In Forests Around the World, a 'Trail of a Thousand Trolls'

Nestled in forests around the world, a gentle army of giant wooden trolls wants to show humans how to live better without destroying the planet. The Danish recycle artist Thomas Dambo and his team have created 170 troll sculptures from discarded materials such as wooden pallets, old furniture, and wine barrels. Twelve years after he started the "Trail of a Thousand Trolls" project, his sculptures are now found in more than 20 countries and 21 US states, per the AP.

• Ongoing project: Each year Dambo and his team make about 25 new trolls, which stand up to 40 feet tall. "We are drowning in trash," says Dambo, 45, a poet and former hip-hop artist. "But we also know that one man's trash is another man's treasure."

• Where and how: The trolls are hidden in forests, mountains, jungles, and grasslands throughout Europe and North America, as well as countries such as Australia, Chile, and South Korea. Most were built with local materials and assembled on-site by Dambo's team of craftsmen and artists, with help from local volunteers. Dambo says the global exhibit sees 4.5 million visitors annually.
• Filoli project: An installation of six sculptures called "Trolls Save the Humans" is on display at Filoli, a historic estate with 650 acres of forests and gardens in Woodside, California, about 30 miles south of San Francisco. Each troll has its own personality and story. At Filoli, the troll Ibbi Pip builds birdhouses, Rosa Sunfinger plants flowers, and Kamma Can goes meta and makes jewelry from garbage. "It inspires people to think of their own stories, what kind of creatures might live in their woods, and make that connection to... nature," says Filoli CEO Kara Newport.
• Glass-half-empty side: Dambo's trolls are said to not like humans because they waste nature's resources and pollute the planet. The mythical creatures have a long-term perspective, as they live for thousands of years and have witnessed the destructive force of human civilizations.
• Glass-half-full side: The six young trolls at Filoli, however, have a more optimistic view of human nature. "They want to save the humans. So they do this by teaching them how to be better humans—be humans that don't destroy nature," says Dambo. "They hope to save them from being eaten by the older trolls."