Ladies and gentlemen, the trolls of Seattle

Oscar the Bird King resides on Vashon Island.

You can only get to Vashon Island via ferry, the most convenient terminal is in West Seattle (pretty close to Bruun Idun!) You have to take your car on the ferry as Oscar is ten miles away In Point Robinson Park, near the functioning lighthouse.

Oscar is the only troll that comes with furniture!

My favorite part about Oscar? Getting there. Driving my car onto a ferry gives me the heebie jeebies (I’m more of a one mode of transportation or another, pick one person). But it all went smoothly, as it does for thousands of cars every day in the Seattle ferry system.

Pia the Peacekeeper

Pia the Peacekeeper resides on Bainbridge Island.

Although you can drive there, the preferred mode is the leisurely thirty minute ferry leaving from Port 52 in Seattle. From the terminal it’s a short walk to downtown Bainbridge with its coffee and sandwich shops. Pia is about a mile and a half away from the terminal at the beginning of Sakai Park, gently uphill on the way there and gently downhill on the way back.

Bainbridge Island is a trip I recommend to any out of town guests. It’s a nice stretch on the Sound and a great combination with a visit to Pike Place Market and the Seattle Art Museum.

My favorite part about Pia the Peacekeeper? A more than passing resemblence to Bob Dylan!

The one, the only, the original

The original Seattle troll resides in Fremont, the self-proclaimed “center of the universe.”

The Troll was created as part of a public arts contest in 1990 and is under the Aurora Bridge.

The Troll was sculpted by four artists: Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter, and Ross Whitehead. The idea of a troll living under a bridge is derived from the Scandinavian folklore.

At 18 feet, The Troll is larger than any of the five wooden counterparts which are generally about 14 feet tall. It has a real life VW Volkswagon in its left hand.

Fremont is home to other public arts works as well (keeping “Fremont funky”) including Waiting for the Interurban and a somewhat controversial statue of Vladmir Lenin.

My favorite part about The Troll? It took me forever to find it. I lived in that neighborhood when I first moved to Seattle and ran under this bridge dozens of times but I was under the mistaken belief the troll was under the University bridge. So I’d go under there and never find it. Finally, a friend of mine (Seattle, born and bred) put me on the right track.

Bruun Idun

Bruun Idun resides in West Seattle.

West Seattle is known for being hip (yes, you might bump into Eddie Vedder), slightly out of the way, and with gorgeous views of the Seattle skyline.

Bruun resides in Lincoln Park, alongside the Puget Sound right off of the heated saltwater Colman Pool.

Bruun is using a flute, fashioned by John Halliday from the Muckleshoot tribe, to call out to the orcas in the Puget Sound.

My favorite part about Bruun? Location, location, location. It’s a beautiful walk from Lincoln Park lot #2, all along the Puget Sound.

Frankie Feetsplinters

Frankie Feetsplinters resides in Ballard.

Ballard is a Seattle neighborhood northwest of downtown. Previously densely Norwegian (with many people not speaking English), it has now become gentrified with only small pockets of Norwegian heritage. Frankie can be found in one those pockets, just outside the National Nordic Museum in downtown Ballard.

All the wooden trolls were designed by Danish environmental artist Thomas Dambo and then assembled on site. Frankie has been in Ballard since September, 2023.

I like to take out of town friends to Ballard, eat at La Carta de Oaxaca, and then walk next door and listen to some Americana music at The Tractor Tavern.

My favorite part about Frankie? You can’t really tell if he’s welcoming you to the museum or protecting the museum from you!

Jacob Two Trees

Jacob Two Trees resides in Issaquah.

Issaquah is on Seattle’s Eastside (meaning east of Lake Washington). When I worked on the Eastside I just to run at Cougar Mountain Park in Issaquah. It had dozens of well marked trails with delightful names (take “Shy Bear” trail until it intersects with “Lost Beagle” trail).

Jacob is closer to downtown Issaquah, where the formerly rustic hamlet meets a booming business district, with traffic to match. He’s hard to miss, just down the path from the Issaquah Community Center.

He’s 14 feet high and, although you can’t tell in the picture, he has a ponytail!

My favorite part about Jacob? This was the first wooden troll I tracked down. I wasn’t sure where he was but then I followed the sound of a bunch of day care kids who were running his feet!