Troll Dolls

This page is about where the Trolls come from, and focuses on the history of the "Troll Dolls" toyline.

About

"Troll Dolls" is the name given to a toy that is humanoid in design with long fluffy hair. They were popular in both the 1960s, then later again in the 1980s and 1990s, selling millions of dolls. They were a popular toy designed for children, but are also enjoyed by adult collectors. DreamWorks works closely with Dam Things in the continued production of the Trolls franchise.

Currently, there are 3 officially named Troll brands whose names are still in use:

• Trolls based on their films go under the name of "DreamWorks Trolls". Due to the use of the name, note that it can become confusing to separate the Dam Things and DreamWorks handling of the name. These dolls generally pay tribute to their original source material.
• Trolls based on Dam Things version of the doll go by the name of "Good Luck Trolls", however there is a divide in the brand name.
  • Modern classic designs produced under DreamWorks licensing also carry the name "Good Luck Trolls", of which several related trademarks exist, this version holds the name of the original product, but refers to the global sales of the dolls by this name.
  • The original Dam Things Trolls often go under the name of "Good Luck Trolls". These dolls tend to be only available in Denmark and Europe. Due to licensing agreements between Dam Things and DreamWorks, the Dam Things company is allowed to continue to produce its dolls.

For more information about trademarks and copyrights, see List of Trademarks and List of Copyrights.

A Troll Doll is noted for its distinct design of a small body, large head and long brightly colored hair, as well as being branded as a "Good luck" charm for children.

History

Dam Things (Pre-1993)

“

Since the start of Trolls production many people have tried to copy the Trolls. But there is only one original Troll: The Dam Troll from The Troll Company in Gjøl, situated in the northern part of Denmark. According to old fairytales trolls have magic powers. They love to make you smile and be happy. Some people say that Trolls also bring good luck. But be careful: only the ORIGINAL Dam Troll has magic powers. Therfore...look for the Dam logo and thereby be certain that you have the ORIGINAL GOOD LUCK TROLL. -Dam World website

”

The Troll Dolls were originally made to look like human babies, and were loosely based on the mythical trolls. The first Troll doll was made by a woodworker and fisherman named Thomas Dam for his daughter, who was deeply upset at the time as a means to cheer her up. Therefore, the first Troll doll was a wooden carving. Dam later opened up a factory that sold the dolls during the 1960s; the dolls it produced were made of plastic.

These dolls have a more "sculpted" look compared to all later licensed Trolls, with more realistic features and often more varied appearances and poses with a strickly more human-Esque design overall. Part of this was because these dolls were produced as mostly collectibles and therefore many dolls received much focus and individually to stand out from each other, compared to later dolls which were more for play. Originally, the dolls were made of rubber with wood shavings in, and their hair came from sheep skin. This switched to plastic when production increased in the 1960s as it was more endurable. The dolls had the traditional tan skin and usually brown colored eyes along with single hair color, save the two-headed dolls (as each head had a different color hair). Although the doll's hair could be any color, the oldest series favored more natural colors (white, black and brown, etc) and tend to be the most realistic-like because of the use of sheep-skin for the hair. The later series also had other colored eyes (though Dam Things tended to favor natural human-like colors such as green). The dolls were of both humanoids and animals.

These dolls are the only ones generally considered to be worth money to collectors.

These dolls often had the title of "Gonk Toys", "Gonk" referring to a type of egg-shaped doll that was covered in fuzz and became popular after World War II in European territories such as the United Kingdom. The term "gonk" itself refers to a type of goblin or fairy, which gonk toys draw their name from. They also went by the name of "Norfin Trolls" or in English "Gonk Trolls" or "Good Luck Trolls" (in later decades), or referred to as "Dam Trolls".

Thomas Dam died of cancer in 1989, just before the Trolls crazy of the 1990s begun. He was succeeded by Niel Dam as head of the Dam Things company.

Troldeviking, one of the Dam Things company Trolls.

The Giraffe Troll, one of the animal Trolls. This would later be the inspiration behind Cooper and the Funk Trolls.

