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

[@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.

[@LordCagliostro]

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

[@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

[@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. 😆

[@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. 😊

[@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.

[@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?

[@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

[@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!

[@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

[@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. ☺️

[@juliestevens6931]

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

[@PixelatedH2O]

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

[@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.❤️😀

[@sandrapiazza9429]

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

[@ncja1238]

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

[@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*

[@springsogourne]

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

[@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.

[@KeithStevenson]

...Dam Troll Dolls.

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@BorksmithandTheBeef]

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

[@heesingsia4634]

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

[@xxXthekevXxx]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@ambermaybe2201]

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

[@jeremifrancisco1]

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

[@runarandersen878]

So cute and so sad at the same time.

[@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!

[@bigjoekokomo]

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

[@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?

[@badrequest5596]

"the damn company" lol

[@larsiparsii]

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

[@peacejohn6162]

thank you very much for your videos

[@Areanyusernamesleft]

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

[@bretmaples]

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

[@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.

[@TheOneZenith]

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

[@katherinerichardson2273]

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

[@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.

[@redrik009]

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

[@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?

[@hfangle13]

great video! thanks! ☺

[@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.

[@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).

[@hannahstahl1857]

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

[@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

[@Skip2MeLou1]

I love this channel

[@judyreyjumamoy]

expected troll jokes . . . trolled at the end

[@trumpeter811]

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

[@xxXthekevXxx]

Simon does the video editing

[@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.

[@derheadbanger9039]

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

[@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!!

[@UsseWill]

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

[@Nardo13T13Icarus]

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

[@AtypicalPaul]

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

[@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*

[@alanreader4815]

Love the Jumper. :)

[@tohopes]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@urbanchili]

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

[@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

[@sharondianneb]

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

[@NathanielMSA]

I remember that troll game from 1992, nostalgic

[@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

[@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 😊

[@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.

[@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.

[@man_on_wheelz]

Things, Dam Things

[@johnbockelie3899]

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

[@wasyertakeawaythaturmadeofcorn]

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

[@ОКТВ-ш1ф]

Great video! Like

[@macsnafu]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@crabula]

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

[@lauraclem1524]

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

[@ReprobateMind]

So, Simon. Are you just a presenter or is this your channel/ website?

[@xxXthekevXxx]

I recommend you watch “How It’s Made: A TIFO Story”. But to sum it up, the brand was started by Daven, as he liked this genre of fact-telling. Then as he expanded his website to KZbin, he brought on Simon, who is a better presenter. Simon currently films and edits all their videos, while Daven and a crew of writers work on stories for the website and the show. And I guess Daven films the videos that he’s in? I’m not sure exactly. Watch that video :)

[@Happy_HIbiscus]

dude, this is cool

[@深渊-w5t]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

YEEEEEEEEEEES! THANK YOU FOR MENTION THE FORGOTTEN TROLL REBOOT TROLLZ! The show was AWFUL but I was wondering JUST HOW AND WHY it was made and why it had the Dam symbol on it again!

[@arsaeterna4285]

omg i love that sweater so much As a crewneck and collar kind of guy would love to know where you got it

[@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.

[@vengbanana]

i know it may be too late, but how about an episode on the significance on why the 13th was chose to be the superstitious date of friday the 13th other than the film

[@Babarudra]

Friday the 13th was a thing long before the movies.

[@vengbanana]

yeah i know :) thats why im asking for its origins before the film

[@Joy-ni6qo]

vengbanana Not sure about the 13th part, but pirates found it unlucky to sail on a Friday because that was when the witches would come out.

[@LudvigIndestrucable]

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

[@maxis2k]

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

[@777lionfirex7]

trools always creeped me out

[@DrewBe59635]

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

[@aMulliganStew]

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

[@iamsupersammie]

just how do you push out so many high quality videos everyday?

[@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.