Wish Niks - You Just Can't Keep A Good Troll Down!
A Blast From The Past - Remembering When...
As a child of the 50's, I can remember many rainy days spent cutting felt clothes for my trolls with my brother and sister. We'd sew on tiny beads for buttons - most 'outfits' consisted of just a tunic that covered everything needing covering, and was easy enough for our young fingers to cut out without losing interest.
That was the hey day of the Dam Troll (Wish Nik, Lucky Troll). Still coveted today as 'the original trolls', they were joined by a great variety of knock-offs over the years. But the basic appeal of the troll remains.
Today my grandkids are only interested in oddly shaped dolls with removable feet, weapons of gigantic proportion, or anything electronic. If it doesn't make noise, do a dozen different things, and have a TV show -- it's just not interesting. Whatever happened to using your imagination, creating stories and acting them out with the most basic of unisex dolls - the troll? :)
A bit of Trollish history...
Originally created by Thomas Dam in 1956, troll dolls first landed on American shores in 1962. Their second wave landed in the early '90s, and a third wave was seen in 2005. Originally called Dam Trolls (pronounced Dom) and then Wish Niks, in this latest incarnation, they're using the moniker "Trollz."
Trolls have had a variety of sources, starting with the original Dam trolls. Then there's also Uneeda, Russ, and Norfin.
The most highly sought trolls are, of course, the originals. Determining which 'generation' your troll belongs to can sometimes be confusing... but can sometimes be well worth the effort. :)
Wish Nik / Troll sites of interest.
- Retroland | Trolls
Love 'em or hate 'em, Troll Dolls have been everywhere. More modern generations can thank the retro-crazed 90s for the resurgence of a more-brightly hued version of the little lucky ... - Troll Company ApS.
Home of The Troll Company Aps. The creators of the Troll Family. - Those Old Dam Things!
A site for 1960's Thomas Dam troll collectors . . . - World of Troll Dolls
Here you will find a history of troll dolls, photos, and collecting tips. Whether you are interested in collecting trolls or selling trolls, you find photos and information here. New photos and descriptions are being added as quickly as possible. - Goblin King's on line guide to trolls
While this site could use some updating and basic readability work, it does contain a good number of interesting images and data.
