixties elephant and about $175 to $225 for the large( I paid $225 for mine) Then in the(left) middle we have three newer elephants. The six inch (dark grey)is valued at about $50 to $100 dollars. It was an E.F.S.. (norfin) import made in the eighties. The two small elephants are valued at about $5 to $15 dollars. WAIT there's more! On the middle right is a very rare mocha colored elephant (probably produced in Europe or NZ). This guy is really neat. He has rust colored toe nails and eyes(first I have seen) and an oiginal red leather colar with a bell. Value is about 200-300 plus dollars. Then on the right back is a large grey elephant from Europe also. This is easier to find than the rust colored elephant but still rare. I got a good deal on him and only paid 83 pounds. Finally there is a small blue elephant that was made in England pictured in the right front.It is not a Dam. It is worth about 20-40 dolars. There is a light pink and baby blue elephant made in NEw Zealand (I beleive) by Dam. They are also very very rare. AND, ( am I driving you crazy yet?) ther is also a slightly larger version of this elephant. To see more animal trolls and a picture of the baby blue elephant please click on the link at the top of the page "troll chanted forest' .
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WOW!
Here is a really rare white elephant troll with Dam
patent markings. I have never seen this color before! He
was purchased from New Zealand where he was probably sold
in the sixties. He has black toe nails and islandic fur
on his head. He also has a slot on his hump to put coins
into. I have pictured him above between a more common
flesh tone elephant and another darker elephant to give
you an idea of how light he is. He is probably one of the
rarest trolls I have. Please email me if you have any
inof on him.
Some known animal
trolls by Dam include: 2-3 inch elephant, donkey, horse,
cow, ape, mouse/ 3-5 inch turtle, mouse (with several
facial expressions) /5-6 inch horse,
cow,elephant,lion, donkey (9 inch)/ eleven inch giraffe
and a twelve inch giraffe. There is also apparently a
alligator troll that comes in a 5-6 inch
size and a 3 inch size. I have only seen a photo of
these. I do not know of any troll collectors who actually
have one, so if you do, bless you!! There are also
limited edition remakes of the large horse,cow,lion and
elephant. (apparently there was never an original 6
inch Dam Horse) Five hundred of each were made.
They were originally sold for about $50 dollars through
E.F.S. (NORFINS), the company that imported Dams into
America in the eighties. On
top of this there are numerous bank animals, some of
which include a bear,mouse,squirrel,whale,elephant,
several pigs,turtle, panda bear?, seal, penguin,owl ,and
Kangaroo and bumble bee(?) . There were also small animals sold
both through E.F.S. called Norfins ARK, and also sold
directly through the dam company. There are two sizes of
a porcupine pen holder.
I believe that
there are more. I think the Dam company made
specific bank animals for different banks, so who knows
what else is out there?! Please let me know if you have
any others!
It is easy for new troll collectors to get a bit confused over "types of trolls". After all there are DAM THINGS, Norfins, Scandia house, wishnics, Russ trolls, treasure trolls, trolls made in China, trolls made in Japan, Lucky shnooks, unmarked trolls, Spoofed trolls, sweetheart trolls,Nyforms, Applause trolls, Heinz trolls, heico trolls,Henning trolls, reislers, berrie nodders, rasta trolls, trolls made by various collectors ect. ect. ect. ect.
On top of that several of the above mentioned producers have produced trolls in the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties (such as the DAM Troll company). Some companies have only produced trolls once and some companies only produce trolls when Trolls are in style (such as wishnics by Uneeda Doll company).
ON TOP OF THAT some troll producers ( such as DAM ) have trolls produced in different factories, in different parts of the world. Thus we have European trolls, which tend to be of softer plastic than the American produced trolls. American troll collectors tend to value european trolls more, I guess because they are harder to find here. I often wonder if European troll collectors favor American trolls?
It would be difficult
to explain in detail everything there is to know about
trolls all at once. Most true troll
collectors will want to purchase the books mentioned in
this page. ( I get no money for this, the books and
links in this page are not mine). These books
will answer many questions. Also, part of the fun
of collecting trolls is the discovery of new trolls
and new information. If you don't enjoy this
process, it's safe to say that you probably are not
a die hard troll collector, but the fact that your
reading this indicates that you at least admire trolls or
perhaps you have a few and want to find out more about
their value. You can always e-mail me with
questions about trolls
Here are two small animals by
Dam, The one
on the left is made of a sqeezable plastic. The
one
on the right is hard plastic. The harder plastic troll
was made for the American market. The softer
troll
was made for the European market. The
european troll
cost me $110 dollars, the american cost $40. Perhaps
if I lived in Europe the prices would be reversed.
