U.P. Trolls

Stuff We Love

July 29, 2023

Wait a second—aren’t we under-the-bridge-dwellers here in the Lower Peninsula called trolls? Typically, yes, but this time around, we found a big ole troll above the Mighty Mac. In July, Danish rapper-turned-artist Thomas Dambo came to Germfask, Michigan—about halfway in between St. Ignace and Marquette—to build one of his iconic recycled-material trolls at the Northland Outfitters Campground. Michigan’s own troll, a 14-foot tall guardian who sits along the Manistique River, is named Benny the Beard Fisher and is Dambo’s 117th piece. Similar sculptures can be found all across the globe and are made from discarded wooden pallets and other upcycled materials. (The art pieces last about five to seven years in the elements.) Dambo has also had stops in New Jersey, Vermont, and soon Colorado before heading to the Pacific Northwest on his “Way of the Bird King” tour across the U.S. See more of Dambo’s work at thomasdambo.com.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Dambo and Northland Outfitters Campground