Most troll dolls are worth $2-30 as of October 2026. The 1990s Russ trolls and Treasure Trolls that fill toy bins sell for about $2-10 each. Original 1960s Danish trolls made by Thomas Dam's company are the ones collectors pay for: about $20-60 for a small one with good hair, roughly $50-150 for a larger figure, and $100-250 or more for scarcer Dam animals.
The difference between a $3 troll and a $150 troll is mostly in the feet, the hair and the eyes. Dam trolls are marked, have wool or mohair hair rather than nylon, and were made in Denmark, and every one of those things can be checked with the doll in your hand.
Quick answer
- 1990s Russ, Treasure Trolls (Ace Novelty) and other mass-market trolls: about $2-10 each, often less in lots.
- Small 1960s Dam troll, about 3 inches, original hair: about $20-60.
- Larger 1960s Dam troll, 5 to 12 inches, clean hair and original felt outfit: roughly $50-150.
- Dam animal trolls (giraffe, lion, cow, horse, donkey and others): roughly $50-250+, with the scarcer animals at the top.
- 1960s American trolls (Uneeda Wishnik, Scandia House and others) and 1980s to 1990s Norfin trolls: mostly $10-40.
Who made the first troll dolls?
Thomas Dam, a Danish woodcarver, made the first troll dolls. He began carving wooden trolls for his children, sold them locally, and by 1959 he had founded Dam Things, opened a factory in Gjøl in northern Denmark and moved from wood to rubber. In 1961 the company switched to PVC, the soft vinyl most surviving 1960s trolls are made of. The trolls became one of the biggest American toy fads from about 1963 to 1965.
What happened next explains why so many trolls are not Dam trolls. According to the account of the company's history published by The Hustle, the copyright notice molded into the left foot of early trolls read "© 1961 190918 Denmark" and did not name Dam's company. After Dam Things sued a rival in 1965, a US court found the notice invalid, trolls were treated as public domain in America, and dozens of companies copied them. Dam's US copyright was restored under the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, which took effect in 1996, and a federal appeals court upheld the restoration against Uneeda's Wishnik trolls in 2003. From 1982 Norfin was the US name for Dam trolls, while Russ Berrie (whose Russ Trolls came from Dam molds acquired after a licensee went bankrupt, according to The Hustle) and Ace Novelty sold millions of their own lines. DreamWorks Animation acquired the Trolls brand around 2013, and Dam Things remains the licensor in Scandinavia.
How do you identify and value a troll doll, step by step?
- Turn it over and read the feet. Look at the soles and the back of the feet and lower body. Dam trolls are usually marked "DAM", "Thomas Dam", "Dam Things" or "Made in Denmark", sometimes with a year such as 1961, 1964 or 1965. The left-foot notice with "190918 Denmark" is an early Dam mark. Norfin trolls read "Dam" with "Norfin" and a 1980s or 1990s date. Russ trolls are marked "Russ" and "China". Uneeda trolls are marked "Wishnik" or "Uneeda".
- Feel the hair. Dam trolls of the 1960s have hair of wool or mohair, often slightly coarse, rooted in the head. Most 1990s trolls have shiny synthetic hair in bright colors. Pink, purple, green and rainbow hair on a soft vinyl troll almost always means the 1990s.
- Look at the eyes. Many 1960s Dam trolls have amber or brown inset eyes with a deep, glassy look. Many 1990s trolls have bright plastic eyes, often in unusual colors, or printed eyes.
- Check the body material and weight. Early Dam trolls are dense, heavy PVC with a slightly waxy feel and well-sculpted fingers and toes. Later mass-market trolls are often lighter and hollow, with softer detail.
- Measure it. Note the height from feet to top of the head, not counting hair. Dam trolls came in several sizes, from about 3 inches to over 12 inches. Larger sizes sell for more because fewer survive.
- Identify animals and special figures. Dam also made animal trolls: giraffe, lion, cow, horse, donkey, elephant, monkey, bear and others. These are worth more than the standard figure, and some are scarce.
- Check the outfit. Dam trolls were often sold in simple felt clothes. An original felt outfit adds value. Doll clothes added later do not.
- Inspect the condition. Look for trimmed or dyed hair, hair loss, dark stains, cracked vinyl, chewed fingers and toes, and missing hair plugs. Hair that has been cut is the largest single deduction on a 1960s troll.
- Price from sold results. Search sold listings for the maker, the size and the type, and compare with examples in the same hair condition. Asking prices for "rare 1960s trolls" are often many times what actually sells.
What are troll dolls worth?
Values are typical sold prices in the US as of October 2026, for trolls in the condition described. Sales of individual scarce Dam animals are thin, so ranges for them are wider.
| Troll | Era | Typical value |
|---|---|---|
| Russ troll, standard figure | 1990s | $2-10 |
| Treasure Troll (Ace Novelty), with belly gem | 1990s | $2-10 |
| Pencil-top and keychain trolls | 1990s | $1-5 |
| Lot of 10-20 mixed 1990s trolls | 1990s | $15-50 for the lot |
| Norfin troll, standard figure | 1980s to 1990s | $10-30 |
| Uneeda Wishnik | 1960s to 1970s | $10-35 |
| Scandia House and other 1960s American trolls | 1960s | $10-40 |
| Dam troll, small (about 3 inches), good hair | 1960s | $20-60 |
| Dam troll, 5 to 7 inches, good hair | 1960s | $40-100 |
| Dam troll, 10 to 12 inches and up, good hair, original felt | 1960s | roughly $80-150+ |
| Dam animal trolls, common forms (cow, horse, donkey) | 1960s | roughly $50-120 |
| Dam animal trolls, scarcer forms (giraffe, lion and others) | 1960s | roughly $100-250+ |
| Any troll with cut, dyed or missing hair | any | about one quarter to half of the above |
| Modern DreamWorks Trolls figures | 2016 onward | mostly $2-15 |
Older collector price guides quoted in newspaper columns gave the same picture: common Russ trolls for a few dollars, small 1960s trolls for about $15-30, and rare 1960s Dam animals at $200 or more. Prices have not moved much since, because supply of common trolls is huge and demand for the true Dam pieces is steady rather than rising.
