The Story of the Troll Doll

[@TodayIFoundOut]

Now that you've learned about where troll dolls came from open up another video and learn about The Invention of the Cardboard Box: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2HHZ4aJoraGrac

[@RPSchonherr]

The Trolls were big in the 70's. Every kid in school had a Troll pencil topper. Mattel had a toy that came with molds and liquid rubber to make your own trolls.

[@misanthropickitty6422]

Robert Schuster I was born in the 90s and I had a troll pencil topper. I got in trouble with my teacher over it.

[@RPSchonherr]

Misanthropic Kitty :D lol

[@vectors2final36]

I alway thought the Olsen twins looked like living troll dolls when they were toddlers.

[@NeitherSparky]

Vectors2final I always said that myself!

[@ashleyshim2078]

Vectors2final lol

[@maxwellalberts7332]

Dead troll dolls.

[@ginafriend1690]

HA! You sure brought that vivid picture to my mind! I never thought about it before 🤣

[@alldaymori1]

The British prime minister looks like a troll doll too

[@sapphire13579]

When I was a kid and had the original (and best) trolls, I got a troll dollhouse for Christmas. It was plastic and painted to look like a tree stump. It opened and folded out to show a bedroom, living room, kitchen and dining room. The furniture was attached to the house, so there were no little pieces to lose. It all looked so rustic. If I still had it, it would be worth a dollar or two.

[@victorthorpe7675]

In 1966 in America, they were called Wish Nicks. Mattel even made a Thing Maker that made them. A thing maker had aluminium molds you would fill with rubber liquid. You would cook the molds on the Thing Maker oven for half an hour. You would remove the doll and glue eyes and wigs on them. Thing makers cost a respectable $10 a piece most kids could not afford

[@palafox2237]

Yes I grew up in the 60s & the Wish-Nicks were alot cuter w/silky hair than the ones manufactured later w/fuzz on their heads. 😆

[@LordCagliostro]

Lesson learned here - always have a copyright lawyer at hand.

[@AlinneMahlke]

That's so awesome. I first saw this doll on Toy Story.

[@man_on_wheelz]

lol I first saw this doll in person

[@annafowdy]

MAN_ON_WHEELZ me, too. My sister had one.

[@daisyq3418]

In the 60's, we called them 'Dam dolls' because the dolls had the word 'dam' on the bottom of their flat foot. I loved my dam dolls. They had real glass eyes and soft hair. My friends and I made clothes for them from colors of felt. They were fun. 😊

[@NanaMamaS]

In the 90's, my grandmother tried to buy my sister and me a pair of identical "treasure trolls" with pink hair. Unfortunately, my father promptly took them away from us because he thought they were "devil-possessed" and evil. I'm not even kidding. We were being raised "Pentecostal" if that means anything; I know it sure doesn't mean much now. Anyway when I finally find one I like, I'm gonna buy two of them and give one to my sister. 💕

[@brightbite]

My baptist uncle felt the same way about Boglins- said they were devils. Ignorance is bliss to some.

[@annafowdy]

I know how you feel.

[@xxXthekevXxx]

My mom thought they were bad, but she’s not Pentecostal. Just really conservative Christian.

[@duchessedeberne3909]

My best friend is Pentecostal too. Her mother threw away her Sailor Moon tarot card that were included in a magazine for being "of the devil" :-/ same with Harry Potter. Only Narnia was okay to them.

[@annafowdy]

Duchesse de Berne my stepfather burned my sister's Harry Potter books. I mean, who does that?

[@steveb0503]

I used to have one that actually had the "Dam Things" trademark on it.

[@davidsolt9669]

steveb0503 my sister had a lot of them in the early 2k

[@soledadyelmar2245]

Russ troll dolls are my absolute favorite things in the whole entire world. I only own 17 sadly but I hope to expand my collection! I scout thrift shops, yard sales, and eBay for good deals on them and recently I was able to find 11 for only 30 dollars

[@PixelatedH2O]

I really feel like this was written with Dam Things in the script as much as possible just as some kind of joke.

[@juliestevens6931]

I learned how to braid hair in the 1960s on a troll doll. :o)

[@Fizer005]

you gotta pay the troll toll...