Global Licensing & the Trolls craze (1992-1993)

“

There was a time when waters were clean and forests were untouched, when ancient legends spoke of Guardians of Earth. In Scandinavian Lands, theres mysterious creatures were called TROLLS, and were known to guard what is left of Earth's natural Treasures by burying precious metals and minerals underground. Because they were rarely seen, people believed TROLLS no longer existed. Today these once forgotten creatures are once again in our midst. Since TROLLS only work at night, you may never see them, but they are there, working their Earth magic to help humans. Little is known about the TROLLS, except they never cut their hair, they love to eat all kinds of berries, and sometimes assume disguises to help humans. The presence of TROLLS usually indicates gold or gemstones are buried nearby, which is why the TROLLS are associated with good fortune. It is known that after rain-showers, rainbows appear, pinpointing the exact location of the buried treasure and bathing the TROLLS long hair in shimmering colours. With frequent exposure to the rainbow's light, TROLLS, who guard 'the pot of gold', can be identified by their rainbow-coloured hair. There are other families of TROLLS, such as the forrest TROLLS, with green hair and blue-haired TROLLS who guard the treasures of the sea. The older and wiser TROLLS had grey and white streaks in their hair. The best place to find a TROLL, would be a patch of berries, but TROLLS move so quickly they can only be caught by their hair. Once caught, a TROLL will grant you a wish. Because of this, TROLLS are said to bring good luck when you rub their hair. -Russ Trolls flavor text, explaining the "lore" of Troll Dolls, taken from the 1992 Hasbro Troll-Tech Radio

”

Dam never stopped making the dolls, and in the late 1980s, they saw a worldwide explosion of popularity. In the United States, the dolls were licensed under the name of "Russ" or "Russ Troll Dolls" by the company 'Russ Berrie and company Ltd'. Russ Berrie and company Ltd, were a successful gift company worth more the $100 million by 1983 and worked to sell "impulse buy" gifts. The production of Troll Dolls, one of its oldest products it had handled since the 1960s, lifted the company after the dolls suddenly saw a boost in popularity and by the end of their first year (1992) the company was worth more than $300 million, boosting the stock of the company which had seen a stock profit value loss for several years. Russ in turn handled the global distribution to other companies, and the dolls were distributed across Great Britain and Europe by other companies Russ had distribution agreements with.

One of the most successful lines was the "Rainbow Trolls", which were Trolls with multicolored hair (traditionally, Troll hair was mono-colored), though other Dolls like the Luck Wizard were also famous with him appearing even in the Funko Trolls miniature range years later. Between all of their variations, millions of Troll Dolls were sold, making them one of the most popular dolls of their era. During this era, Dam Things started to use the term "The Original Good Luck Trolls" to refer to their particular dolls, to note "They were the original Good Luck Trolls" and all others were fakes.

One of the most notable changes was to the size of the dolls, with these dolls being typically much smaller and having similar or near-identical looks. This gave rise to the standard "Troll Doll" appearance that became a familiarity within even the Trash Can Trolls card series, mocking them with a pair of "Generic Troll" cards: "28a GENERIC ERIC" and "28b NO FRILLS FRANK".

The Russ "Rainbow Troll" series "Punk Rocker" doll, an example of a Troll doll from the 1980s/1990s.

Counterfeits, Animations & The Troll Company (1993-2000)

“

A long time ago, deep in a shadowy glade, there lived fairy-like creatures called Treasure Trolls™. Their laughter Tinkled like tiny silver bells as they scampered about fern and foliage searching for jewels call Wishstones™. Now they weren't always this happy. In fact, they used to be downright sad and they would have been this sad to this very day, save for one little Troll who found a Wishstone™ glistening in a bubbly brook. She picked it up, held it to her belly, and sang this simple Wishsong, "Twinkle, Twinkle hair so fuzzy, Twinkle, Twinkle, Bees go buzzy, Wish I may, Wish I might, have the Wish I wish tonight". With a poof and a puff and in a twist of light so bright, that little Troll was transformed into a Treasure Troll™. From then and thereafter, any Troll that found a Wishstone™ was delightfully transformed into a into a Treasure Troll™. Now all the Treasure Trolls™ are wishing on their Wishstones™ that your wishes can come true. -Treasure Trolls lore, written by "Stephen Cosgrove", often found Ace Novelty co. Wish Trolls. The date is unknown

”

“

Treasure Trolls™ dressed in cool fashions are tons of fun! Each one has a special Wishstone™ that lets it know its a true Treasure Troll. Share secret wishes with your new best friend and rub your Treasure Trolls belly for good luck! Treasure Trolls™ love to travel in bunches - the more you collect, the more fun you'll have! -Treasure Trolls "lore", dated 1998, Galoob Toys, inc

”

Due to the issue with copyright on "Trolls" in the 1990s, other companies decided to cash in on the popularity, there was also an issue with Russ Berrie and Company, Ltd itself, and the Dam Things company lost much of the profit from sales of Troll Dolls, despite the dolls selling millions of units. The situation also made identifying legit and illegit Troll Doll companies impossible at times for consumers.

