| Runtime: | 21–22 minutes |
| Creator: | Andy Heyward |
| Developer: | Eric Lewald John Loy |
| Based On: | Troll dolls by Thomas Dam |
| Director: | Karen Hyden |
| Executive Producer: | Andy Heyward Michael Maliani |
| Starring: | Britt McKillip Chiara Zanni Alexandra Carter Leah Juel Anna Van Hooft Samuel Vincent Reece Thompson Jesse Moss Matt Hill |
| Opentheme: | "It's a Hair Thing" by Valli Girls |
| Endtheme: | "It's a Hair Thing" (Reprise) |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Fantasy, comedy, action, adventure, Magical Girl |
| Company: | Studio DAM DIC Entertainment Corporation Melusine Productions |
| Network: | Syndication (DIC Kids Network) |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 27 |
Trollz is an American animated television series produced by DIC Entertainment. These trolls were based on the troll doll created by Thomas Dam in the 1960s.[1]
A single season was produced with a total of 27 episodes. A second season was planned, but was later cancelled.[2]
The show centers the adventures of five teenaged female trolls (adding gems on stomachs), who call themselves the Best Friends For Life, who use magic every day to help them with their everyday life as well as battling whatever magical creatures and issues they may find themselves up against in their everyday lives.
The main characters in the series are collectively known as the "Best Friends For Life".
| Episode No. | Episode Title | Written by | Air Date | Description | Story Arc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best Friends for Life | Eric Lewald John Loy | October 3, 2005 | Amethyst returns from a summer away with a surprise: her gem got its glow! She can cast spells now like the rest of her friends. But when crew “leader” Ruby is upstaged by Amethyst, she gets angry and gives Amethyst the boot from the group. The remaining BFFL take it upon themselves to scare the feuding friends back together – by turning Topaz into an ogre. Spell Moment: Sapphire's Garden Head Spell | Best Friends for Life |
| 2 | Five Spells Trouble | John Loy | October 4, 2005 | When the five Trollz try casting a spell together – to make Coal less of a klutz – there are unexpected consequences! Coal freezes to a block of ice and a terrible earthquake hits Trollzopolis. The girls meet the mysterious Obsidian, who introduces them to the lore of the Trolls. Obsidian takes them to the Ancient World, where the girls overcome obstacles and set things right in the world above. Spell Moment: Amethyst's Zit Spell | |
| 3 | First Day of School | Carter Crocker | October 5, 2005 | In an effort to solve their own problems, without asking for assistance, the girls perform a spell that has disastrous results! Evil Snarf is released from the “Ancient World” and the girls do not know how to return him.. Fortunately homeroom teacher Mr. Slate and wise Obsidian come to their aid just in time to save our crew from the snarling Snarf. If only the girls had asked for help sooner the entire disaster may have been avoided. Spell Moment: Ruby's Mega Burp Spell | |
| 4 | Onyx's Gem | Cliff MacGillivray Kelly Ward | October 6, 2005 | The BFFL girls discover that their belly Gem’s are dimming. A quick fix they try is revealed to be a trick by ogre-dog Snarf (in drag!), who lures them into the Shadow World to free his master, Simon the Gremlin, from eternal incarceration. Only by working together can the girls escape Simon and bring the glow back to their gems. Spell Moment: Topaz's Animal Morphing Spell | The Magic of the Five |
| 5 | Topaz Possessed | Len Uhley | October 7, 2005 | Simon takes advantage of Topaz's weak will and possesses her body. Spell Moment: Onyx's Granted Muscle Building Spell | |
| 6 | The Big Test | Sean Roche | October 10, 2005 | The girls try to use a list of chemistry ingredients to send Simon back to the Shadow World. Spell Moment: Ruby's Styling Spell | |
| 7 | Troll Fast, Troll Furious | Paul Diamond | October 11, 2005 | Sapphire falls for a skootz-racing senior, who is using her to build a superskoot. Spell Moment: Onyx's Stay Dry Spell | Hair Over Heels |
