Hi! Trolls

Here are two of the sweetest vintage trolls in my collection. Measuring only 2 inches tall (not counting their hair), they have pins on their backs so you can wear them, and for some reason they have "HI" spelled out in felt letters on their fronts. They're a fashion accessory and a low-tech communication device rolled into one!

 

 

Here's one of the Hi! trolls with her friend, Kampy Kiddle, a 1960s Liddle Kiddle doll. They just looked like they belonged together when I got them, and now they're inseparable.

Marx Troll Village!

Only two days ago, I was here lamenting my lack of the fabulous 1965 Troll Village Playset made by the Marx Company. Well, the toy gods have smiled upon me: I just found my Troll Village, in the online antique shop of one of my favorite dealers, and my sweetie was prevailed upon to buy it for my birthday (which is three months away, but that's close enough, in my opinion).

Doublenik Trolls

Doubleniks, the two-headed Wishnik brand trolls, are much sought by troll collectors, and tend to be much disliked by everyone else. ("Please turn those around," my friends say when they visit. "It's like they're watching us...") Strange though they may seem, Doubleniks have strong folkloric roots: multi-headed trolls feature prominently in Scandinavian tales, although their toy counterparts are less frequently seen. Here are my three, or six, depending on how you count them, all made by Uneeda in the 1960s.

 

This is my favorite, a very high-color example, 

with premium "spiral eyes" and day-glo hair.

A trippy troll! 

These two feature cotton candy and vanilla mint color schemes. 

The girls on the left wear a vintage troll dress.

  

The Doubleniks at home. It's a bit crowded.

Teddy Bear Troll

This particular 1960s troll is one of the rarest and strangest in my collection. Measuring 19 inches tall, it features a vinyl troll face on a stuffed body of synthetic fur, along with, inexplicably, a patched hillbilly type vest. It's like a psychedelic cross between a troll and a teddy bear, and for this reason is frequently called the Teddy Bear Troll. It's yet another toy that tends to disturb people. As one observer put it, "he looks like he's just waiting for you to turn away so he can attack and eat you." I keep him in a securely closed cupboard.

Marx Trolls

Here are a few unusual 1960s trolls that were made by the Marx Company. The larger 3 inch troll was called "Lucky Lou", and came in several different expressions. His tiny companions, just 1 1/4 inches tall, are from the fantabulous Marx Troll Village, a playset I have yet to acquire. You'll be the first to know when I do, though!

Here's the Marx Troll Village. Not mine, but someday, someday...