What makes a troll doll worth more?
| Factor | Effect on value |
|---|---|
| Marked Dam or Made in Denmark, 1960s | The baseline for collector prices |
| Original wool or mohair hair, full and untrimmed | Essential for the top of the range |
| Hair trimmed, dyed or partly missing | Deduct about 50-75 percent |
| Original felt outfit present | Adds roughly 20-50 percent |
| Larger size (8 inches and up) | Sells for two to four times the 3-inch size |
| Animal troll rather than human figure | Adds substantially, more for scarcer animals |
| Amber glass-look eyes intact, not scratched | Expected on many early Dam trolls |
| Vinyl darkened, stained or sticky | Deduct about 30-50 percent |
| Chewed toes, fingers or ears | Deduct about 30-60 percent |
| Original tag or box | Adds value, especially on a Norfin or 1960s import |
| Russ, Treasure Troll or other 1990s maker | Common; condition matters little to price |
A worked example
Say you find two trolls in a box from your parents' attic. One is about 3 inches tall with bright purple hair and a red gem in its belly, marked "Ace Novelty" and "China" under the feet. That is a 1990s Treasure Troll, and it is a $2-5 toy.
The other is about 7 inches tall, heavy for its size, with tan wool hair, amber eyes and a faded green felt outfit. Under the feet it reads "DAM" and "Denmark", with a 1960s date. This is a 1960s Dam troll in the middle size. The hair is full and has never been cut, there is one dark mark on the back of the leg, and the felt outfit is original. It belongs in the 5 to 7 inch row, about $40-100, and with the outfit present and the hair intact it would most likely sell around $60-80. Had the hair been trimmed, it would be closer to $20-35.
Common mistakes
- Assuming every troll with a date on the foot is from the 1960s. Norfin and Russ trolls carry dates too, and the date on many trolls is a copyright year rather than the year it was made.
- Reading "Dam" as proof of the 1960s. Norfin trolls of the 1980s and 1990s were made under the Dam name and are marked accordingly. The hair, eyes and the presence of "Norfin" sort them out.
- Brushing or washing wool hair. Brushing breaks it and washing can mat it into felt. Gentle finger separation and a light dusting are safer.
- Cutting the hair to make it neat. A trim takes most of the value of a 1960s troll.
- Pricing from asking listings. Listings for "rare vintage 1960s trolls" at hundreds of dollars often sit for months. Use sold results.
- Discarding the felt clothes. A faded original outfit is worth more than a clean replacement.
- Selling a lot of mixed trolls without checking each one. A single Dam animal in a bag of Russ trolls is worth more than the rest of the bag together.
How WorthPic reads troll doll photos
WorthPic runs on the newest and most capable AI model available, tuned for exactly this kind of identification. From a clear photo of the whole troll it reads the proportions, the sculpting of the face, hands and feet, the hair type and color, the eye style and any outfit, which together separate a 1960s Dam troll from a Norfin, a Russ or a Treasure Troll. From a close photo of the soles and the base it reads the maker marks, the country and any date. It notices trimmed or dyed hair, missing plugs, stains and chew marks, and it recognizes Dam animal forms. It then gives an honest value range with a most likely figure and says what drives the price. What it cannot know from a photo is the true weight of the vinyl, smell, or whether hair has been subtly trimmed at the back, and it says when a mark is too worn to read. It identifies and estimates. It does not authenticate, grade or appraise.
What to photograph
- The whole troll from the front in daylight, standing, hair untouched.
- The soles of both feet and the underside of the body, close and in focus, so the marks can be read.
- The face close up, showing the eyes.
- The back, including the hair from behind and any outfit fastening.
- Any tag, box or paper insert.
- A ruler or tape measure next to the troll, for size.
When to get it looked at in person
A Russ troll or a Treasure Troll does not need an expert. A sold-listing search is the whole job, and the Beanie Babies guide and Care Bears guide cover the 1980s and 1990s toys most often found in the same bin. A large 1960s Dam troll, a Dam animal, a troll with its original box, or a group of early Danish trolls is worth a second opinion. For those, a vintage toy dealer who handles 1960s figures or an active troll collector group will know the market better than a general appraiser. The same is true of other vinyl and composition figures, which our guides to Kewpie dolls and old dolls cover in more detail.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Troll doll: Thomas Dam, the 1959 factory, the move to PVC in 1961, the 1963 to 1965 US fad, Norfin, the Uneeda Wishnik injunction and the restoration of copyright.
- Wikipedia: Trolls (franchise): the DreamWorks Animation acquisition of the Trolls brand around 2013 and Dam Things remaining the licensor in Scandinavia.
- The Hustle: How the inventor of the troll doll missed out on a fortune: the "© 1961 190918 Denmark" left-foot notice and why it failed, Royalty Design, Russ Berrie, Treasure Trolls, the 1990s revival and the 1996 copyright restoration.