This led to many Troll dolls by other companies during the craze in the 1990s as just about anyone could make a "Troll Doll" without Dam Things being able to halt the process. The counterfeits were attempts by the companies to cash in on the Troll Doll craze, since there was nothing stopping companies from producing toys and dolls with the "Troll" appearance. One such example is Ace Novelty, who also sold their version of the Troll Doll as "Treasure Trolls", they later produced a boy's Troll Doll called "Stone Protectors" since Troll Dolls tended to appeal to girls rather than boys. Stephen Cosgrove also wrote a number of "Treasure Troll" books, as well as the Treasure Troll lore on their products".

There was also an animated short based on two toylines called "Magic Trolls & the Troll Warriors", as well as a live-action show called "Trollies Radio Sing-a-long", both of which were created in 2012 to exploit the craze. There was also "Super Trolls" and later a video game. At this point despite the number of counterfeits and animations, the craze was already dying with Russ having lost 37% of its earnings in 1993 from its previous year. Among the animations over this early 90s period were the Norfin Adventures, which were made 1993-1994 and were direct to VHS. Due to the use of "Norfin", presumably these were official animations as "Norfin Trolls" is one of the copyrighted names on the Dam Things copyright for their Troll dolls.

The company went through a 10-year battle over licensing. Dam's company Dam Things managed to sort the copyright issue and the "Troll Company" was created to handle global and USA licensing and marking of Troll Dolls, but this had the side effect of halting the flow of Troll dolls worldwide. Thus, this was also the reason for the sudden drop in popularity of the Troll doll in the second half of the 1990s, as companies could no longer flood the market with knock-off versions. At this point, "Good Luck Trolls" became the licensed name indefinitely of the Troll Dolls and all other names were dropped in favour of the licensed name.

For a brief history on the copyright issue with the Trolls name, refer to this video.

There was also reports of a cancelled film and video game in the mid-late 1990s.

Due to their popularity, other Troll-like toys based on the Troll dolls continued production up until, and even after, DreamWorks aquired the Trolls licensing. However, because of the copyright issue being resolved, they rarely use the name "Troll". For example, the Zelfs have a name based on the Elf, another mythical creature. They have an obvious design that alludes to the Troll Dolls, but base the design of animals.

Trollz (2005-2006)

A toy made for the failed 2005 "Trollz" series.

“

Welcome to Trollzopolis, where fashion & fun always come with a magical Twist! Hang out with the Trollz, they'll put a spell on you! -Flavor text on the back of TROLLZ licensed dolls

”

In 2005, an attempt was made to bring back Trolls with a TV series named Trollz, but ended up being unsuccessful. DiC launched "Trollz" after acquiring the license from the Troll Company to relaunch and rebrand the "Good Luck Trolls" for a modern aduience, as well as handle licensing for "Good Luck Trolls".

DiC itself folded and was taken over by the Cookie Jar Group, who in turn later were taken over for WildBrain (formerly DHX Media). Trollz was one of the properties listed as having contributed as part of the reason for the poor performance of DiC at the time, citing that license had performed poorly and cost the company a $2.3 million provision coverage cost, DiC had expected a high level of consumer production-consumption which had not been met. The licensing ended after DiC and the American "Good Luck Trolls" company came into issues over counterfeit dolls and DiC sued the Troll Company for not fully disclosed the impact of counterfeits to DiC, though DiC knew about the issue when they acquired the license. The company had seen a loss of $10 million from the previous year, making the loss from properties such as Trollz very impacting on its finical failings.

These dolls were based on fashion dolls and had a much slimmer appearance compared to traditional appearances. While it was common to re-use dolls of common characters, the series mostly abandoned the generic Troll Doll idea, with distinction given to dolls of characters. Until the later Fashion dolls by Hasbro in 2020-2022, these were the only dolls released that reframed from using the classic Troll Doll design.

As well as the slim build, their had hair styled in a particular hairstyle and each doll was based upon a single color scheme. The characters were all named, which was unlike the majority of past dolls, being each named after gemstones based upon their color and barely surnames which were Troll-puns. The dolls incorporated the Wishstones of "Treasure Trolls", and the Wishstone "magic" was kept but altered for the TV series and dolls "lore".

The toy company that produced the dolls was Hasbro, making it their first licensing with official Troll Dolls, though this was not their first "Trolls" toyline, as Hasbro had produced their own unlicensed doll line previously called The Original Battle Trolls.

