Trolls (species)

Trolls are a race of small creatures of which Dreamworks Trolls is based upon.
The series, until Trolls World Tour, would use the term "Trolls" to refer to the only known tribe of Trolls, the Pop trolls. Therefore, some conflicting information exists between "Troll" and "Pop Troll". Thus, just because "Pop Trolls" do something, it does not mean it applies to all Trolls. Despite this, there are traits all Trolls share that can be noted and the species called "Trolls" is one of great diversity. What separates the Troll species boils down to culture which has created a great deal of diversity per population even down to appearances.
==Appearances and Variations==
===General Appearance===
Trolls are small creatures with hair that can outstretch. They generally are small in stature and have long hair. Their bodies can be any color as can their hair, though they can change their color to blend in. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. A number of them have "Good luck gems" where their belly-button should be. With the exception of Glitter Trolls all trolls have skin that resembles a light felt texture.
There tends to be not much variation among each actual Tribe separate populations. Most designs of each Troll tribe are randomly generated by Dreamworks themselves. This is most likely to save time and money and it tends to extend to 2D animation as well. Large crowds of Trolls are made possible with the use of random generated Trolls wherein color of hair, body and attire, as well as attire design, are simply swapped. Only named characters, or characters serving to be a focus of a scene are given heavy details.
The most significant and consistent design change that occurs within the separate populations of Trolls, is the presence of eyelashes. The design of the eyelashes changes per population, but eyelashes normally indicate a female Troll. Males otherwise are only picked out by their lack of eyelashes. Exceptions are only given to "unique" designed characters such as Keith or Trollzart, who have eyelashes despite being male. In Keith's case, the circumstances for having eyelashes is Dreamworks re-used Poppy's baby model for his character, and Keith is a green version of baby Poppy.
===The Tribes===
There are currently 6 described tribes in the series each with their own look;
*Pop trolls are the based on the 1980s toyline of "Trolls".
*Funk trolls have two or four legs and long necks, they are based on Troll animals.
*Classical trolls have wings and puffy hair, resembling a cherub.
*Rock trolls generally resemble Pop Trolls but are a lot more wild looking with aggressive appearances.
*Country trolls often are centaur-like with four hooves and a tail.
*Techno trolls are aquatic with dark bodies covered in bright neon markings.
865E7B6B-916B-427F-AA2E-02226F517601.jpeg|Pop Trolls
Funktrolls.png|Funk Trolls
Classicaltrollsgroup.png|Classical Trolls
Roccktrolls.png|Rock Trolls
Screenshot 2019-08-12-14-59-20.png|Country Trolls
Technogroupshot.png|Techno Trolls
===Other Trolls===
See here for Troll variants.
==Biology==
===Reproduction===
Not much is known about how the Trolls reproduce as of the available information from the franchise. Though child Trolls of each Tribe do have parents, normally both a male and female Troll, little details are given on the Troll reproduction process that leads to the creation of baby Trolls. This is mostly because of the fact the Trolls franchise itself is aimed at children.
The only currently witnessed birth is from Guy Diamond, who gave birth to Tiny Diamond despite being male. Tiny was birthed from Guy's hair and hatches out of a sliver egg moments later. Tiny inherited all of Guy's looks, but his style of music is different from his father's. These variations of the basic 6 Troll tribes are natural occurrences that occur over time. Also, just because a parent has a preference for one genre of music, their offspring won't necessarily inherit it.
In The Giver from Trolls: The Beat Goes On!, Cooper tells Poppy his life-story beginning with "Darkness... Then I emerge from the womb...", Implying that child birth may be different between different Troll populations. This also implies Funk trolls are Viviparous, compared to Pop Trolls like Guy Diamond that are Oviparous.
===Infants/Juveniles===
One of the largest inconsistency within the series comes from infant Trolls. Comparing just Baby Poppy from Trolls to Tiny Diamond from Trolls World Tour can lead to a note of density of hair, body size/proportions and capabilities between the two. Most information also focused on young Pop Trolls and information on other Tribes did not become available until Trolls World Tour.
Tiny can speak full sentences, while Poppy seemed only simple words and repeating phrases such as "Dada" and "No Troll left behind". She is much chubbier in the body as well with less hair, while Tiny looks more like a chibi-Guy Diamond. While Poppy is notable older then Tiny, Tiny still surpassed what she could do when she was younger. In material related specifically to "Baby Poppy" it was noted that King Peppy kept Poppy in his hair and it acted as a playpen. In toys for Gia Grooves and Poppy it was noted that baby Trolls hide in other Trolls hair for playing safely. It was also shown in Trolls during the escape from Bergen Town where Peppy kept his daughter safte that Troll Babies do hide in their parents hair. Another reference is found in one of the Troll comics where Poppy is babysitting babies Trolls and one goes missing after Branch passes by, it turned out the baby Trol hopped into Branch's hair when the pair weren't looking.
