Trollz (Series)

Trollz is an American animated television series produced by DiC Entertainment (now owned by the Cookie Jar Group) and features the adventures of five teenage Trolls, who call themselves the Best Friends for Life of "BFFL", who use magic to help them with their everyday life as well as battling whatever magical creatures and issues they may find themselves up against.

The series uses Troll-puns for surnames and magic-puns for items. It is also noted for its use of "z" in place of the letter "s" in plurals, for example BFFL are also known as "the Girlz" and the male love interests of the BFFLs are referred to as "the Boyz".

The series is an official "Good Luck Trolls" licensed series and was the 3rd one known to exist after the 1992 "Super Trolls" animation by Russ which was created using their licensing from Dam Things and the 1993/1994 "The Norfin Adventures" by F.H.E..

About

Origins

The characters were based on the troll doll created in the 1960s becoming one of the biggest fads internationally during the 1990s. Due to licensing issues in the 90s, Dam Things (owned by Thomas Dam, the original creator of the Troll Dolls) had issues with copyright over their dolls allowing the market to be flooded with counterfeit dolls.

Licensing

By the end of the 1990s, Dam Things had regained their licensing, which not only stopped the number of fake dolls but also ended the Troll Doll craze in turn. To try and revitalize the franchise, The Troll Company (the American and global licensing company for the dolls outside of Europe) attempted to license a animated series to create new dolls and interest. The resulting series was "Trollz" and it was expected that DiC Entertainment would earn a lot of money from the dolls. The series was debuted in syndication as part of the DIC Kids Network block in 2005. Reruns of the series was part of KOL Secret Slumber Party on CBS; the series was also part of KEWLopolis, through 2007. The series last aired on Cookie Jar TV on CBS in 2011.

The merchandising, including toys, were handled by Hasbro.

A note about the series association with Dam Things that appears prior to the copyright credit

Copyright notes at the end of the credits

The Dam Things logo, as it appeared at the end of the credits of Trollz

Cancellation

DiC itself folded and was taken over by the Cookie Jar Group, who in turn later were taken over for WildBrain (formerly DHX Media). Trollz was one of the properties listed as having contributed as part of the reason for the poor performance of DiC at the time, citing that license had performed poorly and cost the company a $2.3 million provision coverage cost, DiC had expected a high level of consumer production-consumption which had not been met. The licensing ended after DiC and the American "Good Luck Trolls" company, known as "The Troll Company", came into issues over counterfeit dolls and DiC sued the Troll Company for not fully disclosed the impact of counterfeits to DiC, though DiC knew about the issue when they acquired the license. The company had seen a loss of $10 million from the previous year, making the loss from properties such as Trollz very impacting on its finical failings.

Future and Revival?

Although one of the existing Trademarks for the show is still owned by the Cookie Jar Group, a revival is unlikely due to the current position of the Good Luck Trolls being owned by DreamWorks, Niel Dam and Dam Things. DreamWorks having their own fully licensed franchise DreamWorks Trolls and the flagship Good Luck Trolls property allows them to make further licensed properties. A revival of the series would likely put the Trollz at conflict with the DreamWorks licensing, making a reboot or sequel almost impossible. No official word has ever been given in addition on any possibility of a revival and the Trollz project is likely a permanent abandonment as a result of the current situation.

The active Trademark, however, currently allows the Cookie Jar Group the ability to redistribute the series in the future, although no such plan has ever been stated and this is also likely impossible due to the licensing situation, although the Cookie Jar group are able to keep their trademark maintained.

In addition, a number of related Copyrights and Trademarks remain in DiC Entertainments name.

Plot

The show is set in a city called Trollzopolis and follows the adventures of five teenage girls (who're Trollz, not humans), (Amethyst, Ruby, Sapphire, Topaz, Onyx) who call themselves the Best Friends for Life (B.F.F.L.), who use magic to help them with their everyday life as well as battling whatever magical creatures and issues they may find themselves up against. The series is mostly "slice of life" style showing the day-to-day adventures of the girlz, with an occasionally run in with Simon.

Characters

Protagonists

Amethyst van der Troll

Amethyst is the self-proclaimed leader of the BFFL, She is a beautiful young troll who loves her friends and would do anything for them. Amethyst gives good advice to her friends and supports them lovingly. She wears a pink crop top with a matching skirt, a hot pink belt and a bracelet of spell beads. She also wears hot pink flats with straps. Her hair is pink and wavy with a heart shaped hair pin to help part her hair. She has a pink heart-shaped belly gem. Her boyfriend is Coal and her Ancient is her grandmother. She is voiced by Britt McKillip.

Ruby Trollman

She is the second-in-command of the BFFL, and, as such, is really pushy and cares about her looks a bit too much. If she really wants something she will do anything to get it. Her real hair color is brown, however she typically dyes it red and styles it in a star-shaped style. She wears an off shoulder white crop top with a green star, blue jeans, and green sneakers. Her gem is a red star and carries matching red spellbeads. Her boyfriend is Rock and her Ancient is Obsidian. She is voiced by Chiara Zanni.

Sapphire Trollzawa

She is the smartest troll in the group. When the BFFL have slumber parties, Sapphire just wants to study and only joins in on the fun after some convincing. She wears a long sleeved blue sweater with white cuffs coming out, a pink skirt, ankle socks, and pink flats with a blue flower on top of it. Her hair is blue and tied in a ponytail with a pink bow, and she has glasses on top of her head. Her gem is a blue flower and her spell beads are blue. Her boyfriend is Alabaster and her Ancient is Mr. Trollheimer. She is voiced by Alexandra Carter.

Topaz Trollhopper

Although she may not be one of the brightest trollz, Topaz shines best when asked about fashion as her passion is shopping. She is considered the fashion expert troll in the BFFL. She wears a white shirt with a pink top over it, a green miniskirt, cream socks, and multicolored sneakers. Her hair is blonde and curly and tied in a ponytail with a green scrunchie. Her gem is a yellow diamond and has yellow spell beads. Her boyfriend is Jasper and her Ancient is Zirconia. She is voiced by Leah Juel.

Onyx Von Trollenberg

Onyx is a gothic troll and has a liking for poetry. She may not be the toughest troll in the group, but she is confirmed as the heart of the BFFL. Onyx wears a black long sleeved shirt over a white tank top with pink polka dots, a white skirt with a black belt, pink tights, and black boots. Her hair is purple and tied in Afro puffs with black buckle scrunchies. Her gem is a purple moon and she has spell beads that are dark purple. Her boyfriend is Flint and her Ancient is Spinell. She is voiced by Anna Van Hooft.

Antagonists

Simon

Simon the Gremlin is the main villain of the series and appears in numerous episodes throughout the show trying to take over the world of Trollzopolis and get revenge against the Best Friends For Life. He is voiced by Reece Thompson.

Snarf

A half-dog, half-ogre creature and Simon's loyal henchman who sticks by his side despite enduring endless abuse. Able to change from a cute-looking puppy to a hulking beast-like form at will. He is voiced by Janyse Jaud.