ArtistDanish
Thomas Dam
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Thomas Dam (15 May 1915 - 12 November 1989) grew up in the small coastal village of Gjøl in northern Jutland, Denmark. The son of a fisherman, he spent his early years developing manual skills through wood carving, a pastime that would later define his life's work. His formal background was in baking, though economic pressures during and after the Second World War pushed him through a succession of trades, including fishing, logging, and general labour.
The creation that made Dam's name came from necessity. Unable to afford a Christmas gift for his daughter Lila in 1959, he carved a small troll figure from wood, drawing on Scandinavian folk tradition and, reportedly, the sturdy face of the village butcher. Neighbourhood children wanted one for themselves, and word spread quickly. Dam and his family began producing the figures in greater numbers, first from wood, then from rubber cast in gypsum moulds, and by 1961 from PVC plastic using rotational moulding.
Dam formed the company Dam Things to commercialise the dolls under the name Good Luck Trolls. By the early 1960s, the figures had become an international phenomenon. Three factories - in Gjøl, in New Zealand, and in Hialeah, Florida - were producing the dolls to meet global demand. Dam's explanation for the appeal was direct: "They were so ugly you couldn't help but laugh, and when you laugh, luck follows you."
The commercial story grew complicated when American manufacturers began producing unlicensed copies. Because Dam had not registered a US copyright before exporting the dolls, the design entered the public domain in the United States, and years of legal disputes followed. Dam Things eventually had its US copyright partially reinstated in 1996, years after Thomas Dam's death. In Europe, the original Dam trolls retained stronger legal protections throughout. One original Dam troll is held in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
On the Scandinavian auction market, Thomas Dam troll figures appear regularly across Swedish auction houses. The 14 recorded lots on Auctionist span everything from single figures to family groups and animal variations, with top results around 5,600 SEK for a collection of 17 pieces sold as a "Tomtefamilj" group. Houses including Palsgaard Kunstauktioner, Auktionsmagasinet Vänersborg, and Örebro Stadsauktioner have all handled his work, reflecting the nostalgia-driven collectibles market for mid-20th century Scandinavian design objects.