Please note" lovable
Uglies" are also soft plastic
but remember, they are not
Dams and do not normally
command the same prices.
Above we have some tailed
trolls by Dam. All three sizes
are marked Damthings
establishment 1965. They range in
size = 6 1/2 inches(left), 2 1/2
inches (center), three inches
(right). They all have oversized
ears(compared to other dams)
and detailed finger and toe
nails. They all came dressed in
burlap with figleaf tags. The
large troll also came with a pass-
port. As you can see my
large and small tailed trolls are
nudists. Only my 3 inch
has his original outfit. The three and
two inch tailed trolls are very,
very hard to find, especially
dressed. Needless to say they
cost a bit. I paid two hundred
dollars for each.
The large troll was $175.00 and much easier
to find. There are also
tailed dam trolls that were made later.
They look more like the newer
Dams. check a
newer tailed troll on this page
Finally we have some twelve inch
trolls by the Dam Company. The three trolls on the bottom
were made in England. They have a darker skin tone and a
slightly softer feel to the plastic compared to the
trolls on top which are harder and lighter in color. They
are all marked "dam things Establishment 1964"
on their necks and feet. It is interesting to note that
the English trolls have reddened cheeks and the markings are on their left foot
compared to the American trolls on top, which have
markings on their right foot!
The two american trolls on top were
produced during different times. I believe the troll on
the top right, although marked 1964, was made later in
the seventies. They just used the same mold. It has
synthetic hair compared to the other Dam trolls which all
have mohair. It sells for slightly less than the other
troll on top.Twelve inch trolls came in many different
outfits. The most common outfit was a caveman or trolls
dressed in felt. Some rarer costumes include an Eskimo,
Santa Claus, Playboy Bunnies, Sailer and Woody Hayes just
to name a few. Some of these trolls came with a tag that
said"IGGY NORMOUS Dam Things original" Most of
these trolls sell for 100-350 dollars depending on their
condition and the type of costume it has. There is also a
black version in the twelve inch size that has a higher
value due to it's rariety.
There are trolls
called "Lucky Shnooks" that were made in
Hong
Kong that look just like the small two headed
wishnics. Many companies
tried to imitate other troll makers in an attempt to
cash in on troll crazes
that have come and gone over the years. I guess in a
way they were
successful , two headed trolls, whether they be lucky
shnooks or wishnics
command about the same amount of money now. When
they were
originally sold, people probably did not know the
difference between lucky
shnooks or wishnics, they just bought what they
thought was something
weird but neat. This is an example of
infringement. In 1966 Thomas Dam
sued Scandia house for this reason, but
eventually joined forces. In the
nineties E.F.S. sued Russ. Check
it out here
Below is a picture of
some wishnics in their original packages. Trolls in their
original packages usually have a higher resell
value. On the right are two wishnik carrying cases.
RUSS trolls are just that, trolls created
by the Russ company. Because they are new and seem
plentiful, in some areas, people tend not to value them
as much. Long time troll collectors can remember
the day when Dam trolls were also. So don't wait
until they become more scarce and more expensive, get
them now while you can!! You can buy them direct
through the RUSS company by calling 1-201-337-9000.
/ Pat
Peterson will tell you and show you in her
book Collector's guide to
trolls. IT Is a very good reference on
trolls, especially new trolls. It can be ordered by
writing Collector books, po box 3009, Paducah, KY
42002-3009
This Russ troll is in a Japanese outfit. It is one of
many many outfits made by the Russ company. Russ trolls
come is many sizes, both vinyl and stuffed bodied.
NYFORM trolls are handmade in Norway from latex.
They are a creation of the artist Bjorn Schulze. They are
very true to original folklore description. Some of them
are even very large! Below is a picture of
what they look like. The one on the left is a spitten
image of my ex. This type of troll tends to
crack in the sun, so it's best to keep them in a dark
corner. HEY, real trolls also crack and turn to stone in
sun light!
TREASURE TROLLS by ACE NOVELTY CO INC. are toy trolls produced in the early to mid nineties. They have wishstones in their bellies. If your lucky you can still find them in chain stores.
Reisler Trolls were made in DENMARK
. The two guys below are marked JN (Reisler made in
Denmark on their left foot)They have horns and tails!
Some of these trolls are marked 1966 but I believe they
were manufactured well into the eighties( perhaps
they are still being produced). It is
important to note that trolls marked with dates don't
necessarily mean they were made the year they are
marked. It means that the mold was created in that
year. I
paid $59 each for mine but I have seen them being sold
for less than half of what I paid. Some of them even come
dressed. Some even come dressed as Santa!! Go
figure. Talk about mixing oil and vinegar!
They look so cute lying in the weeds. Don't let
them fool you, they
bite!
