Update: Happy April Fools’ Day!
You have limited time to say goodbye to the Fremont Troll.
Earlier this week, the City of Seattle announced that it will be allowing Bellevue to purchase the Fremont Troll. The sale is intended to strengthen the bond between the neighboring cities and is meant as a sign of goodwill on Seattle’s part (the purchase price was not publicly announced). Plus Bellevue will finally get to enjoy some of the quirky character that Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood is known for, although the city council plans to make some “improvements” to the statue.
Read on for all the details.
The Fremont Troll’s new home will be located right outside popular shopping mall Bellevue Square. The move is slated to happen during the first week of May. That means you have one month to join the throngs of Seattleites who are sure to congregate in Fremont to say their goodbyes. After that, you probably won’t see the Troll again until your friend drags you to Bellevue Square to get a tummy ache at the new Milk Bar.
In addition to the move, The Fremont Troll will be undergoing a name change as well as an updated appearance. The makeover will involve a fresh coat of paint and switching out the VW Beetle in his hand for a Tesla.
The new name and paint color will be decided by Bellevue voters at an upcoming street fair. This sounds similar to the voting process by which the Fremont Bridge got its blue and orange color scheme, but that’s probably just a coincidence.
Other than the fact that they will be neutrals, the paint color options have not been announced yet. But here are the new name options for the Fremont Troll:
- The Friendly Giant of Eastside
- Trolly McTrollface (this option was a popular write-in candidate)
- The Bellevue Bro
- Bellevue Bob
- Buoy the Bellevue Troll
- Mike
Only residents of Bellevue will be able to vote on the Troll’s new name, although Seattleites are welcome to leave their opinions in a Facebook comment. When asked if the name Buoy was inspired by the Seattle Kraken’s new mascot, the Bellevue City Council asserted that they were focusing on alliteration and nothing else.
If you’re upset about the prospect of losing one of Seattle’s most famous attractions, we have good news for you. In exchange for the Troll, the Bellevue City Council has agreed to give Seattle one of Bellevue’s most famous landmarks. As for what that may be, we’re not sure yet. At press time, the council was still trying to think of one.
April Fools!
Dear Bellevue: We’re sorry for poking fun at you—please don’t ban us from visiting you and the new Milk Bar store.
If you came here from our Instagram or Facebook posts, consider not spoiling the joke for others in the comments until April Fool’s Day is over 😉 And if this article had you feeling some type of way, maybe go give our beloved Troll a big ol’ smooch this weekend.