[@liamdivine5361]

The NightMayor it's soul

[@nunyabidness4655]

You gotta pay the troll toll to get in!

[@xxXthekevXxx]

This thread 😂 I love It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia :)

[@srankoutcast348]

Well done!

[@hankw5086]

My family had some troll dolls in the 1960s, but my mom didn't call them troll dolls; she called them wishniks or something like that.

[@laurak7618]

I LOVE troll dolls, and this was a very interesting video. I never new anything about Thomas Dam, when i think of trolls, i always think of the Russ company. I feel bad for Dam. He should have had his copyright rights or at least a nice share of the profits while he was alive. Such an amazing, creative man. ☺️

[@springsogourne]

I still have two of his original sawdust filled trolls. I still love them.

[@rogerdeacon3431]

I had a Dam troll given to me for Christmas in 1964. I adored him. Sadly I gave him away to my girlfriend when I was 17. I’m now collecting the little beauties and have 13 varying from small to large. I will always love the little critters.❤️😀

[@marybrown4469]

I had some of these back in the 60s, but they were called Wish Ninks. When they returned later, they were then labeled trolls.

[@bens3767]

Wishnik troll*

[@bulbasaur90]

I had a few troll dolls growing up late 90's early 2000's Romania. I remember some were small and could be used as pencil toppers.

[@BorksmithandTheBeef]

That sucks for the original creators, they deserved better :(

[@qbmac2306]

Why does my soul scream inside me?

[@xsanguine8]

It's usually due to high temperatures and sugar content. Hope that helps.

[@DxBlack]

You know we don't have souls...we TAKE souls.

[@Moon_samurai128]

This video makes me miss my old troll doll from when I was a kid. He had green hair and dressed like a pirate. I miss him

[@xxXthekevXxx]

The troll dolls always scared me as a kid. They’re in that creepy uncanny valley...

[@ncja1238]

My mom said they used to call them 'dammit dolls' when she was a kid in the 60's, makes sense now.

[@sandrapiazza9429]

Then: Buy The Troll Dolls Now! Now: WE’RE LIVING IN HARMONYYYYYYY

[@b.b.7732]

I had a Troll doll in the early 1980's. They were very popular with me and my friends. They didn't exactly disappear. But maybe it was just a local thing in Houston, TX, or certain other areas.

[@VezeTech]

I used to be a banker but I lost INTEREST

[@jeriljoseph7071]

PieRow ur so funny xd

[@MilanRubiksCube97]

Interesting.

[@heartoffire8481]

why did you CAPITALize that?

[@KeithStevenson]

...Dam Troll Dolls.

[@hannahstahl1857]

I remember those troll dolls in the 1990s 😂😂😂 the same with the Trollies singalong movie

[@runarandersen878]

So cute and so sad at the same time.

[@jeremifrancisco1]

I had a blue and black cassette player with a flat troll playing the guitar. I loved it

[@heesingsia4634]

Now that the dolls have been digitized, they appear on comment sections all over the Internet

[@cocobunitacobuni8738]

Such good research. I just took my Russ troll out of the attic and wanted to learn a bit more about them. My Grandfather bought mine back in the 80s.

[@Areanyusernamesleft]

"Dam Trolls", "the Dam Company", etc... I see what you did there. :p

[@laurak5838]

I had like 50 of these dolls when I was a kid (in the 90's). Each one had a name. To keep them straight I wrote their names on the bottom of their left foot. I have no idea what happened to them. My parents probably sold them in a yard sale.

[@hambino28]

DO AN EPISODE ON THE ORIGINS OF "CALLING SHOTGUN"

[@bunnyinaboat]

Noland Ryan in old western times, people would ride with a gun in the seat next to them. For easy shooting. So "I call shot gun" is saying "I call where the shot gun sat" - next to the rider.

[@hambino28]

Ok, I thought it was a nod to the drive by days of the 90's.

[@man_on_wheelz]

+Noland Ryan oh heck no, that phrase is probably older than most elderly people today lol

[@eggsngritstn]

Although similar to what Bunny said, actually the phrase originated with wagon and coach drivers in the wild West needing armed guards on watch while traveling. The armed guard was said to be 'riding shotgun'. Thus, 'riding shotgun' means to sit next to the driver.

[@hambino28]

Good to know, right on!

