Fremont Troll facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fremont Troll |
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| Artist | Steve Badanes Will Martin Donna Walter Ross Whitehead |
| Year | 1990 |
| Type | Sculpture |
| Dimensions | 5.5 m (18 ft) |
| Location | Seattle |
| Owner | City of Seattle |
The Fremont Troll is a giant sculpture in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. People also call it The Troll or the Troll Under the Bridge. It's a famous piece of public art that many visitors come to see.
Meet the Fremont Troll
The Troll is a huge statue made from different materials. You can find it on N. 36th Street, right under the north end of the George Washington Memorial Bridge. This bridge is also known as the Aurora Bridge.
The Troll looks like it just grabbed a real Volkswagen Beetle car from the road above! The car even has a California license plate. Inside the car, there was once a special time capsule. It held a plaster statue of Elvis Presley, but sadly, it was stolen.
This amazing Troll stands about 5.5 meters (18 feet) tall. It weighs around 6,000 kilograms (13,000 pounds)! The artists built it using strong materials like steel rebar, wire, and concrete.
Who Made the Troll?
Four local artists created the Fremont Troll: Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter, and Ross Whitehead. They got the idea for a troll living under a bridge from old stories. These stories come from Scandinavia (especially Norway), where trolls are common in folklore.
The artists own the rights to pictures of the Troll. This means if a business wants to use the Troll's image to sell things, they need to ask the artists for permission. However, groups that don't make money (non-profit organizations) can use the image for free. You can find postcards and other items approved by the artists for sale.
The Troll's Story Over Time
In 1990, the Fremont Arts Council held a contest. One of their goals was to make the area under the bridge a better place. That's how the idea for the Troll came to life!
In 2005, the street under the bridge was renamed "Troll Avenue" to honor the sculpture. In 2011, the Fremont Arts Council worked with a company to create a Chia Pet that looked like the Fremont Troll. You could buy it at local stores!
A rock band from Chicago called Majungas even released a song called "The Fremont Troll" in 2016. The Troll also appeared in the TV show Once Upon a Time starting in 2017. They even gave it a special story that mentioned the book "The BFG".
Want to Learn More?
In Spanish: Fremont Troll para niños
