A troll doll, also known as a Dam doll, is a type of plastic doll with furry hair depicting a troll. They were originally created in 1959 by Danish woodcutter Thomas Dam. They became one of the United States' biggest toy fads in the early 1960s. They became fads again in brief periods from the 1970s through the 1990s and were copied by several manufacturers under different names. During the 1990s several video games and a video show based on troll dolls were created. In 2003 the Dam company restored their United States copyrights, stopping unlicensed production. In 2005 the brand was modernized under the name Trollz, but it failed in the market place. The fan base of trolls has been acknowledged and prominently featured on the TV sitcom The Drew Carey Show, in which one of the characters, Drew's nemesis Mimi, collects them and keeps them on her desk at work. On the sitcom Living Single the character Synclaire James is an avid collector of troll dolls. Another troll lover is Joy Miller from the movie The Beautician and the Beast; she is a beautician who is interested in making new hair for her trolls. A troll doll is also featured in the Toy Story movies but neither talks nor plays a significant role because of questions at the time regarding the doll's "public domain" status, which would eventually return ownership by the Dam family. The trolls are also seen in the movies The Borrowers, Tank Girl, Whore, 54, Over the Hedge, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Snow Day, and Toy Story 3, as well as episodes in various television series, such as King of the Hill, Gomer Pyle, USMC, Living Single, The Nanny, The King of Queens, Friends, Step by Step, 7th Heaven, The Simpsons (episodes "Flaming Moe's", "Bart's Girlfriend" and "I Am Furious Yellow"), Family Guy (Peter transforms into one in segment two of "Family Guy Viewer Mail#1") and The Office. As well, they are mentioned on Jimmy Fallon's album, The Bathroom Wall. Three troll dolls appear in The Annoying Orange episode Trollin.
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