1940
THOMAS DAM - FATHER OF TROLLS
Thomas Dam, known to many Troll collectors as Father of Trolls, was raised in a small village named Gjøl in Northern Denmark. His dad was a poor fisherman and Thomas was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps as a fisherman too, but Thomas was not big and strong, and didn’t find fishing very appealing. During 2nd World War it was very hard to find work in Denmark. His wife Betty suggested he tried selling some of the many wood carvings he kept producing, and that’s basically how the business was started. Much to his own surprise, he soon found a trading partner who agreed to buy everything Thomas was able to produce - Thomas and his family had now found a way to survive the difficult times during the war. By the end of the war in 1945 Thomas’ works had been sold all over Denmark and a number of other countries, Including the USA.
1950
DAMS’ CREATIONS COMES TO LIFE
Thomas Dam started producing sculptures in natural rubber. Thomas explained that he wanted to create a figure that, although it was far from beautiful, had the ability to make people smile and feel good. The troll was intented to embrace and hug the world, with its arms being stretched in the “Give me a hug position”.
1958
Thomas named his troll, Goodluck Troll and it is said that if you take good care of your troll it will bring you luck. When newspapers and magazines brought articles about the Goodluck Troll, these articles often featured pictures of Thomas´daugther, Lajla. The demand for the Goodluck Troll exploded during this period in time, and the production of Goodluck Trolls began in the United States, New Zealand and England in order to keep up with the growing demand.
1958
VISIT IN THE WHITE HOUSE
The GoodLuck Troll itself received a tremendous amount of attention in this period, and even visited President John F. Kennedy in the White House. The famous female pilot Betty Miller, who received a medal for her achievement of single handed flying a small aircraft across the Pacific Ocean, brought a GoodLuck Troll with her on the journey.
1961
TOY OF THE YEAR
The US Toy Industry Association (TIA) named the GoodLuck Troll “Toy of the Year”. In 1964 the troll was used as a mascot on the entrance pass for the World Exhibition in New York.
1964
THE GOODLUCK TROLL IS FAMOUS!
In April the Life Magazine used a full, colored page to cover the US “mysterious” Troll invasion. Many years later the New York Times dedicated the entire frontpage of the Art & Culture section to the story of the GoodLuck Troll and its father Thomas Dam.
1989
THOMAS DAM DIES OF CANCER
Thomas Dam died of cancer in 1989 and did not live to experience the gigantic return of the GoodLuck Troll in the early 90’s.
2011
DREAMWORKS BUYS THE RIGHTS FOR THE GOODLUCK TROLL
Thomas dreamt about turning the story of his trolls into a movie, but when he lost the Copyright in 1965 this dream seemed unreal.
However, after his company Dam Things spent almost 10 years in different courts fighting to get the once lost Copyright back, they
succeeded, and the GoodLuck Troll was ready to conquer the world once again. In 2010 Dam Things and its advisors approached a
number of Hollywood Studios and realized the large interest in the story about the GoodLuck Troll. In 2011 Dam Things announced the
cooperation with DreamWorks Animation to produce a film about the life of the trolls.
2014
GUESS WHO'S BACK?
Thomas Dam died in 1989 and didn´t live to experience that the his Goodluck Troll became world famous once again i the 1990´s.
2015
FROM TOY TO DESIGN ICON
In 2015 Dam Things started to cooperate with bySommer to turn the classic trolls into a design icon. Trolls fans are now able to have a fashionable
memory of their childhood as a design object in their house. These new trolls were first seen in Denmark in 2015, and have been very popular from
day one. More than 500 stores in Denmark are selling the trolls, as well as more than 100 stores in Norway and Sweden.
2016
TAKING ON HOLLYWOOD
“Trolls - the movie” from 2016 from DreamWorks was dedicated to Thomas Dam, and is about the GoodLuck Trolls that Thomas Dam created. The film was directed by Mike Mitchell, staring superstars like Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake. The movie grossed $344 million worldwide, and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for ”Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
2017
2017 - A TOUCH OF ROYALTY
At the Royal Danish Visit in Stockholm in 2017, Prince Daniel of Sweden tells the Danish Crown Princess Mary that every Swedish child has had a GoodLuck Troll when growing up.
2020
TROLLS 2 - WORLD TOUR
Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake reappears in their roles in Trolls 2 with release date in 2020.
The adventure of the trolls continues...