[@derheadbanger9039]

Trolls have been around that long? I thought they were a 80s thing... amazing

[@zetaandnazboojunkie]

The Trollz line form 2005-2008 was my favourite, I thought naming the main characters after gems and only allowing the girls to have magic powers was awesome. I have a lot of the merchandise from this line.

[@videosunrelated1883]

"made in Denmark" so that's why their so damn creepy..

[@ReplayedCo]

VideosUnrelated they're*

[@kristianblerche8443]

And whats that supposed to mean ?

[@HelenaMoller]

VideosUnrelated I'm Danish - and i Think What you wrote was funny 😉

[@CountPenta]

The Moomin used to scare the shit out of me when I was a little kid.

[@kristianblerche8443]

me too

[@larsiparsii]

I remember being scared as hell of these trolls. And I still am.

[@UsseWill]

Troll dolls are just adorable. Loved the TV show when I was younger.. did not connect the dots between the two tho.

[@CyborgNinja7]

It seems foolish to me that you would sell your rights to Dreamworks, knowing the movie will be coming out. They certainly would've expected a resurge, even slight, in sales.

[@dominicmanester8125]

Even if it did, which they most likely did. Wouldn't you just want an upfront sum to live in luxury consequence free rather than having to manage a huge business ? You can only have so many millions before it essentially become pointless.

[@dannysulyma6273]

A hundred bucks in your pocket today or a hundred and ten bucks in a few months, maybe. Could make millions or nothing and after many years of nothing they went for the sure thing. And they still have the Scandinavian rights that they've always had. DreamWorks will do all the heavy marketing globally while the Danes sell toys to their own market. Win win.

[@MasterRend4n]

a bit sad, but understandable- I can understand the company since US companys sold copies and got all the money for so many years. I think copyright laws is bullocks (by that I mean that copyright should not be able to expire, unless the company sign it off)

[@michaelsachtjen2263]

Maybe Dreamworks wouldn't do the project unless they could own the copyright. Why should they spend millions creating the movie and not get the millions in merchandise sales from it?

[@natybar-yosef9931]

I remember that troll game from 1992, nostalgic

[@katherinerichardson2273]

when I learned to count as a toddler the first thing I purchased was a troll doll

[@SprocketWalker]

Man, I love these creepy troll dolls. Michael Berentsatin (one of the authors of the Berenstain Bears) wrote a book in the 80's about the origins of trolls that is full of lore and wonderful illustrations. [If you're interested, I made a video about his Troll book.] Thank you for your entertaining and informative videos!!

[@jaalaj6610]

I miss troll dolls, especially the mini ones. I know they are still around but I just wish they were as popular as they were. They're fun 😊

[@26noelito]

I still have plenty of troll dolls. I do not collect the 90's troll dolls such as russ trolls, I only collect Dam trolls from the 60's to 80's. as I remember, gift gate produced the russ trolls.

[@kristianblerche8443]

This is super fun... I used to live in the city of Gøl only 1km from the troll factor...

[@animequeen567]

If they do come back, I'd buy the crap out of them; they were my favorite toy growing up

[@aaronboothproduction]

There were no "videos over to the right" to click on?

[@lovipoekimo176]

Yep

[@HaloInverse]

Trolls stole 'em. Not the poofy-haired kind...the lurking-under-bridges-turn-to-stone-by-daylight kind. ...not _that_ distant a relative from the Internet kind, come to think of it.

[@lula8998]

*ye*

[@sharondianneb]

We called these wisknicks growing up. I had several. Good to know the actual history ty

[@ambermaybe2201]

you satisfy my curiosity on a daily basis, thank you so much for what you do! It is sincerely appreciated!

[@bigjoekokomo]

Just recently discovered this channel, but I'm now addicted! Great vids!

[@TheOneZenith]

That was actually pretty sad. Poor guy lost the rights to his own original creation while he was still alive, with no compensation.

[@wallybescotty]

it is funny to me that there called the "dam" company because hearing this while working i keep thinking he was saying "damn" company got a chuckle but i get it now, thanks for the info.

[@bretmaples]

Wow, it was funny to keep hearing Dam Trolls, sounds like he is angry at them. Hahahahahaha

[@AtypicalPaul]

I use to love those when I was little. I don't recall what happened to them.

