Fremont Troll
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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. (Troll Avenue was renamed 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 commissioned by the Fremont Arts Council in 1989, and built in 1990. 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 18 feet (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.
In 1998, Silas Garfield Cool, a mentally ill individual, shot and killed Mark McLaughlin, a Metro bus driver, as he was driving his bus over the Aurora Bridge, causing the bus to crash through the railing onto an apartment building some 40 feet below, directly across the street from the Troll. Cool fatally shot himself in the head after firing on McLaughlin. [1] Herman Liebelt, 69, died as a result of the accident and 32 other passengers were injured. The Troll became an impromptu memorial site for the victims of the crash; mourners left flowers, notes, and mementos at its base. And, for a time, the Troll sported a single (paper) tear below his left eye.
On Halloween, neighborhood residents hold a "Troll-a-ween" party at the site, leading to a samba driven parade and, on some occasions, Troll-a-gogo dancing.
[edit] The Troll's Fame
Hale's Ales, based in Fremont, produces "Troll Porter", a beer named after the Fremont Troll.
The Troll can be seen in the movie 10 Things I Hate about You.
Matt Harding is seen dancing at the Troll in his home town in the final scene of his popular internet video.
