Trollz
By Andrea Graham,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Vapid kids' cartoon is trolling for toy buyers.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
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Community Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
Really entertaining
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What's the Story?
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.
Is It Any Good?
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.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
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?
TV Details
- Premiere date: October 1, 2004
- Cast: Alexandra Carter, Jesse Moss, Mike Antonakos
- Network: UPN
- Genre: Kids' Animation
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy
- TV rating: TV-Y7
- Last updated: January 6, 2023
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