SEARCHING FOR THE DAMBO TROLLS - DETROIT LAKES, MINNESOTA
A troll hunt, a riddle we didn’t quite solve, and a very good reason to explore a little more of Minnesota.
Our Story
Before this trip, I had never heard of Thomas Dambo or his giant trolls in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. My cousin, Kim, came across them while researching things to see and do in the Midwest and thought they looked like something we needed to check out. Giant trolls hidden around Minnesota? Sure. Why not?
Thomas Dambo is a Danish artist known for creating enormous trolls and other sculptures from reclaimed materials. His creations can be found all over the world, often tucked into forests, parks and other places where finding them is part of the experience. These aren’t sculptures you necessarily drive up to, take a picture of and leave. Sometimes you have to do a little walking, follow a trail or figure out exactly where they’re hiding.
In 2024, the Detroit Lakes area became home to five of Dambo’s trolls, along with a golden rabbit and three magic mirror portals. Collectively, the installation is called Alexa’s Elixir. The trolls are spread throughout the area rather than all being in one location, so finding them is part of the experience.
Each troll is different, with its own name, personality and place in the story behind Alexa’s Elixir. These things are huge. You might know you’re looking for a giant wooden troll, but there’s still something pretty fun about walking down a trail and finally seeing one come into view.
We had five trolls to find—and we were going to find all five.
The Hunt Begins
We started at Detroit Lakes City Park, where we found Alexa, our first troll. After seeing pictures of the trolls, I knew they were going to be big, but seeing one in person was completely different. Alexa was huge, and the amount of detail that went into creating her was pretty impressive. We spent some time walking around her, looking at everything and, of course, taking pictures.
Alexa was only the beginning. There was also a book in the park containing a riddle. To solve it, we needed to visit the other trolls scattered throughout the area and find a symbol at each one. Once we collected all of the symbols, we could use them to help solve the riddle.
Well, now we had a mission.
What had started as a plan to drive around and see some giant trolls had officially become a scavenger hunt. We headed out to find the rest of them, collect the symbols and solve the riddle—or at least attempt to solve it.
Ronnie Funny Face — The One We Won't Forget
One of the trolls we were searching for was Ronnie Funny Face. Getting to Ronnie required a little more effort—or so we thought.
The route we took led us straight into a marshy area, where several large rocks seemed to create a path across the water. So, naturally, we assumed that was the way we were supposed to go. We started making our way from rock to rock, carefully watching our footing and trying not to end up in the water.
You can probably guess where this is going.
Yep. I fell in.
This wasn’t a step-in-the-water-and-get-your-shoes-wet kind of fall. I went in all the way up to my chest.
Me back at the hotel, re-evaluating my life choices.
It sounds a little ridiculous now, but I was standing in a marsh in Minnesota, completely soaked, all because we were trying to find a giant wooden troll. This pretty much sums up my life.
At that point, there really wasn’t anything to do but climb out and keep going. We had come this far, and we still had a troll to find. Besides, I’m not a quitter.
So, soaking wet, we continued on and found Ronnie Funny Face.
That’s when we discovered something very useful. There was another route. Around the marsh. Of course there was.
That made Ronnie Funny Face the troll we definitely weren’t going to forget. In fact, we decided the whole experience deserved something a little more permanent.
Ronnie Funny Face inspired us to get matching tattoos.
Some people bring home a souvenir. We brought home a troll tattoo and a story about the time I fell chest-deep into a Minnesota marsh. I’d say that’s a pretty successful travel day.
About That Golden Rabbit...
We found the trolls. We found the symbols. We worked on the riddle. The golden rabbit? Nope. The frustrating part was that we were actually in the right place. We just didn’t go quite far enough to find it.
Now they have maps. A map would have been helpful before we wandered around looking for a giant golden rabbit that was almost right in front of us.
We searched. We tried to figure out where we were supposed to go, and somehow, we still managed to miss a giant golden rabbit. A giant golden rabbit. I’m still a little annoyed about that one.
The Best Part Was Where the Trolls Took Us
The trolls are impressive on their own. They’re huge, incredibly detailed, and even more interesting when you get close enough to see how Dambo turned reclaimed materials into these enormous characters.
I also really liked the hunt itself. The trolls are scattered around the Detroit Lakes area, so finding them meant getting out and exploring instead of simply driving to one location, seeing them and leaving. Some were easier to find than others, some required a little more walking, and as I learned with Ronnie Funny Face, sometimes we made getting to them much more difficult than it needed to be.
The clues and the riddle added another layer to the whole thing and gave us a reason to keep looking for the next one. It wasn’t just about seeing the trolls—it was about finding them.
Apparently, We're Troll Hunters Now
What started as something my cousin happened to find while researching the Midwest has turned into something I now keep an eye out for.
Want to go on your own troll hunt? Thomas Dambo’s trolls can be found all over the world, but they don’t necessarily stay put forever. New ones pop up, while others may be moved or eventually disassembled. Check Thomas Dambo’s website before you go to see where the trolls are currently hiding.
I had never heard of Thomas Dambo before this trip. Now I’m checking where his trolls are popping up next. You go looking for a few giant trolls in Minnesota and accidentally start a whole new travel list.
Been There. Hunted trolls. Missed a rabbit. Loved That.