Trolls are alive and kicking.
They have been and still are a popular wing of pop culture around Europe and especially Scandinavia.
They have been and still are a popular wing of pop culture around Europe and especially Scandinavia.
Denmark probably influenced a global Troll craze more than anyone when woodcutter Thomas Dam gave us the universally recognisable Troll. My daughter had tons of these hairy dudes in the late 1980's.
Fauni trolls like these were a really big thing for the youth of Finland too.
photo: hannele K flickr
Apparently there Fauni everything in Finland: bath towels to lemonade drinks. Lots of different Fauni money boxes too.
Here's the current official Atelier Fauni website
With a little bit of history (pictorial, too)
Arto has informed me that the Atelier Fauni brand is nowadays most famous for their Moomin Family made back in the 50's and 60's. They command considerable sums today. The Atelier Fauni story of how they turned an author's characters into popular toys reminds me of the Paddington Bear story, its old Mrs. Clarkson headquarters just down the road from Moonbase!
I had a couple of Moomintroll paperbacks by Finnish author Tove Jansson when I was a teenager in the 70's. It was sort of hippyish to read Moominpappa back then - a bit like reading the British book The Little Grey Men by BB too and being into Faeries by Brian Froud, all of which I still have!
Tivvy was part of the Fauni too.
Many of you will know Tivvy even if you don't know Fauni.
I know him best from my TV Comic Annuals. He's stood aon the bonnet of the Steed's motor on the cover of my 1967 annual.
Many of you will know Tivvy even if you don't know Fauni.
I know him best from my TV Comic Annuals. He's stood aon the bonnet of the Steed's motor on the cover of my 1967 annual.
Arto tells me Tivvy was big in Finland and like the UK Tivvy became a money box icon.
There was both a Tivvy soccer player bank and Tivvy hockey player bank and they made one for every team, with the team logo and outfits painted on. The same idea was exported to Sweden as well.
There was both a Tivvy soccer player bank and Tivvy hockey player bank and they made one for every team, with the team logo and outfits painted on. The same idea was exported to Sweden as well.
It is interesting that Tivvy made it big in the UK but not the whole Fauni family of trolls. Why? Who got the licence for Tivvy?
Arto mentioned to me that he recall's seeing a giant Tivvy (a person in a Tivvy suit) in some 60's TV clip, which had some Gerry Anderson connection too. Any ideas readers?
Arto mentioned to me that he recall's seeing a giant Tivvy (a person in a Tivvy suit) in some 60's TV clip, which had some Gerry Anderson connection too. Any ideas readers?
Germany produced many different trolls as well including ceramic ones and nodders like this Heico one.
Trolls have also graced the silver screen. Maybe the nadir were the two 80's Troll horror films, Troll and Troll 2.
Midway has to be the cave troll in Lord of the Rings, when Boromir utters the classic line "They have a cave troll!"
There's kids' cartoon films too about the colourful long haired troll pals.
The zenith of cinematic trolling has to be the monster movie Trollhunter, the 2012 film which dispels any notion that trolls are cute little long haired friends! They're HUGE!
Interestingly the only two words in English similar to Troll, besides Troll itself, are trolley, meaning something made 'to roll' [t-roll] and the much less pleasant internet troll, which has a complex origin according to wiki. Oh yes, there's trollop too, from the old German Trulle or lady of ill repute.
Anyways, get your trolls out folks and appreciate their mythical charms.
Have you got any troll, Tivvy or Fauni collectables?
