Frankie Feetsplinter is a two-story-tall wooden troll sculpture standing on the sidewalk outside the National Nordic Museum in Ballard, Seattle. Built in September 2023 by Danish artist Thomas Dambo out of recycled pallets and scrap lumber, he’s the sixth and final sculpture in the “Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King” series, and the only one of the bunch who traded the forest for a city sidewalk.
If you’ve driven down NW Market Street lately and done a double take, you’re not imagining things. There’s a grinning, wide-eyed giant crushing a park bench under one enormous wooden foot, right outside a museum. That’s Frankie, and once you know his story, he makes a strange kind of sense standing exactly where he is.
Who Is Frankie Feetsplinter?
Frankie is part Danish, part Vashon Island native, standing tall and staring down at visitors with wide eyes and a huge toothy grin. He’s got a personality baked right into the wood: he crushes a bench under one large wooden foot and holds two claw-like hands out by his sides. One local guide put it well, describing him as an unhinged door guard in front of the National Nordic Museum, in stark contrast with the clean lines and subdued grays of its Scandinavian design.
He’s got personality to spare. Other write-ups describe him as the youngest and most reckless of the Trolls in Way of the Bird King, standing out for its playful nature, and note that he can be seen smashing a wooden bench underfoot, with the bench being part of the artwork and no actual benches harmed in the creation of this troll.
Why Is There a Troll at the Nordic Museum?
Frankie isn’t a random art installation someone plopped down in Ballard. He’s the anchor piece of a bigger project. He’s Thomas Dambo’s sixth and final installation as part of “Northwest Trolls: The Way of the Bird King,” with the other trolls located in Portland, Vashon Island, West Seattle, Bainbridge, and Issaquah. That project is a partnership effort — the exhibition is presented by Scan Design Foundation in partnership with the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, with site partners including Bainbridge Island Metro Park and Recreation District, City of Seattle, City of Issaquah, Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, Nordic Northwest, Snoqualmie Tribe, and the Vashon-Maury Chamber of Commerce.
Placing him at the Nordic Museum wasn’t an afterthought either. Given that Dambo himself is Danish, tucking his final Pacific Northwest troll outside a museum devoted to Nordic heritage feels like a wink from the artist to his own roots. One Yelp reviewer summed it up simply: Frankie is the last of the five and the only one located not at a park but at an urban site, the National Nordic Museum in Ballard, in honor of Dambo’s home country.
How Was Frankie Built?
Dambo’s whole shtick is turning trash into towering art, and Frankie is no exception. Thomas Dambo transforms trash into treasure, creating public sculptures that beautify their surroundings. The construction numbers are honestly kind of wild for something built almost entirely from salvage: each troll was made from 140-200 used pallets, 600-800ft of structural lumber, 10,000 screws, and assorted decorative elements, including shells, tree branches, and stones.
The build process spanned two locations. The head, hands, and feet of each troll were built in Denmark by Dambo’s team, and the rest of the sculptures were constructed onsite with materials donated from local businesses and individuals. Frankie’s body, specifically, came together on Vashon Island before making its way to Ballard — originally constructed on Vashon Island, Frankie was transported by ferry and installed just days before its official unveiling.
The big reveal happened on a Monday in mid-September. Frankie was built in September 2023 by Danish environmental artist Thomas Dambo, plus a team of volunteers, and then assembled on-site at the Museum before opening to the public on September 18, 2023. That date lines up across every source I checked — the sculptures were revealed one-by-one between August and September 2023, culminating with the September 18 reveal of the Ballard troll sculpture, Frankie Feetsplinters, at the National Nordic Museum.
What’s the Story Behind the Trolls?
Dambo’s trolls aren’t just cute yard art — they carry a message. The Nordic Museum’s own write-up on the project leans into old troll folklore: trolls were feared because they owned nature, the natural resources were theirs and they were rich, and their question for us, the little people, is what have you done to the planet. But these particular versions flip the script. Trolls in folklore are often depicted as ugly, dangerous creatures who attack humans who venture too close to their homes, but these particular trolls are friendly, and even encourage folks to stop by and visit. The whole point, per the museum, is that they want to help “the little people” — us humans — explore, spend more time in nature, and appreciate the wild world around us.
It’s a nice thought, even if Frankie himself looks like he’d rather stomp a bench than lecture you on conservation.
How Do You Find Frankie Feetsplinter?
Good news: he’s the easiest troll in the entire series to track down. Frankie Feetsplinter is the easiest to find of the Pacific Northwest trolls — he’s right outside Seattle’s National Nordic Museum in full view of the road. No hiking required, no ferry schedule to plan around.
Here’s what you need to know before you go:
- Address and access: He’s located at National Nordic Museum, 2655 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA 98107, standing outside the museum and viewable at all times.
- Cost: It’s free to visit Ballard’s troll outside the Nordic Museum, though you need to pay admission to see the exhibits inside.
- Museum hours: If you want to duck inside afterward, the museum hours are 10am-5pm Tuesday through Sunday.
- Accessibility: Frankie is on a public sidewalk without barriers like steps, so you can reach him with a stroller, walker, or wheelchair.
- Parking: The museum’s parking lot is on the south side of the building, accessible via NW Market St and 28th Ave NW, with rates at $2 per hour, paid in advance at the kiosk or via the REEF Mobile app.
- Bus: King County Metro routes 17 and 44 will drop you close by.
- Ground rules: It’s okay to touch the troll but not to climb on him.
He’s also there whenever you want, day or night. You can visit Frankie even when the museum is closed.
Is Frankie Sticking Around?
Unlike, say, a bronze statue that’s there forever, Dambo’s trolls have a shelf life. Like the other Pacific Northwest trolls, Frankie’s presence in Seattle is temporary — he’ll stay for at least three years after his construction in 2023. So if a Ballard troll has been on your list, don’t put it off indefinitely.
Worth the Trip Even If You’re Not a Troll Person
Ballard doesn’t need a giant wooden monster to be worth visiting, but it doesn’t hurt either. The Nordic Museum itself is a real destination — permanent galleries on Nordic immigration and culture, rotating exhibitions, and a cafe if you get hungry. And the neighborhood around it is classic Seattle: coffee shops, the Ballard Locks a short walk away, and a Sunday farmers market if your timing’s right.
What I like about Frankie is that he doesn’t take himself too seriously, and neither does the museum for putting him there. A stern-looking Scandinavian institution deciding its front door needed a chaotic troll mid-stomp says something charming about how the whole project was handled. He’s not hidden in the woods waiting to be discovered. He’s just standing there on Market Street, foot through a bench, grinning at everyone who walks by.
NOTE TO THE ADVENTURER: This guide is meant to spark curiosity for what lies beyond the horizon — not to serve as a guarantee. Roads fall into disrepair, buildings are torn down and rebuilt, and properties change hands; 'tis your responsibility to do your own research before setting out. Always heed local and regional law, and always respect ground that isn't your own. Take every entry here as a suggestion, not a decree. This guide's contents were gathered with the aid of artificial intelligence, and like any scout, it will from time to time lead you astray. You assume all risk in following its counsel, and neither this blog nor its author is liable for any loss, injury, or misfortune that results.