| 8 | The Great Race | Jim Fisher Jim Staahl | October 12, 2005 | Mica returns and challenges Onyx to a skootz race rematch. Spell Moment: Amethyst's Fine-Feathered-Friend Spell | |
| 9 | Into the Woodz | Jan Strnad | October 13, 2005 | The BFFL fight past mud monsters and stone ogres in the Haunted Woodz. Spell Moment: Sapphire's Get You Noticed Spell | |
| 10 | The Dating Game | Martha Moran | October 14, 2005 | Topaz wants to use spells to change herself but accidentally turns Jasper into a sneaky geek. Spell Moment: Amethyst's Rewind Spell | You Glow Girls |
| 11 | Mirror, Mirror | Michael Edens | October 17, 2005 | Sapphire buys a magic mirror pendant, which elevates her ego. Spell Moment: Sapphire's Cheating Spell | |
| 12 | Ruby's Rules of Partying | Phil Harnage (story) Brian Swenlin (script) | October 18, 2005 | Disguised as a cute troll, Snarf makes a guest appearance at Jasper's party. Spell Moment: Topaz's Get-to-the-Point Spell | |
| 13 | Forever Amber | Carter Crocker | October 19, 2005 | Ruby loses an ancient ring that belonged to Amethyst's grandma. Spell Moment: Topaz's Wrinkle Cure Spell | A Hair A-Faire |
| 14 | Not-So-Good Old Days | Sean Roche | October 20, 2005 | Simon casts Trollzopolis back into the Middle Ages. Spell Moment: Ruby's "I'm all Ears" Spell | |
| 15 | Simply Simon | Brooks Wachtel | October 21, 2005 | The girls come upon a way to sneak into King Simon's castle to stop Simon from sucking the magic out of Olde Worlde Trollzopolis. Spell Moment: Onyx's Happiness Spell | |
| 16 | The Tree and the Dragon | Cliff MacGillvray Kelly Ward | October 24, 2005 | Onyx and Topaz go on a midnight mission to unmask the mysterious missing Ancients. Spell Moment: Amethyst's Clean-your-Room Spell | Spellbound |
| 17 | Homecoming | Jay Abramowitz | October 25, 2005 | Simon almost ruins homecoming. Spell Moment: Sapphire's Beef Up Spell | |
| 18 | A Dragon's Tale | John Ludin (story) John Loy (script) | October 26, 2005 | Onyx returns to the Haunted Woodz, where she falls into Simon's hands and is transformed into a tree. Spell Moment: Topaz's Flying Spell | |
| 19 | Field Trip | Len Uhley | October 27, 2005 | Rock's jealousy of the girls' magic starts a foolish fight that strands the Trollz in the woods. Spell Moment: Ruby's Rock Spell | Boys Spell Trouble |
| 20 | The Day the Magic Died | Michael Edens | October 28, 2005 | The guys sneak into the Amber Caves to acquire magic amber for themselves, but it is a trap set by Simon. Spell Moment: Onyx's Hiding Spell | |
| 21 | Bringing Back the Magic | Richard Stanley | October 31, 2005 | The Trollz must replace the Sacred Altar in order to restore their lost magic. Spell Moment: Amethyst's Warming Up Spell | |
| 22 | New Girl in Town | Carter Crocker | November 1, 2005 | There's a new girl on the block who tries to break up friendships. Spell Moment: Sapphire's Un-Yabbering Spell | Fuzzy Logic |
| 23 | When Good Girlz Go Bad | Carlos Aragon | November 2, 2005 | Ruby wants to know why the Trollz are behaving so badly. Spell Moment: Topaz's "Hair-Brushes-Itself" Spell | |
| 24 | Boyz and Girlz Together | Don Gillies | November 3, 2005 | Ruby travels to Simon's home to defeat him. Spell Moment: Amethyst's "Running Late Get Ready for a Date" Spell | |
| 25 | Where the Trollz Are | Craig Miller | November 4, 2005 | Simon follows the Trollz to a tropical island. Spell Moment: Onyx's Slow Down the Day Spell | Surfin' BFFL |
| 26 | Surf Monster a Go Go | John Loy | November 7, 2005 | Sapphire has to confront her fears. Spell Moment: Ruby's Phone Summon Spell | |
| 27 | Krakatrolla Needs Some Java | Julia Lewald | November 8, 2005 | The girls lose control of their tempers, causing Mt. Krakatrolla to erupt. Spell Moment: Sapphire's Clam Up Spell |
During development of the property, DIC announced that the series would mostly see "tech"-related products to match the theme of the show.[3]
In November 2004, DIC appointed BBC Worldwide as the UK license holder for the property.[4] [5]
The "Best Friends for Life" movie originally premiered on Disney Channel on August 27, 2005 (later reairing on Toon Disney in the next month)[6] and then began its regular series run on the syndicated DIC Kids Network E/I block in 2005.
