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Back when you were allowed to take lucky mascots into the school exam hall with you, almost every desk sported what can only really be described as 'a whole lotta hair!' And this hair belonged to the good luck charm of the 80s - the troll... Lucky Trolls were supposedly cute, yet actually rather ugly little beasties. They were small, pot-bellied, tan figures with brightly-coloured, sticky-uppy, oh-so soft hair and exaggerated facial features. They came in many shapes and sizes and you could get teeny ones, medium ones and jumbo ones! They looked a bit like the Gonks from the 70s, and they came in a whole range of characters so you could create your very own troll family.The original Troll was created by Danish fisherman and woodcutter, Thomas Dam, who carved the ugly but cheeky doll as a gift for his daughter's birthday when he couldn't afford to buy her a proper doll. The idea came from Nordic legend that anyone who caught a troll in the Nordic forests would get good luck for life. Once Dam had dressed the little doll up a bit, even the most judgemental townsfolk fell under the spell of the Lucky Troll, and soon a Danish toy store spotted Dam's daughter's toy and started selling his own versions of it.By the 60s, the Americans had picked up on the troll craze and everyone from hippes to well-to-do types had started a collection. But let's not confuse the official Lucky Trolls with their wannabe followers that also emerged around this time. Treasure Trolls, Wishniks and Norfins were just a few to sport that similar tuft of hair... until in 2003 the Dam family regained the copyright to manufacture the only official Troll doll. Hurrah!In celebration, the Lucky Troll was rolled out in numerous new guises, from a bride and groom to a policeman and even Halloween styled trolls. With so many variations, it meant there was a Lucky Troll for everyone, whether you wanted a troll pencil topper, keyring, or the bigger the better. Rarer versions of these trolls were made out of wood, hemp or porcelain, and many of the themed trolls came with piercings to add extra appeal. It's no surprise that Lucky Trolls are still hugely collectible. The resurgence of trolls in the 90s helped to make the original Dam trolls even more valuable, and equally the animal-themed troll line. And while we may never see kids twirling troll pencil toppers throughout their exams, who's to say there isn't a Lucky Troll nestling in the bottom of their school bag. Dam's luck's not run out just yet...
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