[@urbanchili]

I'm Danish and from a town close to where they were first made and my grandparents had one in wood.

[@SevenSecondsArise]

I had some growing up. But once I moved with my dad I wasn’t allowed to have em. They believed that “witches” used them to cast spells on children.

[@doubledarefan]

If you lived in Washington State in the early 90's and listened to the radio, you might remember the Washington Egg Traveling Salesman commercial. (to the best of my memory:) "Blenders in Boise?", "Troll dolls in Toronto by tomorrow?", "Gotta make a sale! Gotta make a sale!" (over the roar of an 18-wheeler taking off), "Slinkys in Saint Louis by Saturday?" "Sell, sell, sell, That's me, Mr. Salesman", "Fresh eggs in Seattle?" (another comes in and says,) "Hold it, hold it, they already have plenty of fresh eggs in Seattle! Relax!" Salesman: "I cant relax, selling is my life! I can get you eggs. Eggs from anywhere! Round eggs, square eggs, country eggs, city eggs, what do you want? friendly eggs? eggs with an attitude?" (more, cannot remember; probably never caught the rest in the first place).

[@lindalee7322]

I wish I still had my troll dolls. I think my mom sold them in a yard sale while I was away in college. :o(

[@ahhwe-any7434]

Haha aww

[@Hirobian]

I always found those toys to be the ugliest dolls I had ever seen and I'm pretty sure most children agreed as well because you could find them all over the place in unused school toys or abandoned in play ground sand pits, to this day there are probably still some in thrift stores of all kinds in boxes of old toys almost no one wants... that is if they already haven't been thrown away already.

[@trumpeter811]

did someone forget to edit the video suggestions at the end?

[@xxXthekevXxx]

Simon does the video editing

[@macsnafu]

I had a troll coin bank as a kid in the early 70s.

[@wasyertakeawaythaturmadeofcorn]

4.7K up, 88 down... now that's a Dam fine Thing.

[@lauraclem1524]

These little things were creepy...between these & furbies idk what creeped me out more as a child lol

[@badrequest5596]

"the damn company" lol

[@Nardo13T13Icarus]

>Tells viewers to check out other videos on the right. >Forgets to actually put them there.

[@peacejohn6162]

thank you very much for your videos

[@trblessed1020]

I have learned so much looking at your videos and one thing I've learned is now sad something innocent and amazing can really be ripped from the hands of its creators it's sad really.

[@redrik009]

I'm addicted to this channel. Great content as always.

[@lumi5281]

Could you make a video explaining why catchy/annoying songs get stuck in our heads?

[@scottverge938]

That plus how to get rid of them! :D

[@davidgold3nrose]

Well songs don't get into your head because they're catchy, songs are called catchy because they get into your head easily

[@robertwoodall4330]

Danae...I thought about your comment for a minute and...if 'songs are called catchy because they get into your head easily' then wouldn't that mean that songs DO get stuck in your head because they're catchy? I'm not trying to get involved in a stupid comment section argument. It just feels like it should be vice versa XD

[@davidgold3nrose]

Robert Woodall I think that one came first, but really have no evidence. So you could be right too. I know what you mean by comment section flame wars though

[@robertwoodall4330]

Wow you replied quick lol and I've thought about it a bit more. I was thinking less on the actual meaning behind the words more on interchangeability but I think it works like "Hello" is a greeting, but not all greetings are "Hello" kind of deal... hmm

[@Amy-zb6ph]

We used to win those troll dolls for selling candy when we were kids. I got one because I ate the whole box of chocolates and my mom had to buy the box so I got the doll.

[@hamsterama]

I still have my troll doll that I got in the early 90's. Trolls are way cooler than the lamentable mid-90's craze, Beanie Babies.

[@ImperialEarthEmpire]

damn, that doll is creepy, thank god dreamworks make it cute... im gonna have one of those dreamworks version...

[@alanreader4815]

Love the Jumper. :)

[@tohopes]

I'm trying to determine whether it's got a Magic Eye stereogram pattern.

[@LudvigIndestrucable]

it also appears they were an inspiration for Star Trek's ferengi

[@crabula]

A similar thing happened to JRR Tolkien and the copyrights to his books in the US.