Dark Horse Comics (2012-2013)

Troll Dolls from Dark Horse, series 1

Dark Horse Comics released a series of blind bag Troll Dolls that were licensed for sale in 2012, with the second release in 2013. These dolls mostly have gone under the radar due to their short run, and were the final release of dolls at the time of sales of their second series. Part of the reason for the company's short-run with "Good Luck Trolls", was owed to the licensing bid from DreamWorks at the time.

These dolls are brightly colored with variations of skin and hair, among which there are flocking and metallic textures. These dolls used the common generic Troll doll design in addition without variation. Though the design was similar enough to the dolls of the 1980s and 1990s, they were not the same design.

As licensed dolls, they carried the name of "Good Luck Trolls".

DreamWorks Trolls (2008-present)

A year after the failure of Trollz, DreamWorks started the process of making their own Trolls brand by filing several trademarks. At the time, Dam Things had looked for a Hollywood movie company to help produce a licensed movie or film, they were met with huge interest. However, DreamWorks managed to secure the interest of the company and talks began in terms of licensing. However, rather than acquiring a license to produce a movie, other events happened that led DreamWorks to acquire more than just the licensing. They began to conceptualize the now abandoned Trolls film as a licensed tie-in with the Trolls franchise, at this point, DreamWorks was working under license to Dam's company as normal. However, much of the project's nature would change in 2010, when they began the process of actually acquiring the Dam Things "Good Luck Trolls" trademark in almost its entirety.

In 2013, DreamWorks officially announced that they had bought the full rights to "Trolls" from Dam's company for an undisclosed price; this allowed them to make Trolls dolls everywhere except the Scandinavian region, which Dam's company still has the rights over. No more non-DreamWorks licensed "Good Luck Trolls" were released from 2013 onwards. In 2016 they released Trolls, with merchandise alongside the "DreamWorks Trolls" brand and now both "DreamWorks Trolls" and "Good Luck Trolls" are owned by DreamWorks as part of the "Trolls" franchise name. The "DreamWorks Trolls" brand having established its Trademarks in its current form from 2014 onwards, while "Good Luck Trolls" establishing itself from 2015 onwards. Both are regarded as DreamWorks "Trolls" brand, but continue to be treated as separate entities.

Similar to the Dark Horse Comics dolls, the DreamWorks Trolls dolls have a mixed variation of colors, but draw influences from older productions, including Trollz and the original 1960s dolls. There are also references to the Trash Card Trolls within the series, though they're much more toned down than their original releases. Focus is on a handful of character dolls, but generic Troll Dolls do exist based on the DreamWorks design of Trolls, and the Pop Trolls are considered the closest Tribe to traditional "Troll Dolls" in design, while Funk Trolls are based on a giraffe doll from the 1960s. Additionally, Guy Diamond was modeled on a naked version of that era's dolls, be it without clothing.

In addition, DreamWorks handles the global sales of "Good Luck Trolls", which continue to maintain the 1980s and 1990s "look" that Troll Dolls typically became associated with, all dolls baring this appearance are counted by DreamWorks as part of this brand name. "Good Luck Trolls" continues currently to remain a toy-only brand with no current plans for expansion being known from the company.

The current DreamWorks "Trolls" official license mark

Prior to the release of Trolls World Tour, Trolls was worth "$700 million" and was back to being a successful brand name. From 2020 onwards, all merchandise related to Trolls, both "DreamWorks Trolls" and "Good Luck Trolls" carry the "Troll" mark.

DreamWorks has other trademarks for specific Troll branding, but they're currently not in use, such as Color Mood Trolls and Trolls: Party Ever After. Both the Treasure Trolls and the Rainbow Trolls are named after classic toylines.

For more information on Trolls related trademarks see List of Trademarks.

A Troll doll of Branch made by Hasbro for the Small doll range still in its package.

Unpacked DreamWorks Trolls-era (2016-2019) dolls by Hasbro. The image shows all doll styles made by Hasbro, with Maddy's doll acting as the "standard" doll design.

A Troll Doll also made by Hasbro, based on a more classic design that resembles Smidge.

