I heard there were forest giants hidden in a nature preserve in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, so I went in search of them. I trekked down a path, wondering where in the world they were when suddenly, I rounded a corner and spied Little Nis staring at his reflection in the pond before him.

I sucked in my breath and hurried toward him for a closer look. I knew these forest giants were the work of a man named Thomas Dambo who used recycled materials to create whimsical wooden creatures. I was immediately charmed. Little Nis seemed so playful and approachable; the children visiting Bernheim Forest were as enchanted as I was.

Bernheim Forest & Arboretum

In 1929, a man named Isaac W. Bernheim purchased 16,000+ acres of land that he envisioned using as a combination arboretum/natural forest infused with the arts to create a unique experience in nature.

Nearly 100 years later, the forest/arboretum includes 40 miles of trails, a plant database, an edible garden that provides some of the delectable forest-to-table dishes at Isaac’s Cafe, an education center, a Canopy Walk, a 17-acre natural playground, and art at nearly every turn.

What a perfect spot to feature some of the imaginative art of Thomas Dambo.

The Forest Giants

As mentioned, the first Forest Giant I encountered at Bernheim was Little Nis.

His smiling mouth, casual pose, and toenails – toenails! – made me want to give him a hug. If I could have, I would have, but Little Nis was too big to put my arms around.

I did, however, stand beside him, looking into the pond. It was then I realized that he wasn’t actually close enough to gaze at his reflection. Instead, he was looking at the turtles and fish swimming before him. It was a lesson to me not to automatically assume I knew what I was looking at.

After a short visit, I bid Little Nis good-bye and head further down the path toward the next forest giant, Mama Loumari.

This time, I approached the sculpture from behind.

I circled around until I stood before Mama Loumari, resting beneath a tree on a beautiful summer day.

I decided to rest in this shady spot with her — and the baby giant growing in her belly! You can see her hand resting protectively on her stomach like mothers everywhere around the world.

This gentle giant knows that mothers like to take things a little more slowly and seek out any chance to spend some time in nature relaxing while the children play.

I wished I’d taken a picnic. The area there was so inviting. Instead, I ventured on in search of the third forest giant inhabiting Bernheim Forest: Little Elina.

I must say, this playful creature was my favorite. She reminded me of myself: sitting quietly by herself surrounded by her collections. As a child I loved to hunt for treasures in the woods. Little Elina chose rocks and sorted her rocks into patterns in the area where she played. I loved the joy her figure evoked. And her hair! Mine has looked like hers on occasion.

I enjoyed my hike through Bernheim so much that I started telling other people about the giants there. Then at a party, I heard someone else was talking about the forest giants, though she called them trolls.

“I saw those!” I exclaimed. “Down in Kentucky.”

“No. I saw them in Dayton,” she said.

Dayton?

We pulled out our phones and compared pictures. Sure enough, hers were different than mine. There were more forest giants/trolls! In Dayton! Just 30 miles from me. I immediately planned a trip to Aullwood Gardens in Dayton.

Aullwood Audubon

Much like Bernheim Arboretum, Aullwood Audubon embraces a mission to teach, lead and inspire people to preserve, protect and enjoy nature. Aullwood offers both children and adults experience-based educational opportunities. Aullwood includes a working sustainable farm, woods, streams, ponds, prairies, educational animal exhibits, and of course, plenty of trails where you can meet more of Thomas Dambo’s adorable wooden creations!

For whatever reason, at Aullwood the sculptures are referred to as ‘trolls’ instead of ‘forest giants.’ The exhibition “The Troll That Hatched an Egg” is one of only a few Dambo-created exhibitions in the United States and Puerto Rico.

“The Troll That Hatched An Egg”

Dambo’s whimsical creation ties in nicely with the bird theme of Aullwood Audubon. The first stop on the Troll trail is at a bird’s nest where children can climb and play. Birds, nature and conservation are all reflected in the trolls’ story as written by Thomas Dambo. 

I was more interested in getting to the first troll. My eyes lit up when I got my first glimpse of Bibbi. What was she doing?

Trying to fly! Like children everywhere. But I knew there was a deeper meaning to having a sculpture of a child who dreamed of flying in Dayton (and hope that Dambo did, too): Dayton is the birthplace of aviation. Wilbur and Orville Wright grew up here, undoubtedly hoping that if they tried hard enough, they could fly just like Bibbi seems to dream.

What else would the trolls in this Dayton park be doing? We hiked on and approached the next troll from behind like I had so many others.

The plaque near this troll identified him as Bo – Bibbi’s father. But I couldn’t tell what he was doing. He was sitting there with a large stick in his hand. Why remained a mystery to me.

I was just as confused when we came up Bodil – Bibbi’s mother. Our first view of her was her shaggy behind.

We walked around to see what she was doing crouched there on the forest floor.

It wasn’t immediately apparent. The fact that she was cradling what appeared to be a discarded propane tank mystified us even more. And Bodil was squeezed between two tall, slender trees. What did that represent?

Based on the story that Dambo created for this exhibition, Bodil wondered whether these metal eggs had fallen from the metal bird that Bibbi had seen fly across the sky.

I needed to know more about these sculptures. And where else I might find more giants/trolls.

Thomas Dambo

A quick Google search took me to Thomas Dambo’s homepage. A self-described dumpster diver, Denmark-born artist Thomas Dambo has created a worldwide troll-hunting phenomenon! Who knew?

Not me. I only knew about the forest giants in a nature preserve down in Kentucky. Seemed like a perfect day trip to me. And then to learn that there were more in Dayton — even closer! How many giants/trolls were there and where were they?

Luckily, Thomas Dambo’s website includes a Trollmap so that you can see exactly where they are. They’re everywhere! Dambo has erected over 130 of these loveable sculptures so far in 20 countries across the globe. He shares pictures on his website and has written has a book about his mission to “Waste no more.”

In 2011 I quit my job to become an artist and follow my mission to ‘Waste no more’. Today, I spend my life showing the world that beautiful things can be made out of trash. I give new life to discarded materials by turning them into large-scale artworks.

Like Little Elina seeking out treasures in the natural world around her, I will search out more of Dambo’s recycled large-scale artworks. And if it involves some travel, well… that’s definitely a bonus. 😉

Have you, or will you, look for these giants and trolls?