At Nelson Treehouse, we’ve long believed that a little imagination, a pile of reclaimed wood, and a willingness to dream big can turn into something pretty magical.
It’s one of the many reasons we’ve admired Danish artist Thomas Dambo for years.
Thomas creates enormous trolls, creatures, and sculptures from reclaimed and recycled materials, hiding them in forests, parks, and unexpected places around the world. His work is whimsical at first glance, but look a little closer and there’s so much more there: extraordinary craftsmanship, storytelling, environmentalism, community, and an invitation to get outside and explore.
Sound familiar?
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A couple of years ago, Pete had the opportunity to visit Thomas and his team at Rancho Dambo in Denmark. He came home even more inspired, not only by Thomas’s artistry, but by the people and creative energy behind it all, including Thomas’s wonderful wife, Alexa.
So when the Dambo crew invited us back to Denmark for their summer celebration, Emily and Charlie jumped at the chance.
We packed our bags, assembled the Cope Crew, and headed across the Atlantic for a week of trolls, reclaimed wood, bikes, treehouses, and plenty of inspiration.
Naturally, our journey to Denmark had to begin right here in the Pacific Northwest with our local Thomas Dambo troll, Jakob Two Trees.
Jakob lives just down the road from us in Issaquah, Washington, and was the perfect place to officially kick off our troll hunt.
You might also recognize him from our recent collaboration with Thomas, when we hid a copy of Pete’s Be in a Treehouse book near Jakob as part of a special treasure hunt.
From Jakob Two Trees, we magically transported ourselves to Copenhagen. (Okay, there may have been a plane involved.)
Once we landed in Denmark, one of the best ways to experience Copenhagen is by bicycle, so we hopped on our trusty steeds and started pedaling in search of Thomas Dambo’s trolls.
Our first Danish troll was Captain Nalle.
This friendly giant made us work for it, but the bike ride was well worth the journey. Captain Nalle stands at the water’s edge, hauling in a ship with all his might.
Seeing our first Dambo troll in Denmark immediately set the tone for the trip. These sculptures aren’t simply things to look at, they’re destinations. The journey to find them is part of the art.
From there, we ventured on to Green George, perched peacefully in Freetown Christiania.
Green George was built using discarded wood from Christiania’s waste system, which made this troll especially meaningful to our crew. At Nelson Treehouse, we’ve always loved giving old materials another life, incorporating reclaimed and salvaged lumber into our treehouse builds whenever we can.
That shared appreciation for materials with a story is one of the things we admire most about Thomas’s work. Something that could have been thrown away becomes a giant piece of public art and suddenly thousands of people are traveling through the woods or across a city just to experience it.
Back on the bikes we went to find Suttetrolden Sanka, quite possibly one of the happiest trolls in Denmark.
Sanka lives in a park surrounded by children, who feed the troll its favorite food: pacifiers.
Like so many of Thomas’s creations, Sanka feels completely at home in the landscape. There’s a wonderful sense that the troll has always lived there and that we humans have simply stumbled into its world.
After plenty of pedaling, our weary legs were ready for a train ride.
Our next stop was the ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art to experience Thomas Dambo’s exhibition, The Garbage Man.
Walking into an entire world created by Thomas was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Purses. Microwaves. Umbrellas. Discarded wood. Everyday objects that might otherwise be considered trash had been transformed into detailed works of art.
And then there was The Garbage Man himself.
The sheer scale was incredible, but what fascinated us just as much was learning about the process behind it. Thomas posed on a box to work out the proportions of the sculpture, carefully studying where everything from fingers to toes should land.
That combination of playfulness and serious craftsmanship is something we deeply admire about Thomas. His finished pieces feel fantastical and effortless, but behind every one is an enormous amount of problem-solving, engineering, artistry, and hands-on work.
It was easily one of our favorite museum exhibitions we’ve ever experienced.
After exploring Copenhagen, it was time to head toward the source of all this troll magic.
We made our way to Malmö, Sweden, picked up our camper van, and hit the road for Rancho Dambo.
Of course, there were a few trolls to find along the way.
Perched on a hillside overlooking the Danish countryside, Hill Top Trine quickly became one of our favorites.
Surrounded by rolling fields and the sound of sheep baaing nearby, Trine rests peacefully on the hillside with an enormous hand waiting for visitors.
You can climb across the troll’s shoulder and forearm before settling right into its palm.
Bring a picnic and a good book and you could happily spend an afternoon here.
Our final troll before Rancho Dambo was Little Tilde, tucked away in the forest.