Funko Trolls Classic - Rainbow Troll

The World's Smallest Troll Dolls - Rainbow variant

Trollify exclusive band featuring Chucky, Bride of Frankenstein and Michael Myers, 3 icons of horror from Universal Studios

Dam Things (Present)

An example of a modern "Dam Things" "Good Luck Troll" called "OUR HEROES TROLL, CHILDCARE TROLL"

Dam Things ceased to maintain much of their original global licensing of "Good Luck Trolls" name post-2012, owed to DreamWorks now taking over the license and mostly focused on the history of Trolls Dolls, rather than production after DreamWorks has purchased the license, letting DreamWorks mostly handle the Trolls production. The continued legacy of Thomas Dam's company and Dam Things is held by his children and their families post his death in 1989. Dam Things is currently headed by Niel Dam.

Troll projects and licensing are still occurring with the approach the company takes being more geared towards traditional styles and artistic Trolls. The company has also been known to be involved with fundraising for Cancer research, as Thomas Dam himself died because of cancer. The nature of the Dolls sold currently is different to that of DreamWorks Trolls, and DreamWorks own version of the "Good Luck Trolls", as Dam Things "Good Luck Trolls" carry the mark of Dam Things and now are purely marketed as collector's items, rather than toys. The dolls, therefore, often have a more artistic "look", with many have a sculpted appearance, and are often varied in contrast to the traditional Dam Things Troll Dolls of the past.

They continue to cooperate with DreamWorks in the promotion and distribution of the Trolls franchise, and both companies have run special promotions related to "Good Luck Trolls" globally and in Europe. Despite being by Dam Things, many of these dolls still carry the "DreamWorks" logo due to them holding the overall "Good Luck Trolls" license including joint copyright ownership.

Influences

The original mythical trolls are ugly creatures who are dangerous to humans. They were a type of monster or demon living in remote locations. They're part of Norse and Scandinavian folklore, and unlike many other folklore creatures hadn't seen Christianization. They remain one of several creatures of Nordic mythology to survive the introduction of Christianity to Scandinavia, whereas others had been reinterpretated to fit within a biblical concept. These trolls likely inspired the Bergens.

The original Troll dolls, or "Good Luck Trolls" were a good luck charm; one would rub the hair (in the case of Gem or "Treasure" Trolls, the gem would be rubbed instead while making a wish) to bring good luck, and are essentially a adverse of their myth counterparts. With the act of rubbing the hair and carrying it around, the Troll would ward off bad luck and other omens, and was meant to be a form of a coping device for small children. Due to how many fake Troll dolls were produced, it's claimed on Dam Things' website that only their Trolls have the original ability to bring luck.

Cultural References

Troll Dolls have made numerous appearances in Pixar's Toy Story franchise, consisting mostly of cameos in the works that came out before the "DreamWorks Trolls" franchise began. In particular, the toy character "Troll" was owned by the human character "Molly", and was seen in the first two films, later making a flashback cameo in Toy Story 3. She doesn't appear in a major role after the cameo again, as she was likely thrown away or sold between the events of Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3.

Since DreamWorks now co-owns the licensing rights for Good Luck Trolls, the Trolls franchise is one of the few traditionally toy-based franchises which other media-based companies have commonly referenced in their works.

In the adult-comedy Paradise PD, Gerald "Fitz" Fitzgerald, under his alias and split personality "The Kingpin", paid those working under him in "Legion of Dooooom" with Troll Dolls in the episode "The Father, The Son, and The Post-It Note".

Trivia

• The "Trolls" trademark is the oldest trademark that DreamWorks currently owns, dating back to 1968 when Dam Things first registered their troll logo. Its first use was proven by Dam Stuff to be dated back to 1/1/1959, though this can't be taken as literal since it was just supplied as the company's "proof" of their usage, which was required for the day.
• At the current point in time Trollz, the only other official animated property related to Trolls licensing from Dam Things, is the only part of the "Trolls" franchise DreamWorks does not own as Cookie Jar Entertainment (USA) Inc. held the licensing for this and is still regarded as the license holder. Upon Thomas Dam's company Dam Things sorting out their licensing issues, most other Troll Doll companies ceased the production of counterfeit dolls and all unofficial Trolls media ceased, so all other properties carrying "Trolls" or a variation of that name are not regarded as official license holders.
  • Hasbro was also one of the companies to produce counterfeit dolls such as The Original Battle Trolls, then prior to acquiring the licensing for "Trollz". When Trolls was later released in 2016 they held the official tie-in licensing of Troll Dolls for the second time until 2022 when the license went over to Mattel.
• Because of the nature of the franchises, and the use of "Doll", it was a common misconception that the Troll Dolls are meant for girls only. While some merchandise such as that of Trollz were indeed aimed at females, the general franchise is aimed at children of both genders.

External Links

• Dam Things website
• Good Luck Trolls website - timeline