smart social troll hunt

Find the trolls. Outsmart cyberbullying.

October 11–17, 2026 | Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Five trolls are hiding outdoors around Oshkosh. Follow the clues, find their locations and scan the QR code at each troll to enter the prize drawings. 

Find one troll or hunt for all five. Every troll you find gives you another chance to win. 

Meet the trolls
How the hunt works

TROLL HUNT CLUES - 10.11.26 RELEASE

When you find a Troll, scan the QR code and fill out the short form to be entered into the daily + grand prize drawings! A second set of clues will be release on Wed. 10/14

CLUE #1 / #6:

Pause, take a breath and choose kindness over cruelty.

Not all intensity is bad, but when your reaction can cause more harm than good, pause to reset so you can respond vs. react.

  • Find this troll where patience is practiced by taking turns, energy is high and little moments can bring big smiles!

  • Find this troll where you disconnect to reconnect, play in the breeze, and open air cools off intense energies

Look Up, Oshkosh!

CLUE #2 / #7:

Online, opinions spread fast. Before you come to a conclusion, make sure you search for the facts.

Healthy digital habits mean knowing the difference between a claim based on assumptions versus truth rooted in facts.

  • Find this troll where information is presented and arguments are overruled by facts.

  • Find this troll where each side is heard, evidence matters, and decisions are based on facts not opinions.

Look Up, Oshkosh!

CLUE #3 / #8:

Before you believe (and share!) what you see, get curious and take a closer look.

It's more difficult than ever to tell fact from fiction, pause and take a closer look.

  • Find this troll where stories live, histories are held, fact and fiction are clearly identified.

  • Find this troll where questions are welcome, curiosity is encouraged, wisdom is widely available and trusted answers live on every shelf.

Look Up, Oshkosh!

CLUE #4 / #9:

Some people perform to entertain. Others perform to provoke. 

Before you post out into the world, think about the impact it may have. 

  • Find this troll where performances are a window into stories for the community to experience.

  • Find this troll where stories take center stage, voices are heard, and the community gathers to be entertained.

Look Up, Oshkosh!

CLUE #5 / #10:

The brightest influence isn't always the loudest. Sometimes it's the message that reminds someone they're not alone.

Using kindness to lift others is always more powerful than negativity.

  • Find this troll where health + CARE for others is the purpose.

  • Find this troll where, near the river flow and people come together to care, heal, and bring hope when it's needed most.

Look Up, Oshkosh

How the hunt works

Each troll you find earns: 

  • One entry into that day’s prize drawing. 

  • One entry into the grand-prize drawing. 

  • Find all five trolls for five chances to win. 

Solve the clues
All five trolls and their clues will be available beginning October 11. 

Find the troll
Every troll is outdoors and visible from a public area. You will never need to enter a building, climb or search through anything. 

Scan and enter
Scan the QR code on the troll display and complete the short form. 

enter to win

Every troll has a unique QR code. 

When you find a troll: 

Scan its QR code. 

Learn more about its online behavior. 

Complete the short entry form. 

Receive one daily and one grand-prize entry. 

daily drawings

Every valid troll submission is entered into the drawing for the day it was submitted. 

Find more than one troll in a day and receive an entry for each one. 

Daily prizes may include local gift cards, family activities and other Oshkosh treats. 

Report a problem

grand-prize drawing

Every troll you find also earns one grand-prize entry. 

Find 1 troll: 1 grand-prize entry 

Find 3 trolls: 3 grand-prize entries 

Find all 5 trolls: 5 grand-prize entries 

The grand prize is a $500 Oshkosh family experience package. 

Limit one entry per household for each troll. A household may earn a maximum of five grand-prize entries. 

View official prize rules

hunt safely

Please follow these rules: 

  • Hunt during daylight hours. 

  • Children should participate with an adult. 

  • Stay on sidewalks, paths and publicly accessible areas. 

  • Do not enter buildings. 

  • Do not climb on playground equipment, structures, signs or landscaping to reach a troll. 

  • Do not move, disturb or search through anything. 

