Entry No. 36 — the Milwaukee file — filed under: outdoor
Mama Rosa at Firefly Grove Park
Crafted by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, this 24-foot-tall wooden troll sculpture sits nestled in a suburban park, built entirely from recycled local timber and holding a giant bouquet made from retired city streetlights.
The story
If you follow the tree line through Firefly Grove Park, you will come face-to-face with a 24-foot giant built out of municipal debris and salvaged lumber. Crafted by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, Mama Rosa isn't sculpted from clay or stone—she was assembled on-site using recycled local timber and wood offcuts that would have otherwise ended up in a regional landfill.
Her strange central detail rests right in her wooden palms. Rather than clutching a bouquet of pine boughs, Mama Rosa holds a massive floral arrangement made out of retired city streetlights. Dambo took discarded metal streetlight posts from local infrastructure and transformed them into heavy metal flowers, giving a suburban trail an unexpectedly surreal, industrial-botanical centerpiece.
What it's like
You'll follow the unpaved forest path through Firefly Grove Park until the woods clear to reveal her colossal wooden frame. Getting right up against her hands lets you see how salvaged timber framing aligns with the curved metal heads and wiring of discarded streetlight fixtures. The site draws steady streams of troll hunters and families, so hit the trail on a quiet weekday morning if you want to examine her construction without waiting for photos.
The move: Walk the forest trail through Firefly Grove Park to discover the massive troll, then get up close to her hands to see how repurposed municipal streetlight posts were transformed into giant metal flowers.
- 📍 Wauwatosa
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1900 N 116th St, Wauwatosa, WI 53226
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Morris Pratt Institute — Less than a mile away, pair an encounter with a salvage-wood giant with a visit to the library at the world's only Spiritualist college.
- Heat Haven Sauna Park — Trade a walk past scrap-timber art for a session in handcrafted cedar barrel saunas just down the road in Hart Park.
- Float Oasis Spa — Follow up a stroll past giant metal-flower streetlights with sensory deprivation in open-water float pools in Brookfield.
Good to know
Where is Mama Rosa located in Wauwatosa?
She sits along the trail network inside Firefly Grove Park, located at 1900 N 116th St.
What materials were used to build her?
Her massive body is built entirely from recycled local timber offcuts, and the flower bouquet in her hands is constructed from retired municipal streetlights.
How tall is the sculpture?
Mama Rosa looms roughly 24 to 25 feet high above the park trail.
Do you need a ticket to see her?
No, she is located inside a public municipal park and is free to visit during park hours.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: wauwatosa.net · visitmilwaukee.org · otheplaceswego.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-21