TROLL VILLAGE by Marx

See this thing? Well, I actually no longer own it. Plastic playsets are cool...even cooler when they are vintage...and even cooler still when they are odd and distinctive. I mean, look at that damn box! You know this thing is boss just by the image on the package. Honestly, Marx made so many cool toys and playsets and things in the past (gee...are they even still around?), I find it hard to keep track. There's a wealth of information out there and tons of collectors of such things. Me? Not a hardcore Marx collector but at least a softcore fan. You probably hear about all the cowboy & Indian playsets and such before you hear about the Troll Village, but that makes the set even more sweeter!

I stumbled across this thing...uh...um...I actually forget how I learned of it's existence, but ended up paying somewhere in the range of 100+ dollars for it. Yeah, expensive for plastic junk toys, but I kinda knew I was gonna eventually sell it after I got my jollies from it. Yep, and I did get my money's worth and resold it...making out even, I guess. Eh, can't remember. Anyhow, I talked about it elsewhere on the internet, and now I'm gonna talk about it in retrospect, now that it's gone. Luckily, I took and saved a new batch of pics for just the occasion!

There she be! All set up! I don't have it in-hand to give you a measurement. The box was smaller than I expected when I first received it in the mail. I assumed it was the size of your average board game box, but it was only half the size. Almost the range of a carton form a model car. But, it was as big (set up) as I expected. The mat it sets on is paper. Most play mats for plastic figure playsets like these are made of a cheap vinyl or plastic these days. Since this set is form the 60s or 70s, it's kinda old. Antique, even! Note it's made by the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. So olde timey! I'm pretty darn sure this set was about 99% complete. I think it was missing a tuft of grass, but that's it. Then again, I'm no expert. Look at that baby! WOW! So neat...tee hee hee hee!

Man, I just wanna shrink down and live in there...don't you? You get a slew of little figures, scenery and props. I'm not sure how this came packaged since mine was not mint in packaged...sealed on anything. Did you have to break the pieces off of plastic sprues like a model kit? Naw, it is hand painted by artists, after all, so I doubt it. Plastic baggies? Maybe. Who knows, for sho'.

The only piece that sorta requires some mild assembly is the big mountain cave thing. Comes in two halves. The rest are solid pieces...well, the house and barrels are hollow. Oh, and the cart's wheels move. Oh, and the trees need some work. So, I guess some assembly required. No paperwork came with this set aside form the paper mat is rest on. So mysterious! Oooooh! Aaaaaaah! Eeeeeee! Ayyyyyyyyy!

Damn, but I wish we got a couple more little houses with this thing. That one, plus the odd earthen hut (or hogan) are the only living quarters we get...unless you count the cave.

I don't quite know what the sculptor or designer was thinking. Man, I'd love to read some kinda interview> I'd love an inside scoop behind the creation of the Marx Troll Village. Troll dolls, themselves, had varying levels of popularity throughout the years...most recently in the early 90s. I was lucky enough to be and 80s baby and a 90s kid. I like to think I saw it all those days. Trolls were girlie garbage to me back then, but I couldn't shake the secret fascination that eventually grew inside me. Nowadays, I have much greater appreciation for kitsch than ever. Most of the trolls are recognizable as the trolls I'm familiar with. Other look like odd cavemen or something out of a Ziggy cartoon. The one looks like a Flintstone knock off with t tiny toucan on his shoulder! Jeez...so wonderful, this set. Why did I sell it? Oh...for money...to buy more new stuff! Ho!

Gotta love the odd fish that kinda looks like an alligator gar or something. The set comes with other lifeforms aside form the various species of trolls. There are weird donkeys (or mules or asses) but they may be meant to be horses since there is a road sign included which refers to a canyon of wild horses. There are also dwarf giraffes and humanoid elephants. Weird, huh? Just the way I like it.

Oh, and don't forget the camels! Such a diverse range of flora and fauna in the troll village. By the way, the trolls themselves are under two inches...a plastic army man can probably take 'em...or can they?

Two of my favorite figure sculpts. See? Indeed painted by artists! That hair is real, by the way. By real, I mean fake...fake scruffy tufts of faux fur glued onto their widdle biddy heads. Nice, huh? I had seen jumbo rubber version of the caveman type before on eBay...but I lost out. Crap! I forget how much it went for. When I sold this, I had hoped to one day find some loose troll figures...you know...just to have. I'd have loved that jumbo one. Some day...*sigh...some day......

Well, there's a parting shot of the whole gang. Troll Village...whatta place, no? I had my stay, and I moved on to other things. Neat playset to have, at least for a little while. Trust me...lots of other cool places to explore. I have no regrets.