Mount Pleasant troll sculpture, Dambo creation coming to village

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Mama Rosa sculpture at Firefly Grove Park, Wauwatosa

MOUNT PLEASANT, Wis. - The larger-than-life "Mama Rosa" wooden troll sculpture has stood alone in Wauwatosa's Firefly Grove Park for nearly a year. But it won't be Wisconsin's only Thomas Dambo creation for much longer.

The village of Mount Pleasant on Monday announced Dambo will create one of his signature sculptures at a to-be-determined location in the village.

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Thomas Dambo

The backstory:

Dambo, a Danish artist, is known for his signature troll sculptures. He has crafted more than 150 of them in several countries and 20 states. Mama Rosa was his first in Wisconsin.

The Danish artist's work aims to promote sustainability. The Wauwatosa sculpture, standing more than 24 feet tall and weighing more than 4,000 pounds, was made out of recycled trees and scraps from the city. 

Mama Rosa troll sculpture at Firefly Grove Park, Wauwatosa

Mount Pleasant sculpture

The backstory:

According to the village of Mount Pleasant, Mama Rosa drew more than 62,000 visitors and created $4 million in economic impact for Wauwatosa within a month of its debut.

"This troll will welcome thousands of people to visit and experience Mount Pleasant," David DeGroot, Mount Pleasant's village president, said in a statement. "Those visitors will support our local businesses, explore our parks, and discover everything that makes this community special."

The village said an existing hotel room tax, which has been in place for 30 years to finance tourism and marketing projects, will fund the sculpture.

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Wauwatosa troll inspires homemade Halloween costumes

At Wauwatosa's Firefly Grove Park, a number of people showed off their homemade "Mama Rosa" troll sculpture-inspired Halloween costumes.

When will the sculpture be built?

What's next:

Installation of the Mount Pleasant sculpture is planned for late 2027. A location has not yet been selected, but the village said Dambo and his team will tour parks and other public spaces later this year.

What you can do:

Enjoy Mount Pleasant, the village's tourism team, said it is looking for recycled wood and other materials that could be used to build the troll. The village will seek volunteers to help assemble it when the time comes.

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"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that people won’t want to miss," Matt Prochaska, the village's tourism manager, said in a statement. "Volunteer to help us create a new treasure for Racine County and keep trash out of our landfills by recycling."

Anyone interested in donating materials or volunteering to help build the sculpture next year can email the Village at the aptly named: TrollHelpers@mtpleasantwi.gov. More details, including volunteer opportunities and material donation guidelines, will be shared on the Enjoy Mount Pleasant website as the project moves forward.