This time last year I’d never heard of Thomas Dambo or his trolls. But during our trip to Scandinavia last year we ran into Green George while at Christiania in Copenhagen.
Green George
Thomas Dambo, the creator of the trolls, is the world’s leading recycle artist and he repurposes all kinds of things in his creations. There’s even a website, trollmap.com, to help you find trolls near you and you can check off the ones you’ve seen.
When I learned that several trolls were going to be featured at Memphis Botanic Gardens this spring I thought I should probably go see them. When I learned my company offered each employee up to 2 free tickets, well, now I really had to go see them!
I’m not really a “plants” person so other than attending some concerts at the Botanic Garden’s amphitheater, I’d never visited the facility. I picked a sunny Saturday which turned to be the day the Garden’s annual plant sale was on. That meant I had to park around the corner and come in via a side entrance but, no matter, it worked out well enough. Here are the trolls that are in Memphis through May of this year:
Rosa Sunfinger
Rosa is a soft-spoken introverted troll who cares for plants and other green creatures with her life-giving fingers. She spreads her wisdom by showing how plants can make even the most useless items come back to life.
Rosa Sunfinger
Ronja Redeye
Ronja speaks from the heart with a mighty voice and is a natural leader. She speaks compassionately and honestly since she knows words can make humans smile but can also make them sad.
Ronja Redeye
Kamma Can
Kamma is a creator. Where humans see trash, she sees potential. She wants to teach the humans not to throw things away so fast but instead get creative with colorful plastics, which she calls eternity materials.
Kamma Can
Sofus Lotus
Sofus listens, feels, and is mindful of nature and all its beings. He was the first one to notice something was wrong with the world, and that nature was changing its rhythm and ways for the worse.
Sofus Lotus
Ibbi Pip
Ibbi is a handy, optimistic troll and a friend of all animals. She tries to communicate with the humans through colorful birdhouses because she thinks this could awaken the humans’ compassion for their natural surroundings.
Ibbi even hung some of her birdhouses over a nearby bench.
Ibbi Pip birdhouses
Basse Buller
Basse is a wildchild at heart and loves to express himself through symbols and shapes inspired by the nature he lives in, and he makes his mark with anything he can find. A rebel, he takes “no” as a “maybe”.
(Troll descriptions are from the Botanic Garden’s brochure.)
Koi Crossing
Near Sofus Lotus is a low bridge over a koi pond. The koi are just teaming and you could actually reach out and pet them! (But please don’t!)
Koi Pond at Memphis Botanic Garden
In the end
I’m glad I went to see the trolls and it was such a beautiful day. If the trolls are your primary reason to visit you can see them all in less than an hour though a fair amount of walking is involved. There are golf cart services available if you are mobility-impaired.
If you’re in the area be sure to stop by to see the trolls before they leave on May 21.
2B Traveling 
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