The trolls below have been called many different things over the years. They are reffered to as the 520 style, 522 style, little brother and litle sister trolls. They are all made by the Dam company. There are (as far as I know ) twelve differt face styles for the femal version and twelve diferent face styles for the male version. These molds have been around for quite some time. The older style, and the ones produced in denmark have mostly mohair and felt outfits with little buttons on their front. They are a bit more costly. i paid about fifty dollars each for them. The newer styles have synthetic hair a a large variety of outfits. Some were made in china to be sold in the States and are thus marked "made in China DAM". The older ones are just marked "TH DAM Design". This mold has been used many times for different endeavors. The norfin line imported them also. The totally troll line also used this mold. Notice the trolls in the right hand picture below. the two on the left are older versions and the two on the right are newer versions dressed as a ski bum and sailor. I like the girl in the middle because she has a tag tha reads 'trold" on her dress. Trold is a forien word for troll.
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Hey Hey Hey. Yes you are looking at some super kewl black trolls above. The four larger trolls in the back are by russ and are new. The smaller two trolls on the left are vintage Dam trolls marked "dam original" on their backs. These two three inchers are mint in their original costums. It took me 5 years to find vintage black dam trolls. The small troll in the middle is a treasure troll (newer). And lastly the small troll on the right is an unmarked tab troll made in the sixties. Prices for the small Dams are $125+ or more for each. The newer black trolls can still be bought. The tab troll is worth about $50.
More on Black trolls. There were black trolls pruduced by the Dam company at diferent times. I have two small ones marked 1977 and an eight inch vintage black dam troll marked 1961. the fact that not as many of them were made is one reason they are so hard to find . All of the black trolls I have were bought outside the United states.
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Please note: I am not sure if the small moongoon wearing a dress is an original costum or not, although I have seen the cave man outfit on another MIB moonie so I think at least the cave outfit is orignial. The two large moongoons are in original costume. |
These guys are called moon GOONS, not moon monsters like many of us thought. They are marked "L KHEM 1964". Lynn was kind enough to send some information on them. She bought one in a store 35 years ago where they were sold nude and marked as moon goons. Lynn also told me that she saw a web site that claimed L. Khem was marketed by Dykins Sales Inc. The smaller ones sell for 20-60 dollars, the larger ones are hard to find and sell for over one hundred dollars. There is more information about these guys on the 3 inch page. Hey if you dig aliens please check out my astrosnik page below! Thanks Lynn!
Where
to buy and sell trolls
Unfortunatly all of the
above news letter have been cancled, probably due to the
inter- net and online auctions.
TROLL TRIVIA
Known trolls disguised as humans : Rod Stewart, Nancy Reagan, Pee wee, Newt, Linda Carter,, OJ, Mic Jagger, The queen mother ,cindy brady JUST KIDDING !!
Did you know that the Egyptians had a troll God named Basi. They prayed to him for protection from evil and to aid in child birth.
Norway produced a car and named it troll! It was a economic disaster and only six were produced.
Henrik Ibsen made trolls famous in his play PEER GYNT.
Trold is the danish way of saying trolL
The Troll company APS in Denmark, which create the original Dam trolls recently caught on fire. Efforts are being made to rebuild
TROLLS like to
eat high C, bird bones, barbie heads, bean bags and
bike tires.
BOOKS ON TROLLS
Trolls by Debra Clark (HobbyHouse Press 1993) Indentification and Price Guide (this book tends to be a favorite among collectors, it shows a wide variety of the older harder to find trolls. In fact many are hoping to see another book by Clark)
Trolls by Susan Miller (Collector Books 1981) an illistrated Price guide
"Modern doll rarities " by Carla Marie Cross, has a section in her book about trolls. call 1-800-334-7165
troll dolls by Jeanne niswonger ( out of print)
checking for
tails under the clothes of people with trollish ways.
THE trollton chronicles write to: Dawn Killen-Courtney, po box 26151, st louis park, mn 55426 Dawn Killen-Courtney lives in St. Louis Park with her husband Richard, their dog Morgan, cat Lady Jane Greycious, and 125 (or so) trolls!
Please note however that is was not the intent of the writters of these books to set prices for the trolls. The prices are a reflextion of the amount of money people were spending on trolls at the particular time the books were written.
Links
Try
this link for a Troll fantasy game played by mail.
Click
here to learn more about troll evolution!! written by
Stefanie Jenssen
Below is a great link to Melnic's happy home
page. Check out her link to troll creations
it's fantastic. She has created some great
trolls. There are also some trolls created by Cliff
Sharp.
Melnik's
Happy Home page
Troll
immigration and naturalization service
click below to sign my guest book
sign
Goblin King's book of shadows
THANKS FOR STOPPING by
