Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that the main characters of this vapid cartoon series are five teenage girl trolls who spend most of their time battling evil and obsessing about boy trolls. There are few, if any, positive social messages here, with the exception of valuing friendship. Negative words like "dumb" and "loser" are use frequently.
Families can talk about what the series' agenda is. Since the whole show is based on a toy line, this might be a good opportunity for parents to educate their kids about how some series are pretty much just product marketing vehicles. What is this show trying to suggest to viewers? What methods are they using to sell their products? How does this program compare to other kids' shows?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Andrea Graham
Toy trolls are not a new phenomenon. Created in the 1950s, little plastic trolls with wild, styleable hair became a huge fad. They've continued to reappear over the decades, undergoing many transformations in hopes of temporarily hooking new generations of children. TROLLZ is clearly just the latest attempt to sell the Trollz toy line to today's kids.
Set in a magical-yet-contemporary world of fairy-tale creatures, Trollz follows the adventures of five teenage troll girls. Ruby, Amethyst, Sapphire, Topaz, and Onyx are the BFFL crew (Best Friends for Life). They spend their days in Trollzopolis hanging out at the mall and "kicking evil butt" with their magical Troll Gems. Their nemesis, Simon (a gremlin), wants to capture the BFFL's magic powers so that he can take over Trollzopolis. Battles ensue, but not before the gals deal with their own teen challenges, including crushes, pimples, popularity, and, oh yeah -- school.
It's difficult to find any redeeming qualities in Trollz. Not only does it seem to exist purely to market a toy line, but it also lacks any educational or meaningful substance. Outside of maintaining their friendship, the only real concerns these Trollz have are hanging out, shopping, and obsessing over boys. Their language is also noticeably negative. Peppered among all of the slang are a lot of words like "loser" and "freak."
Even though it's not violent or scary, Trollz, like Bratz, isn't recommended for kids under 8. It's obviously targeting young children's natural aspirations to be older, then "fulfilling" that desire through shallow teen characters who only exist to sell products.
There are plenty of better alternatives for older kids and tweens, including W.I.T.C.H. and The Life and Times of Juniper Lee.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentThe girls sometimes wear skimpy outfits. |
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ViolenceThe Trollz battle their nemesis, Simon, with magic gems. |
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Language"Butt," plus negative words like "loser" and "jerk." |
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Social BehaviorThese Trollz are very shallow and materialistic; they're shopping- and boy-obsessed. But they do place a high value on friendship. |
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CommercialismThe series serves as a vehicle for selling Trollz toys, plain and simple. |
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