Austin’s giant troll in Pease Park burns down

The troll that once resided on the south side of Pease Park has burned to the ground.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

The troll, Malin, was installed in 2024 by Danish artist Thomas Dambo with the help of 150 Austin-based volunteers. The installation, which cost around $300,000, used almost entirely recycled materials.

The Pease Park troll, Malin, was primarily made from local, recycled and repurposed wood.
Photo courtesy Pease Park Conservancy

Malin was a female troll holding a bowl. The 18-foot-tall structure was built to remind community members “that we should share water and resources with the animals that live here with us,” according to the Pease Park Conservancy.

This isn’t the first time one of Dambo’s trolls has burned down. A troll installed at The Giants of Mandurah exhibit in Australia was lit on fire by vandals in 2022. In 2023, Dambo replaced the statue with a new troll.

Correction: This story has been updated to say that artist Thomas Dambo is Danish, not Finnish, and to correct size of the troll. It was 18 feet tall.

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