[@深渊-w5t]

I used to have one with pink hair but it was my older sister when she was in high school

[@padoco73]

I like how you include information on what money at the time of an event is worth by today's standards. I'm hoping you do a video on how this gets calculated, and perhaps what leads to the inflation in the first place.

[@wendyrobinson9759]

Actually, the troll dolls never really went away. I grew up in the 70s & 80s, and troll dolls were still prevalent, from typical dolls to ones gotten in gum ball machines, they were sill around & loved.

[@aMulliganStew]

...and this is how humans behave towards one another over something nauseatingly absurd.

[@Skip2MeLou1]

I love this channel

[@erickgault1669]

I actually collected these when I was 5 back in 2000 I have alot of these in a box in my basement I mean alot

[@jeremycrocker2524]

DIC (Diffusion, Information Commercial) or DiC (Do it Cheap), both the same company, are said as "deek", not spelled out as initials.

[@jeffeppenbach]

I caught that as well. They have an end cap with the name pronounced on their stuff. I would imagine that they do that to head off any other pronunciations.

[@hfangle13]

great video! thanks! ☺

[@163reasonswhyrealestateage4]

It is always great to hear about another success story. Even though Thomas Dam never was able to reap the lion's share of the profits from his idea, it is good that he earned enough to take care of his family. Too bad Mr. Dam's story didn't turn out like the video you did on the Sriracha sauce creator.

[@wickedmaineahelizabeth9802]

I collected these in the 60's still have some. We called yhem wish nic` s any one else familiar with this term? Supposed to brush there hair and make a wish. Lol.

[@palafox2237]

Yes, I had a few in the 1960s & we too called them Wish-Nicks (sp?). They had silky instead of fuzzy hair so it could be brushed. After I was grown, my brother got involved w/a church whose pastor decided troll/wish-nick trolls were demonic. Only time in my life that I wondered about my brother’s grip on reality.

[@man_on_wheelz]

Things, Dam Things

[@johnbockelie3899]

We had lots of those dam things when I was a kid.

[@JG-gg7fb]

I used to have a ton of those back in the 90s, many with jewels in their bellies. I wish the new trolls looked like those. The new ones are too.. cartoonish.

[@judyreyjumamoy]

expected troll jokes . . . trolled at the end

[@maxis2k]

If I had a nickel every time I heard DiC killing an animated TV show...

[@catalian1]

I had original dam's in the 60's. Do you have any info on the ones with horseshoes stamped on their feet? I thought this was a way to show you had an original one when copies were being sold.

[@catalian1]

am I the only one that remembers the horseshoes?

[@dlbstl]

Pindar Draconia I am so well with the Horseshoe stamp on them too. I have no idea what that means.

[@johnskitty1]

i love those ^x^ i got lots of the super cute babies ^x^ i prefer the naked ones over most of the clothed ones idk why...but loves them loves them so much always have ^x^

[@DrewBe59635]

wondering about ice melt. yes, it is salt, but some varieties are formulated different

[@777lionfirex7]

trools always creeped me out

[@JT5555]

I Love Trollz. It's Had A Interesting Universe With It's Own Lore And Was Just Overall The Best Troll Related Thing I've Ever Seen. Really,They Had A Good Thing Going And There Are STILL Quite A Few Fans That Ether Remember Fondly Or Ever Visit The (Now Long Forgotten) Site. I Think The Reason It Did'int Do As Well As It Should Have Was Just Bad Marketing. If They Had Taken The Show More Seriously And Made The Site More Interactive And Just Overall Kept Adding New Stuff To It Then I Think It Would Have Gone WAY Better Then It Did. One Thing That Really Bugs Me About It Though Is (Due To It Most Likely Getting Canceled Before It Could) Was The Fact They Came Out With A Soundtrack For The Show But It Was For Spain (And Thus All The Songs On It Are In Spanish) And They Never Came Out With A English Version. Oh Well. WELCOME TO THE TROLLZ WORLD!

[@lesleyarmstrong8175]

i have my troll doll from the late 60's. it has orange 'barbie' hair. not the fluffy stuff and i've never seen another. and can't find anything on them.

[@adamjeremycapps]

Godamn that's lucky, like suddenly made rich from making dolls.