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Fremont Troll

Coordinates: 47°39′03″N 122°20′50″W / 47.650955°N 122.34728°W / 47.650955; -122.34728 (Fremont Troll)
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Fremont Troll
The Troll
ArtistSteve Badanes
Will Martin
Donna Walter
Ross Whitehead
Year1990 (1990)
TypeSculpture
Dimensions5.5 m (18 ft)
LocationSeattle
Coordinates47°39′03″N 122°20′50″W / 47.650955°N 122.34728°W / 47.650955; -122.34728 (Fremont Troll)
OwnerCity of Seattle

The Fremont Troll (also known as The Troll, or the Troll Under the Bridge) is a public sculpture in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington in the United States.

Artists and inspiration

The Troll was sculpted by four local artists: Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter, and Ross Whitehead. The idea of a troll living under a bridge is derived from the Scandinavian (Norwegian) folklore.

History

Plaque for the sculpture

In 1990, the Fremont Arts Council launched an art competition whose partial goal was to rehabilitate the area under the bridge, which was becoming a dumping ground and haven for drug dealers. The piece, built later that same year, won the competition.

Description

The Troll is a mixed media colossal statue, located on N. 36th Street at Troll Avenue N., under the north end of the George Washington Memorial Bridge (also known as the Aurora Bridge). It is clutching an actual Volkswagen Beetle, as if it had just swiped it from the roadway above. The vehicle has a California license plate.[1]

The Troll is 5.5 m (18 ft) high, weighs 6,000 kg (13,000 lb), and is made of steel rebar, wire, and concrete.[2] He is interactive—visitors are encouraged to clamber on him or try to poke out his one good eye (a hubcap).

Legacy and cultural references

Sign for "Troll Avenue"
  • Starting in 2017, the seventh season of Once Upon a Time heavily featured a replica of the troll, providing it a backstory that includes references to the book "The BFG".
  • In 2016, the Chicago rock band Majungas released "The Fremont Troll" off their Seattle Rock album.[3][4]
  • In 2011, the Fremont Troll was released as a Chia Pet.[5]
  • In 2005, the segment of Aurora Avenue North under the bridge, running downhill from the Troll to North 34th Street was renamed "Troll Avenue" in honor of the sculpture.[6]
  • In 2007, a caricatured replica of the Troll was entered in the Red Bull Soapbox Race (a soapbox derby) in Seattle.[7]
  • The Seattle Times uses Gabriel Campanario's[8] sketch of The Troll on some of its "Page Not Found" pages.[9]

The artists have chosen to exercise their copyright to control commercial use of Troll images. All commercial use of The Troll's image must first have permission in writing from the artists.[10] Postcards, beer, and other products approved by the artists are commercially available, and use is free to non-profit organizations.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Kirby, Doug. "The Fremont Troll, Seattle, Washington". Roadside America. Roadside America (book series). Archived from the original on 2011-04-12. Retrieved July 7, 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Allen, Rebeccah (January 4, 2011). "Sculptural Seattle". The Orange County Register. Santa Ana, CA: Terry Horne. ISSN 0886-4934. OCLC 12199155. Archived from the original on 2011-01-22. Retrieved March 20, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Harms, Shane (April 19, 2016). "Chicago band releases songs inspired by Ballard and Fremont". Ballard News Tribune.
  4. ^ Kirby, Lindsay. "Majungas Sing A Song For The Fremont Troll". www.fremocentrist.com. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  5. ^ "The Fremont Troll becomes a Chia pet". Seattle's Big Blog. 2011-10-19. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  6. ^ Gilmore, Susan (July 9, 2005). "Street may be rechristened for Fremont Troll". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington: Frank A. Blethen. ISSN 0745-9696. OCLC 9198928. Archived from the original on 2011-04-12. Retrieved March 20, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Rolph, Amy (September 29, 2007). "Pickles, baby carriages, the Fremont Troll on wheels -- A different kind of soapbox derby". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Seattle, Washington: Roger Oglesby. ISSN 0745-970X. OCLC 3734418. Archived from the original on 2011-04-12. Retrieved March 20, 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Campanario, Gabriel. "Seattle Sketcher Gabriel Campanario". Seattle Times. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  9. ^ Campanario, Gabriel. "Page Not Found: Fremont Troll by Seattle Sketcher, Gabriel Campanario". Seattle Times. Retrieved May 29, 2016. {{cite news}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  10. ^ "A Toll For The Troll; Artists Sue Business For Using Sculpture". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington: William Stacey Cowles. August 16, 1996. p. 13. ISSN 1064-7317. OCLC 11102610. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  11. ^ "Fremont Troll". fremont.com. Fremont Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 2011-04-12. Retrieved 2011-02-18. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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