With a burst of applause and a crowd size befitting the stature and magnitude of the artistic structure that brought them out on a Sunday afternoon, hundreds of onlookers cheered as “Mrs. Skipper” was officially unveiled to the world on a rocky outcropping of Kettle Point.

Overlooking the Providence River and the industrial frontage across the water towards Allens Avenue in Providence, the massive troll made from reclaimed bourbon barrels, various odds and ends, and topped with a salvaged rescue boat from Maine, the newest and last addition to Rhode Island’s “Troll Trail” is now complete.

“These sculptures here, they hold a message of nature preservation and taking care of our resources,” said Danish artist Thomas Dambo, who has completed more than 160 unique, giant troll structures on five continents throughout the world. “Because the highest point in Rhode Island is the landfill, and it’s not even 100 years old. Imagine by 10 generations down the line how big that landfill will be if we keep doing the things we’re doing right now.”

Dambo said that it takes around 1,000 hours from initial concept to finishing each troll structure. He said he had multiple ideas, including an idea involving an excavator and a troll appearing to be hurling cars into the water, but deemed those “too crazy”, and ultimately settled on the end result after spotting rescue boats for sale from a Facebook Marketplace listing out of Maine.

It took a team of volunteers nine sessions from Aug. 7 to the 17th to construct it.

Mayor Bob DaSilva reported that the art installation was made possible by a $200,000 placemaking grant from the RI Rebounds program of Rhode Island Commerce, as well as grants from Blackstone Valley Tourism and South County Tourism.

“Without the volunteers this would not have been completed,” he said at the ribbon cutting, asking for a round of applause for those who helped. “Thomas Dambo trolls are located on every corner of the globe, including, now here in East Providence. Denmark, China, Australia, Germany, Ireland, Puerto Rico, Luxembourg, Singapore, 21 different states across the U.S. and five total in Rhode Island. East Providence is now on the troll map.”