Something about this sweet woodland creature immediately reminded us of Jakob Two Trees back home. Maybe it was the forest setting. Maybe it was the personality. Or maybe it was that cute little tail.
Either way, Little Tilde was the perfect final stop before arriving at Rancho Dambo.
Then, finally, we arrived.
Rancho Dambo.
We were immediately welcomed by Alexa, who graciously showed us around the home and studio she and Thomas have created.
It’s difficult to describe Rancho Dambo without using the word magical.
The entire place feels like a grown-up wonderland, a home, studio, workshop, gathering place, and giant creative experiment all rolled into one.
From the natural swimming pool to the bodega and the endless handmade details tucked throughout the property, it feels like a place where almost any idea could become possible.
And that feels fitting, because Thomas is both a dreamer and a doer.
It’s one thing to imagine giant trolls hiding in forests around the world. It’s another thing entirely to figure out how to design them, source the materials, build them, transport them, assemble them, and create stories that inspire people to go looking for them.
After the tour of the property the we graciously were invited to their annual summer party which was a smash!
We were incredibly grateful to Thomas, Alexa, and the entire Dambo team for inviting us into their world and giving us the opportunity to experience Rancho Dambo firsthand.
After a good night’s sleep in the camper van, it was time for the reason that brought us all together: the Rancho Dambo summer celebration.
And what a celebration it was.
There was incredible food, natural wine, DJs, artists, friends, and dancing that carried well into the early morning.
But our favorite part was simply spending time with Thomas’s talented crew and the community of creative people surrounding Rancho Dambo.
There’s something special about gathering with people who believe making things with your hands still matters—and who aren’t afraid to dream up ideas that sound a little crazy at first.
We left the party tired, happy, and incredibly grateful to have been included
On our final day at Rancho Dambo, we got a closer look inside the workshop where Thomas’s creations begin to take shape.
And strangely enough, it felt a little like home.
The tools. The stacks of material. The trim. The organized chaos. Most of all, the crew of talented people figuring out how to turn a wild idea into something real.
We felt like we had found our Danish cousins.
There are even similarities in the way our teams work. At Nelson Treehouse, we often prefabricate walls, roofs, and intricate architectural details in our shop before taking them to a treehouse site. Thomas’s crew takes a similar approach, prefabricating portions of the trolls, including faces, hands, and feet before transporting everything to its final home.
Seeing those pieces up close gave us an entirely new appreciation for Thomas’s artistry.
When you encounter one of his trolls in the forest, it’s easy to become swept up in the story and scale of the creature. Inside the workshop, you see the thousands of decisions, cuts, connections, and creative solutions that make that magic possible.
That’s the stuff we love.
Eventually, we had to say goodbye to Rancho Dambo, but there were still a few trolls waiting for us.
We found Runde Rie lounging lakeside with a fishing pole in hand.
Instant favorite.
We only wished we had packed our swimsuits so we could take a swing from the fishing pole into the lake.
Then we found Måne Mor.
Tucked peacefully into the woods, this serene mama troll radiates a sense of calm and comfort that’s difficult to describe until you’re standing beside her.
Of all the trolls we encountered on our journey, Måne Mor might just have taken the top spot.
Our final troll of the trip was the wonderfully mischievous Glade Anders, squatting in the woods as a decoy to distract troll hunters from Måne Mor.
A fittingly playful ending to our Danish troll hunt.
Of course, no Nelson Treehouse trip would be complete without spending at least one night sleeping among the trees.
For our final night, we traded the camper van for a treehouse tucked into the Danish countryside.
After a week spent biking through Copenhagen, wandering forests in search of trolls, exploring Thomas’s artwork, meeting his crew, and getting a behind-the-scenes look at Rancho Dambo, sleeping in the trees felt like the perfect way to bring everything full circle.
We went to Denmark because we admired Thomas Dambo’s work.
We came home admiring it even more.
We are immensely grateful to Thomas, Alexa, and the entire Dambo crew for welcoming us to Rancho Dambo, sharing their creative world with us, and reminding us just how powerful a big imagination can be.
We returned home with plenty of inspiration, a few tired legs, and an even greater appreciation for the people behind these magnificent creatures.
And who knows?
Maybe one day the worlds of trolls and treehouses will collide again.
Thanks for coming on a troll hunt with us.
Want to see the adventure for yourself? Watch our full Denmark trip on the Nelson Treehouse YouTube channel and follow along as we hunt for Thomas Dambo trolls, explore Rancho Dambo, and get a behind-the-scenes look at where these incredible creatures come to life.
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