SNARKY TOYS!

We loved TROLLS!! Kimmer had tons of them and we had Troll villages and Troll Houses that we made out of old bleach bottles. We would cut out the front of the bleach bottle. Add carpet on the "floor". Paste pictures on their walls, and cut out windows too. The bottle had a built in handle for carrying and the creativity we put into customizing these little troll homes was amazing. Wish I had a photo of one from back then.

We had lots of different colored hair trolls but my two favorites were a white haired one and an orange haired one that my mean step sister threw out the car window when I was about 7 years old. See... emotional damage never heals! I am still mad that my step father refused to turn the car around to go get it...

We even had Troll Animals and I found a picture of one I had, the Troll Giraffe:



We made our own clothes for the Trolls because there weren't any for sale yet. They did have outfits later on but by then I was teen aged and on to other things. Our homemade clothes weren't as fancy as these below but we loved them just the same. These below are really cute.



They were addictive! Just like I guess the Beanie Baby craze in the 90's. I still want these dolls when I see those little eyes! Unlike the Liddle Kiddle's they didn't come with any accessories except my Mrs. Santa Claus version. she kind of looked like this one below:



They did bring Trolls back in the late 80's. They had the belly button jewel. Mine didn't have those as I recall. I had both versions of Trolls the Dam and Russ versions. Russ had the best faces and best hair. They cost more too.


Newer Versions of Trolls

TROLL HISTORY

Trolls have been a part of folklore forever--as bad and mischievous creatures who lived in caves, in logs, and under bridges. Trolls are believed to be good luck, which certainly has helped the sale of troll dolls--troll dolls can be found in houses, in cars, even at work, purchased with the hope that they will bring luck to their owners.

Trolls in their collectible form were first created by Thomas Dam and his family, in Denmark in the 1950s. The first Dam trolls were carved in wood. Later, they were made of soft rubber, and finally, vinyl. The trolls made by Thomas Dam's company became known as "Dam Things," and these are the most popular trolls with collectors today. Most collectors believe that the Dam Thing trolls have the most character, the best clothing, and the highest quality.

Although Dam Things made the most well-known and most collectible trolls, many companies got on the troll bandwagon and began to produce trolls in the mid 1960s. Most of these trolls are unmarked, so it is often difficult to identify trolls from any of the "clone" troll makers. Many of the clone troll manufacturers were from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and the trolls they made were cheap imitations and of low quality.

These low-quality trolls flooded the market in the mid-1960s, which caused trolls to become less popular--troll popularity peaked approximately in 1966. Trolls went downhill from there, and became almost invisible by the 1980s.

However, starting in 1989, troll production started in earnest again, when troll nostalgia hit big, causing the second boom-period for trolls in the early 1990s. Trolls became ubiquitous again, and were found in nearly every toy shop and gift shop. Today, trolls are not as common as in the early 1990s, but can still be found. Today's trolls are made by several manufacturers, including Dam Trolls which only sells their current trolls in Denmark.



COLLECTOR TROLLS ONLINE

This is a small group of old troll dolls. These funny little dolls gained popularity in the 1960’s and 70’s and have been in and out of fashion ever since. The first large on measures about 3” high excluding its wild, multi-colored hair.

It has plastic eyes and is wearing a little shirt that has numbers on it and reads; Lucky Lottery Troll. On its feet it is marked with the Russ copyright and China. The other large one is a jeweled troll and is slightly different in character and its plastic eyes are inset more. It has shocking turquoise hair, a matching rhinestone like gem in its belly button and blue eyes.

It measures about 3” high excluding the hair and is marked Made in China - Ace Novelty Co., Inc. on the bottom of its feet. Of the three smaller ones with painted eyes and shocking pink hair, one, I believe, is a pencil topper as shown in the pictures. It measures about 1 ¼” high and is only marked China on the back. Then there are two tiny ones that measure about 1” tall excluding the hair. On the back they are marked with the Russ copyright and China and they both have their original Russ foil label on the bottom of their feet.




World Record Troll Collector:

A SCHOOLGIRL’S hobby has landed her a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Sophie Marie Cross, of Ilges Lane, Cholsey, has broken her own record for having the most troll dolls – with a gruesome 545.

The 13-year-old Wallingford School pupil said she had no plans to give up her collection and is constantly on the look out for more of the dolls.

“I first started my collection when I was seven after my brother bought a small troll and I took a shine to it,” she said. Full Story HERE

Troll Mischief Video



Troll Fashion Show!