Mythical troll statues made of recycled materials make Detroit Lakes their home
DETROIT LAKES, Minn. — Becker County gained some unusual residents this year, and one of them happens to be 36 feet tall.
"This community is kind of a hidden gem. There is a lot here," said Amy Stearns of Project 412.
There are hidden gems in the city that are hard to find. And then there are those that stick out like a giant troll having a bad hair day.
"I think at first people thought we were insane. Trolls in Detroit Lakes?" Stearns said.
It all began with Project 412, a nonprofit named after the 412 lakes in the area. The group got what they call a wild and crazy idea to add giant sculptures that visitors simply can't miss.
"Originally, we were going to do two trolls and then it became four trolls, and now we have five trolls, a golden rabbit and three portals," said Stearns.
Each is made from recycled materials. A Danish artist named Thomas Dambo is the man behind it all.
"The heads and hands and feet of each troll are built in Denmark. And shipped over. And then their bodies are built here by a bunch of volunteers," said Stearns.
Alexa the troll with the magic elixir is made out of old pallet boards and her hair is made out of branches from fallen trees. At a height of 36 feet, Long Leif is the tallest troll in the world. Discarded telephone poles help him stand.
The rabbit is made out of recycled plastic trays. It also has pontoon buoys for teeth, motorcycle helmets for eyes, and windshield wipers for whiskers.
"We figured they probably put in somewhere around 30,000 screws," said Greg Johnson, volunteer coordinator. "The only tools they would use were a screw gun and a jigsaw. Battery-powered."
Nearly 300 volunteers, like Johnson, joined Dambo to help bring all of this to life. From May to June, they worked to build the sculptures along with hundreds of bird houses.
"800 bird houses. It was unbelievable. So many bird houses," said Johnson.
The bird houses are clues to where the trolls and rabbit are hiding, since they are scattered from Detroit Lakes to Frazee. But they aren't the only clues.
Each troll has a message that leads from one to the next and eventually to the golden rabbit. Jacob Everear encourages visitors to listen to their friends. Barefoot Frida wants people to take a walk in nature. The rabbit is a warning to not get caught up in material things.
"Thomas Dambo, he believes the trolls really help us kind of shine a light on how we can take better care of the environment and be better to each other," said Stearns.
It's a message that seems to be hitting home. Alexa alone had 60,000 visitors this past summer. Part of the troll goal is using make-believe characters to create real-life connections.
"It's amazing. It's brought so many people into Detroit Lakes this year. It's unbelievable," said Mayor Matt Brenk.
"The stories behind this, that we have heard from visitors, are just so heart-warming. People have connected with their grandparents. They've connected with their kids," said Stearns.
The trolls and rabbit opened to the public on June 10. The whole process, from planning to building, took 18 months to complete. For more information on where to find the giant sculptures, click here.
