Troll dolls, originally known as Leprechauns and also known as Dam dolls, Gonks, Wishniks, Treasure Trolls and Norfins, became one of America's biggest toy fads from the autumn of 1963 through 1965.

With brightly colored hair and cute faces, troll dolls were featured in both Life and Time Magazines in articles which commented on the "good luck" they would bring to their owners.

The troll doll is often mistakenly referred to as a "Kewpie" doll.

Trolls became fads again in brief periods throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, with as many as ten different manufacturers (such as Russ Berrie, Jakks Pacific, Applause, Hasbro, Mattel, Nyform, Trollkins and Ace Novelty) creating them.

In 2003, the Toy Industry Association added Troll dolls to it's "Century of Toys List", a roll call commemorating the 100 most memorable and most creative toys of the 20th century.

Originally created in 1959 by Danish fisherman and woodcutter Thomas Dam, the dolls were popular in several European countries during the early 1960s, shortly before they were introduced in the United States.

Dam, a poor woodcutter, couldn't afford a Christmas gift for his daughter Lila and carved the doll from his imagination. When other children in the Danish town of Gjol saw the Troll Doll, they wanted one as well and Dam began selling them locally.

The originals were of the highest quality, with sheep's wool hair and glass eyes.

Their sudden popularity, along with an error in the copyright notice of Thomas Dam's original doll, resulted in cheap imitations and knock-offs which flooded toy shelves in North America.

It was not until 2003 that a Congressional law allowed the Dam family of Denmark to restore their original U.S. copyright to become the only official manufacturer once again.

Uneeda, who made millions of dollars by manufacturing Troll Dolls in the U.S., challenged the restoration of that copyright in court. They lost when the court ruled that the Dams were the sole owner.

Many people collect trolls; the originals maintain the highest value. Some collectors have thousands of troll dolls, ranging in size from miniature gumball machine prizes and pencil toppers to dolls over one foot tall.

Source : Wikipedia