In addition, within Trolls: The Beat Goes On! further inconsistency can be found. In the episode Gem Day, Poppy stated when a Troll gets it first hair, it is cut. Yet Tiny is also born with a full head of hair. In the episode Vega Swift, it was noted a baby's hair can become out of control and therefore they need to wear a bonnet to keep it contain, but this is not seen anywhere else in the series.
Among the Techno Trolls a young child can be seen with its parents. In another scene, Delta Dawn sends a small Country Troll to attack Poppy and her friends. The miniature Troll opens it mouth and reveals a set of rotating teeth that move like a buzz-saw. It is unknown if this is done for comic relief or if this is common among the tribe.
One of the jobs Poppy role of Tribe leader also is to teach young Trolls how "to be a Troll", but it is also unknown if this role applies to all of the leaders.
Notrollleftbehindpoppy.png|King Peppy and his daughter Poppy
GuyandTiny.png|Guy Diamond holding Tiny Diamond
IMG 20191204 232953.jpg|Pop Troll baby Vega Swift from Trolls: The Beat Goes On!, baby cousin of Nova Swift
Young purple Troll speaking.png|Young Pop Trolls
rockbaby.png|Adult Rock Troll (left) and Baby (right)
Barbandrockchild.png|Queen Barb with a young Rock Troll
Countryandbaby.png|A country Troll and their child
Deploythebaby.png|Clipper
C45E7066-3C2E-4D95-883C-D209DB646A88.jpeg|A Techno Troll family with parents and baby
===Elders===
As the Trolls grow old they gain streaks of grey in their hair. Many also loose the volume of their hair and become frizzled. Elderly Trolls often show signs of arthritis and other health issues.
There are not many Trolls shown in the movies who are elders with most Trolls only being of a young adult age such as The Snack Pack. For the Pop Trolls, this can be easily explained by the absence of elders due to their past issues with the Bergens and the Trollstice event, leaving King Peppy as one of the few elderly Trolls to survive from Bergen Town in the movies.
It is common for elderly royals among the Tribes to hand over their crown when their health renders them unable to perform their royal duties. This was seen with both Rock and Pop Trolls Kings, Peppy and Thrash, who handed over their crown to their daughters, Queen Poppy and Queen Barb. They are still referred to by their title of "King" despite not being in charge anymore.
King Peppy and Princess Poppy.jpg|King Peppy, an elderly Pop Troll and the former King of the Pop Trolls, and his daughter Queen Poppy, a young Pop Troll adult.
BarbandThrash.png|Queen Barb, a young Rock Troll adult, and King Thrash, the aged former King of the Rock Trolls
IMG 20191204 022359.jpg|Mags Gumdrop from Trolls: The Beat Goes On!, who somehow manages to maintain a full head of hair
IMG 20191204 142835.jpg|Sky Toronto also from Trolls: The Beat Goes On!, who has grey sideburns and is one of the few aged Glitter Trolls seen in the series
===Predators===
Due to their diminutive size, the Trolls are subject to being prey to a number of larger creatures, as well as at least one population once fearing being eaten by Bergens. The Trolls are not top of their food chain and have to be wary of any animal capable of eating them.
===Diet===
Its is currently unknown what the different Troll populations eat and it is only known that Pop Trolls eat Critters and sweets such as cakes and ice cream. Therefore the general extent of the Troll diet is unknown.
===Habitats===
The Trolls have adapted to a variety of climates, these form the "Troll Kingdom" or "Troll's Kingdom". The Kingdom consists of the deep oceanic floors, high mountains, forests and desert, as well as volcanic areas. Depending on location depends on what type of Troll lives there.
Troll Forest is inhabited by Pop trolls who live in Troll Village, Volcano Rock City by Rock trolls, Techno Reef by Techno trolls, Lonesome Flats by Country trolls, Symphonyville in the mountains by Classical trolls and Vibe City where the Funk Trolls live.
Some variations of the map show that Bergen Town is southwest of the Troll Kingdom, located on the border of the Trolls homelands. The Bergens home is just south of Vibe City and far southwest of Troll Forest. The centre of the Bergen Town once was a woodland area and was the original home of the Pop Trolls until the migrated in the wake of the last Trollstice to Troll Forest. So the Pop Trolls originally lived southwest of Vibe City with Troll Forest, the very center of Troll Kingdom, being actually largely uninhabited.
==Troll Culture==
The series has mostly focused on Pop Trolls and thus only their culture has been explored in depth.
Collectively, Troll culture is generally based on song and dance, all trolls no matter what their origin like to dance and sing. The style of music varies per heritage and variations of their culture have occurred over time. Within these tribes sub-variants of music have formed loosely based on that culture for example Guy Diamond, a Pop Troll, gives birth in Trolls World Tour, a Hip-hop Troll. To each Troll, a Troll of a different variant can seem alien-like. As King Peppy notes, the other Tribes "don't dance like us and don't sing like us".
