As of February 1st, the trolls have arrived at Memphis Botanic Garden. How they got there, no one knows, but they’re here to save the humans as part of a secret pact. So the story goes — or at least Thomas Dambo’s story. He’s the artist behind the larger-than-life Ronja Redeye, Kamma Can, Rosa Sunfinger, Sofus Lotus, Ibbi Pip, and Basse Buller, who have taken up residence at the garden as part of the “Trolls: Save the Humans” seasonal exhibition, on display through May 21st.
Made of reclaimed wood and natural found materials, Dambo’s trolls are scattered across the world, some in permanent installation. The one closest to Memphis is Leo the Enlightened at the Blackberry Mountain Resort in Walland, Tennessee.
Dambo has been making these trolls since 2014, and in 2023 he made his 100th. Growing up in Denmark, his parents, a bicycle smith and a teacher/seamstress, instilled in him a passion for recycling and upcycling, so he and his brother made their own toys, costumes, and tree houses out of the things they found. As he grew older, he turned his creativity to street art and graffiti, beatboxing, hip-hop, and eventually the large-scale installations that would catapult him into international fame and convey his love for sustainability, as he would only use recycled and found materials.
The trolls especially fall into that mission, says Gina Harris, Memphis Botanic Garden’s director of education and events. “They are sharing information on how to live more lightly on our Earth, which is part of the botanic garden’s mission as well — being good stewards of our environment.”
Harris hopes Dambo’s trolls inspire a similar call to action. “It’s another opportunity for kids and adults to be able to look at things kind of in a different way,” she says. “We all see these things laying around, but to look at this and think, ‘Oh my gosh, that was built out of recycled pallets,’ I’m hoping that that gives people an opportunity to stop and think maybe there’s an opportunity to do something different and to be creative.”
“Any of the events that we’ll have going on are going to be connected somehow to the trolls exhibit,” Harris adds. That includes tram tours that’ll take guests to see the trolls throughout the gardens, Troll Stroll Saturdays, a Troll Garden Party for adults, art classes, and much more.
For more information, including program scheduling and troll profiles, visit membg.org/trolls.
“Trolls: Save the Humans,” Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry Road, through May 21st.