Trolls, trolls, trolls...

I'll wrap up this month's tour of the trolls with a chorus line of vintage Thomas Dam pieces, all made in Denmark in the early 1960s. Averaging 7 inches tall, these showcase the design variety inherent in the earliest trolls.

The slightly larger and darker troll on the far left is extra special: he was made for the European market. Such trolls are distinguished by darker, softer vinyl, heavier weight, and dark brown glass eyes. He was actually the first vintage troll I ever bought, discovered in a pile of junque at a rather shabby antique mall. Several years passed before I learned precisely what he was. Quite the find he turned out to be (if you're into trolls, I guess that is. If not, then I suppose he's not especially appealing.)

European-market troll on the left, American on the right.

Viking Troll

The Troll-Finding-Gods have smiled upon me this week! Yesterday I scored one of my most-searched-for 1960s trolls: a hard-to-find Viking. These odd trolls were predominantly sold in Scandinavian gift and souvenir shops. This 7 inch version sports a rabbit fur beard and hair, original felt outfit, and molded helmet and boots. He's marked "John Nissen Denmark" on his back.

He's ready for some looting and pillaging, or perhaps the opera.

Teddy Troll Got a Girlfriend!

It's strange how things happen sometimes in toy collecting: you can search for a toy for years, and then, after you find it, all of a sudden you see another one, and another one...

I had looked for the rarely seen "Teddy Bear Troll" for about 2 years before I found this one, posted a couple of weeks ago. And just a few days after posting about him, look what turned up: the girl version (you can tell by her stereotypical girly attributes: long hair, bow and heart patch) in minty condition, complete with her original tag! She's the only one I've ever seen with a tag, and so, finally, we know the actual name and maker of this very odd troll. These were called "Neanderthal People" and were made by Timely Toys of Brooklyn, New York in the 1960s. Like the early troll dolls, they were advertised as "good luck" charms, but in reality, they have a rather disturbing appearance...

Monster Trolls

A lot of people find trolls unappealing, even rather creepy.  If you are one of those people, you should probably skip this post.

Still here? Okay then:

During the 1960s troll craze, competing toy manufacturers were constantly striving to outdo each other, coming up with trolls of ever increasing novelty or ever cheaper production: whatever they could do to get a market edge. Well, someone in Hong Kong, observing both the 1960s troll fad and the concurrent monster craze, combined the two, creating what is now one of the most disturbing, and most-sought, trolls out there: the Frankenstein's Monster Troll. He proved so popular, two other monsters were added about a decade later: the Wolfman and King Kong.

 "We promise not to come alive at night and terrorize 
your other toys. Really."

What Did We Do With Our Tax Refund?

Bought:      * an original 1963 Easy Bake Oven
                       in stunning turquoise plastic,
                       with its box & accessories

                   * a huge set of 1930s Strombecker dollhouse furniture

                   * a rare 1960s troll doll

                   * a bunch of 1930s - 40s radio premiums
                      (toy rings and badges from shows like  
                       The Lone Ranger and Captain Midnight)

                   * a prize badge for the winner of the 1914
                      Galveston, Texas, annual Oyster-Eating Contest
                      (it was Bob Frey, and he ate 928!)

                   * a bag full of vintage celluloid dice

                   * a new book about the history of garden gnomes

I've done my part to stimulate the economy...