  • Follow posted parking, traffic and property rules. 

  • Be respectful of other visitors and participants. 

  • Do not share exact troll locations publicly while the hunt is underway. 

If a troll or QR code appears damaged, missing or inaccessible, please let SMART Social know. 

featured troll

Each day, we will spotlight one troll and the online behavior it represents. 

You do not have to follow the daily schedule. All five trolls are available to find throughout the entire hunt. 

Blaze Sunday, October 11 

Judge Monday, October 12

Echo Tuesday, October 13

Glitch Wednesday, October 14 

Radiant Thursday, October 15

Friday, October 16, Catch-up day: Find any trolls you missed 

Saturday, October 17, Final chance to find all five 

Find the featured troll or choose your own route and hunt for several trolls at once. 

Meet the trolls

what is an online troll?

Online trolls post or respond in ways that provoke, embarrass, mislead or upset other people. 

Trolling can look like: 

  • Posting while angry 

  • Rushing to judge someone 

  • Sharing rumors without checking the facts 

  • Joining an online pile-on 

Not every disagreement is trolling. People can disagree respectfully. Trolling becomes harmful when the goal or result is humiliation, fear or repeated conflict. The five SMART Social trolls represent different behaviors you may see online. Learn to recognize them and discover how to respond. 

meet the trolls

BLAZE 
The Hothead 

Blaze reacts before thinking. One angry comment quickly becomes ten, and stopping to cool down never seems to cross his mind. 

Known for: Heated replies, impulsive posts and making conflict spread 

Best defense: Pause before posting 

Power word: PAUSE 

  • Pause, take a breath and choose kindness over cruelty.

    Find this troll where patience is practiced by taking turns, energy is high and little moments can bring big smiles!

    Look Up, Oshkosh!

  • Clue 2 
    coming 10/14

Judge
The Pile-On Starter  

Judge reaches a verdict before hearing the whole story. Once Judge decides someone is wrong, everyone else is encouraged to join in. 

Known for: Public shaming, assumptions and online pile-ons 

Best defense: Look for context and hear the full story 

Power word: CONTEXT  

  • Online, opinions spread fast. Before you come to a conclusion, make sure you search for the facts.

    Find this troll where information is presented and arguments are overruled by facts.

    Look Up, Oshkosh!

  • Coming 10/14

Echo
The Rumor Repeater

Echo shares first and checks later. The more often a rumor is repeated, the more Echo assumes it must be true. 

Known for: Rumors, misinformation and unverified posts 

Best defense: Check the source before sharing 

Power word: VERIFY 

  • Before you believe (and share!) what you see, get curious and take a closer look.

    Find this troll where stories live, histories are held, fact and fiction are clearly identified.

    Look Up, Oshkosh!

  • Coming 10/14

Glitch
The Provoker

Glitch mistakes constant attention for connection and sometimes provokes people through rage baiting. Watching, messaging and following someone online can cross a line when their boundaries are ignored. 

Known for: Unwanted attention, repeated messages and online monitoring 

Best defense: Respect boundaries and ask for help 

Power word: BOUNDARIES 

  • Some people perform to entertain. Others perform to provoke. 

    Find this troll where performances are a window into stories for the community to experience.

    Look Up, Oshkosh!

  • coming 10/14

Radiant
The Reformed Troll

Radiant learned that being noticed is not as powerful as helping someone else feel seen. Now Radiant uses attention to encourage others instead of tearing them down. 

Known for: Interrupting negativity and helping kindness spread 

Best defense: Encourage, include and support others 

Power word: ENCOURAGE 

  • The brightest influence isn't always the loudest. Sometimes it's the message that reminds someone they're not alone.

    Find this troll where health + CARE for others is the purpose.

    Look Up, Oshkosh

  • coming 10/14

join the hunt

All five trolls are waiting. 

Find one, find today’s featured troll or challenge your household to collect all five. 

 October 11–17, 2026 

No purchase necessary. Entries must be submitted by an adult. See the official rules for eligibility, deadlines and prize details.

This is our moment, Oshkosh.
Let’s not scroll past it.