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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 9 2008, 7:15 PM EDT | foggybottom | 256 words added, 2 photos added, 1 photo deleted |
| Mar 9 2008, 6:58 PM EDT | foggybottom | 1 photo added |
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The Troll, also known as the Fremont Troll or the Troll Under the Bridge, is a piece of whimsical public art in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington in the United States.
The idea of a troll living under a bridge is derived from the Scandinavian folk tale "Three Billy Goats Gruff."
The Troll is a mixed-media megalithic statue, located on N. 36th Street at Troll Avenue N., under the north end of the Aurora Bridge. (Aurora Avenue North was renamed "Troll Avenue" in its honor in 2005.) Despite its name, the Troll is not under the nearby Fremont Bridge. It is clutching an actual original Volkswagen Beetle, as if it had just swiped it from the roadway above. Somewhat amusingly the vehicle had a California license plate.
The piece was the winner of a competition sponsored by the Fremont Arts Council in 1990, and was built the same year. The Troll was sculpted by four local artists: Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter and Ross Whitehead. He is interactive—visitors are encouraged to clamber on him or try to poke out his one good eye (a hubcap). The Troll is 5.5 m high, weighs two tons (1814 kg), and is made of steel rebar, wire and ferroconcrete. The artists have chosen to exercise their copyright to control commercial use of Troll images, however, postcards, beer, and other products approved by the artists are commercially available and use is free to non profit organizations.