The series would later re-air on the Cookie Jar TV block on CBS.
As of 2022, the series is currently streaming on Tubi.
On October 8, 2004, DIC announced that CBBC and TF1 acquired broadcast rights to the series in the United Kingdom and France, respectively, and that the BBC and TF1 Groupe would also serve as the local consumer products agents for the property.[7]
On June 6, 2005, Nickelodeon acquired the exclusive cable, satellite and pay TV rights to the series in sixty-nine territories. The series aired on Nickelodeon channels in countries such as Spain, Holland, Belgium, Scandivania (including Denmark) Israel, Latin America, Asian territories (including Japan), India, Australia and New Zealand.[8] On the same day, it was announced that free-TV rights had been picked up by Mediaset (Italy), RTVE (Spain), RTL Club (Belgium), Alter Channel (Greece), Televisa (Mexico), Saran (Turkey), RTE (Ireland), TVI (Poland) and TVNZ (New Zealand).
In Canada, YTV aired the "Best Friends for Life" movie on September 4, 2005, but they did not air any other episodes.
In Ireland, the series aired on RTÉ Two from 28 September 2005 to 2006.[9]
In the UK, the series would re-air on Pop Girl.
On July 28, 2004, DIC announced they had signed a deal with Warner Home Video for the series in North America, where the episodes would all be combined into nine feature-length movies.[10] On September 21, 2005, DIC announced that the deal with Warner Home Video would be extended to all major territories across the world under a five-year deal, except for the United Kingdom, France, and Portugal.,[11] where the series would be released by BBC DVD, TF1 Video and LNK respectively.
These story-arc versions of the Trollz episodes would later see a release on Netflix, including the rest of the scrapped ones.
The first two releases - "Best Friends for Life - The Movie" and "The Magic of the Five", were released in North America on September 6, 2005.[12] Each movie combined the story arcs of Episodes 1-3 and 4-6 respectively in a feature-length format, with additional footage not seen on the TV airings.
Two additional releases - "Hair Over Heels - The Movie" and "You Glow Girls - The Movie", which would combine the arcs of Episodes 7-9 and 10-12 respectively, were planned for a Spring 2006 release but no such release occurred.
On August 8, 2007, NCircle Entertainment, who already held a then-new home video with DIC, announced they had obtained the rights to release Trollz DVDs and announced they would reissue "Best Friends for Life - The Movie" and "The Magic of the Five - The Movie" on August 14, 2007.[13] In December 2007, the previously-canceled third DVD release - "Hair Over Heels - The Movie" was finally released. NCircle then announced they would release "Hair Over Heels - The Movie" and "A Hair A-Fair - The Movie" in June 2008, the latter containing the story arcs of episodes 13-15, but both DVDs were never released.
Warner Home Video released "Best Friends for Life - The Movie" and "The Magic of the Five - The Movie" across the world in various regions beginning in 2006.
On February 6, 2006, BBC DVD released "Best Friends for Life - The Movie" on DVD.[5]
In France TF1 Video, released "La Magie des Cinq" in October 2009 through their TFOU Video label, which contained both "Best Friends for Life" and "The Magic of the Five" on one disc. The company IDP later released a 5-disc boxset containing all 27 episodes in November 2015.[14]
On October 25, 2007, it was announced that DIC was filing a $20 million lawsuit against DAM, certifying that they had alleged claims of fraud in the inducement and negligent misrepresentation of the Trollz property and their licensing deal with the original troll dolls. DIC also claimed that DAM had failed to halt sales of counterfeit Troll Dolls appearing in the market.[15] DAM counter-sued DIC a week later, claiming that DIC Entertainment financially misrepresented its ability to create and market a modern troll doll toy campaign and destroyed the image and goodwill of the doll.[16]