We can’t con-troll our excitement about this one! Wauwatosa’s newest, largest, most mischievous resident has arrived, and it’s spectacular. The latest addition to the city’s flourishing public art scene, the Thomas Dambo creation is not only the state’s first, but also one of the world-renowned artist’s favorites.
One of over 150 Dambo troll sculptures, the recently dubbed “Mama Rosa” sculpture in Firefly Grove Park used locally sourced discarded wood to spark a little magic in Wauwatosa. Everything, save for the head, which was flown in from Denmark, was made right here in Milwaukee, using discarded trees.
"I like to find something with no value and give it value,” Dambo said. “A thing that makes the troll one of my favorites is that it managed to be a pure recycled troll. Everything in [it] is made from the city streets, from the residential streets in Wauwatosa that have been cut down. That just makes me really proud as a recycle artist that it is actually a truly recycled sculpture.”
Standing at 25 feet and weighing over 4,000 pounds, the project took 120 volunteers 1,200 working hours to bring this magnificent myth to life, transforming the landscape into a storybook setting.
Dambo’s work, scattered across every corner of the globe, from China to Canada, Australia to America, has amassed a fervent following over the years, encouraging fans to visit distant lands and expand their horizons. It is estimated that more than 50 million people have visited these trolls throughout the artist’s decade of trolling on a worldwide scale.
But what makes this one unique? What makes it special? Beyond the fact that it’s one of the artist’s favorites, it is also the first illuminated troll. In its hand is a bouquet of light posts – refurbished streetlights from the Wauwatosa Department of Public Works.
Taken by these discarded lights, Dambo had an idea. “I think the concept of the troll, coming out of the forest,” he said, “wandering about, like, ‘what are these weird, illuminated flowers?’”
In the spirit of magical realism, park visitors are greeted by a poem that tells a story, furthering their sense of awe at this enormous public work.
“There's something funny with these flowers, some of them have special flowers.
There's no roots beneath these flowers.
Rain don't rain upon these flowers.
Something's funny with these flowers.
They come from nothing in an hour.
There's no honeybees.
These flowers have no honey in these flowers.
Something's funny with these flowers.
They stand all summer and won't go sour. And when the sun sleeps, these flowers glow.
I wonder how these flowers grow.”
Throughout the park, visitors will find immersive touches that make the troll interact with the whole park. Around the grounds, there are a handful of “damaged” light post fixtures where the troll is supposed to have snapped the luminescent flower from its electrified stem.
As for why he named his latest creation Mama Rosa, “As an ex-hip-hop rapper, I’m just really happy that I made a funny name,” said Dambo. “Mama Rosa, Wauwatosa.” It just fits.
Firefly Grove Park
As much of a visual impact as this new resident has on the landscape, the surrounding Firefly Grove Park has offered Wauwatosa’s west side a new place to gather and play for families of all ages and abilities. From the extra-wide paved pathways to a huge playground to the pump track and more, the park was built with accessibility and sustainability in mind.
Check it out for yourself and visit Mama Rosa today!
