The Vashon Troll
A Thomas Dambo troll has arrived on Vashon - and not just any troll. Come visit Oscar the Bird King!
How do I visit Oscar?
It’s best to have a car or bike when visiting Oscar.
He is located at Pt. Robinson park on Vashon Island. It’s a quick ferry ride, but about 12 miles from the ferry terminal.
You can take a ferry from Fauntleroy in Seattle, Pt. Defiance in Tacoma, or Southworth near Port Orchard. Click here for Washington State Ferry routes and schedules from your nearest terminal.
The island does have a bus system, but it does not serve Pt. Robinson park. The closest bus stop is about 3 miles away from Oscar and doesn’t run daily. You can see the bus schedule by clicking here.
Once you’re on Vashon, there are soooo many things you can do, so it’s truly worth it to bring a car/bike if you can. From eating and shopping in our fantastic uptown to taking in a wonderful forest hike, Vashon is certainly worth a day trip (or a longer stay!)
What are the Northwest Trolls?
“In nature, there is no landfill. Nature is circular, everything has a meaning and everything is recycled,”
- Thomas Dambo, recycle artist.
Oscar, the Bird King is part of the NW Trolls: Way of the Bird King exhibition presented by the Scan Design Foundation in partnership with Paul Allen Family Foundation. Oscar’s local partners are Vashon-Maury Chamber of Commerce, Vashon Parks District, Vashon Land Trust, and Vashon Center for the Arts. Scan Design Foundation’s mission is to support Danish-American relations with a focus on environmental sustainability.
The project reinforces the shared values of environmental stewardship for watershed protection, restoration, and preservation of riparian habitats. With over 100 sculptures all over the world, Dambo’s trolls inspire people to get out into nature, explore, have adventures and protect our natural spaces. Because the trolls are located on traditional Coast Salish territories, the NW Troll project worked working closely with the Muckleshoot and Snoqualmie tribes and celebrates human experience of art by amplifying the connections of cultural heritage between Coast Salish tribal communities and Danish and Scandinavian traditions.
Follow Thomas Dambo on Facebook and Instagram @ThomasDambo
Learn about all the PNW trolls at www.nwtrolls.org
Questions? Email VashonTroll@gmail.com
Support Oscar The Bird King’s stay on Vashon Island by Voting for ‘Edgar, Oscar’s Brother’ as Unofficial Mayor of Vashon Island.
Edgar, like Oscar, encourages us to reuse and repurpose, and to minimize our trash. He too is created from recycled materials and demonstrates how trash can be repurposed.
All votes (donations) cast for Edgar’s campaign will put into a fund, “Friends of Oscar, the Bird King” managed by the Chamber of Commerce, for maintenance and care of Oscar, the grounds around him, and programming involving Oscar for the Vashon community.
Click the button to donate via credit card at election headquarters or scan the QRCode to donate via Paypal.
Geocache Adventure
Digital Guide to the Trolls
Created in partnership with Geocaching HQ, the NW Trolls project is proud to offer six geocache adventures to help guide your troll journey. Each adventure includes one troll and ten additional objects of interest along the way.
These adventures are family-friendly and each gives a unique way to explore the areas around the trolls.
Who is Thomas Dambo?
Thomas Dambo is considered the world’s leading recycle artist, and is famous for his various art installations around the world, most notably his Troll sculptures. His work has reached millons of people through photos, videos and stories shared online, and through international media sources such as BBC, National Geographics, The Huffington Post, ABC, Lonely Planet, Treehugger, El País, Reforma and many more.
If you are interested in donating for the ongoing maintenance of Oscar, The Bird King
contact : VashonTroll@gmail.com
