Find Austin's new giant troll over the river and through the woods at Pease Park
Plenty of notable people call Austin home, but one of the city's newest residents is gaining more attention than normal.
Malin, an 18-foot-tall troll made almost entirely from recycled wood, was unveiled Friday at Pease Park. The troll was created by Thomas Dambo, a Denmark-based artist, and was assembled with help from volunteers from the park's conservancy.
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What is Malin, the 18-foot-tall troll, made of?
Most of the wood used to form Malin was repurposed from a deconstructed water test tank at the University of Texas' J.J. Pickle Research Campus. Malin's feet were built in Denmark using repurposed materials, and her hair is made from Ashe juniper roots collected by a local supporter of the project, according to the conservancy's website.
Austin's troll has a water theme because of its proximity to Lady Bird Lake and the stories Dambo has heard about people in Austin leaving water out for animals when summers get too hot and dry.
Malin joins more than 100 other trolls built by Dambo around the world. She is the first of her kind to be built in Texas.
Dambo doesn't have any plans right now for another Texas troll, but he told the American-Statesman he's leaving that door open.
Why a giant troll?
Dambo talked about how, growing up, the folklore he heard and the lullabies his mother sang to him all involved trolls.
"It's my heritage, and so I use that as the vehicle to talk about ... all these really heavy topics. I'm trying to talk about them in a more entertaining and funny way," Dambo said.
The world-famous artist quit his job in 2011 in pursuit of his mission, "waste no more." He has created plastic artwork, birdhouses and more from recycled materials. Dambo completed his 100th troll, Månemor, in 2023.
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Where to find the giant troll in Austin
To find all the trolls, one must follow the "Troll Map" released by Dambo and his team. So far, Malin has not been added to the map.
Those wishing to visit Malin can discover how to find her on the conservancy's website.