Nisse's Story

Evelyn Larson, Nisse Creator

Nisse playing a flute in front of

Erik’s Butikk during the seventies

The American/Norwegian Nisse is the happy go lucky type and not a gloomy gus. One of these happy guys graced each sign and still do on the new signs around  Westby today 45 years later, repainted but never replaced. The Nisse was cutout of three quarter inch marine plywood. Many business places had one or two designed for their store. Jim Weber jewelry store had one holding up a rather large diamond, David Vosseteig Furniture had the largest display with two Nisse, a house, tree, two Nisse carrying a sofa and a little dog running along.

The public library had the first girl Nisse, she was scolding the boy Nisse for dropping his books. Then, Farmers Union, had the largest ones ever made. One eight foot Nisse carrying a feed sack and a seven foot one with an oil can. Eric Leum’s store had a flute player. The Westby Beauty shop had a boy and girl Nisse. There were four painted on the wall down stairs at the American Legion. A large mural painted in what was then Flugstad’s Hardware, now Dregne’s Scandinavian Gifts, it is still there along with more paintings of Nisse on the gift shop cupboard doors, done later.

Since most of this was done in 1969 to the mid seventies the others have all gone by the wayside by this time. A copyright on the Nisse was applied for and granted in 1969. There are now seven federal copyrights on Ole the Nisse. With people wanting to send him to their friends and relatives in many states and even overseas a copyright is necessary.

Boy and girl Nisse retouched and now in front of Westby's Bekkum Memorial Library

Nisse get lonely too, so Ole found himself a wife. They have a boy and a girl and a troll they adopted, plus a dog and a cat. The Trollsons can be seen on the front page of The Westby Times every week. Being very civic minded they participate and remind every one of things going on in the community. Evelyn also likes to paint on canvas, doing wildlife and other scenes. She also does Rosmaling on wooden plates and design work besides doing the bulletin cover for her church for the past many years.

Westby Times cartoon