Part Danish, part Vashon Island native, Frankie Feetsplinters stands tall, staring down at visitors with wide eyes and a huge toothy grin. He crushes a bench under one large wooden foot, and holds two claw-like hands out by his sides. It’s as if he walked out of a book of children’s stories to visit the National Nordic Museum — and who could blame him?
Frankie was built in September 2023 by Danish environmental artist Thomas Dambo (plus a team of volunteers) and then assembled on-site at the Museum before opening to the public on September 18, 2023. Part of a larger project called NW Trolls: Way of the Bird King, Frankie and his fellow trolls (including the Bird King himself!) can be found all around the Pacific Northwest.
The NW Trolls Project
Frankie is one of six giant hand-built troll sculptures in the Northwest Troll project. Each of these trolls is part of a larger environmental story, told in connection with Coast Salish tribal communities and Scandinavian traditions. In fact, troll Bruun Idun holds a flute made by John Halliday, also known as Coyote, from the Muckleshoot Tribe, and troll Jakob Two Trees wears a bracelet and ponytail holder made by Ginger de los Angeles from the Snoqualmie Tribe. And if you venture down to Portland, Oregon, you can see Ole Bolle peeking into a traditional Swedish Fogelbo (“bird’s nest”) house.
These sculptures were revealed between August and September 2023, with Frankie being the final piece. You can find Dambo’s troll sculptures all over the world.
How Frankie was created
How do you begin to build larger-than-life troll sculptures? With recycled materials, of course! Each troll was made from 140-200 used pallets, 600-800ft of structural lumber, 10,000 screws, and assorted decorative elements, including shells, tree branches, and stones.
The head, hands, and feet of each troll were built in Denmark by Dambo’s team, and the rest of the sculptures were constructed onsite with materials donated from local businesses and individuals.
Trolls in Nordic culture
“Trolls run deep in Nordic folklore and imagination,” says Dr. Lotta Gavel Adams, Professor Emerita, Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington, “Since olden times, they have lived deep in the forests and mountains of the Nordic countries. They were feared because they owned nature. The natural resources were theirs and they were rich… Their question for us, the little people, is: ‘What have you done to the planet.’”
From mischief-making Christmas pranksters to guardians of nature, trolls appear frequently in Nordic culture and folklore. Trolls in folklore are often depicted as ugly, dangerous creatures who attack humans that venture too close to their homes (generally caves, forests, and mountains). But these particular trolls are friendly, and even encourage folks to stop by and visit. They want to help “the little people,” — us humans — explore, spend more time in nature, and appreciate the wild world around us.
How you can visit Frankie
Frankie stands in front of the National Nordic Museum in the neighborhood of Ballard in Seattle, WA. He can be seen welcoming visitors into the museum to explore more Nordic history and culture, grab a bite to eat at Freya cafe, and learn more about the NW Troll Project and Way of the Bird King.