Screenshot 2019-07-21-14-55-19.png|A clash of cultures; Queen Poppy, a Pop Troll and Barb, a Rock troll
FakeRockers.png|"Rainbows, Unicorns, everything nice! Brush your Teeth!"... Pop Trolls attempting to pass as Rock Trolls
Trolls are generally care-free and friendly towards their own kind, but some aggression is displayed to other Tribes and the Tribes do clash in their ideology. As seen in the trailers for Trolls World Tour Poppy's first reaction to Country Trolls is to note "the Country Trolls look friendly". Pop Trolls are mostly friendly themselves, but soon find out moments later the Country Trolls are quite unfriendly towards strangers. Barb also displays a desire for Rock music to be the dominate music among the Trolls to the point of going out of her way to rid the world of everything but her own cultures style of music. The other Tribes don't seem to understand the overall culture of other Tribes, as when Satin and Chenille attempt disguises of these Trolls, they show misunderstanding of the other Trolls styles.
It is implied that the ability for different Tribes to get along has always existed, as Cooper a Funk Troll lived among the Pop Trolls for years without them even knowing he was a Funk Troll or where he came from.
Subcultures of Trolls have also developed over time that don't fit in with the 6 main Troll Tribes.
==Troll Abilities==
While individual tribes have things that apply to only their Tribe, there are come collectively common abilities shared by all Trolls.
===Troll Hair===
The trolls have the ability to outstretch their hair to use as an extra limb for hanging from trees,as it has the ablity to stretch out. It is also used in part with their ability to camouflage themselves with their environment as Trolls can change the color of their hair. The Pop Trolls use their hair to make their homes out of, so Troll hair is quite strong and endurable. Branch notes in Troll 2 Troll that a Troll's hair is their best defence, mousse and gel limit its movements. Their hair is more then strong and durable enough to lift up another Troll, though it is not strong enough compared to the strength of a Bergen.
Not all the Trolls are able to use their hair in the same way, thus not all Tribes can make their hair work the same work as another Tribe. Funk Trolls have hair that doesn't seem to be as effective as Pop Trolls for general use. They can still do some of the natural Troll hair abilities as Cooper was able to join in with the rest of The Snack Pack while creating Bridget's Lady Glitter sparkles wig. They do instead have fur on their bodies with special properties to make up for the lacking in other areas.
A Country Troll is also seen using his moustache as a lasso though it is not shown if Troll males of other Tribes are able to do the same.
Their hair doesn't always cooperate. In Trolly Tales 3, Gia Grooves has a bad hair day. This causes her hair to go out of control and it is noted it will take her all day to get it under control. In ASK POPPY: Bad Hair Day, Guy Diamond has the same problem caused by a cowlick and Poppy finds it impossible to restyle it for him. This was also the plot of one of the Trolls comics from Egmount called "Bad Hair Day".
As mentioned elsewhere, Troll hair also helps keep young Trolls safe by providing a safe place for Troll babies to play and hide in.
===Camouflage=== 
When a Troll is scared, very unhappy, are frightened greatly or loose hope they gain a grey colouration to them. The act of turning grey is confirmed in The Art of the Trolls to be a natural response for Trolls and is a natural camouflage that allows them to blend in and hide with their surroundings. For some tribes such as the Pop Trolls, this allows them to very quickly hide away if threatened among their forest environment, as was seen when Poppy hid King Peppy from Chef in Trolls. Their forest surroundings provide a great deal of places for them to hide the otherwise vividly coloured Pop Trolls.
This usually lasts for a brief period of time but can last for years as in the case of Branch if the Troll feels deeply saddened. As this impacted Cooper, a Funk Troll, it is not something just restricted to the Pop Trolls and other Tribes can loose color as well. In addition, their hair can change colour which aids also in their natural camouflage and they can hide in flowers or tall grass by changing their hair. The effectiveness of this natural camouflage varies as Cooper was caught by Chef in Trolls because his long neck limited use of effective camouflage compared to the Pop Trolls.
The concept is not always shown throughout the franchise, as Trolls: The Beat Goes On! never touches upon these concepts.
===True Colors===
When a Troll is at their happiest they show their True colors, which causes them to have very bright colouration and makes them glow.
Similar to their ability to turn grey if threatened, this is not always shown throughout the franchise.
===Other Abilities===
Eating a Troll grants the feeling of happiness to Bergens.
Variants such as Glitter Trolls and Fuzzlings have a few abilities that are unique to them only.
==History==
 
Long ago the ancestors of the 6 tribes created the Strings, 6 in total. These were based on their Tribes culture, of which was each was centralised on a particular type of music; Pop, Classical, Rock, Techno, Funk and Country.
At some point, the Tribes became isolated from each other, each going to their own separate corners of the Troll lands and creating their own kingdoms. The Pop Trolls were also left with the white harp that once held all 6 strings. The Pop trolls especially became isolated from the other Troll kingdoms, due to the events of the first Trolls film and were prisoners of the Bergens.
Trolls World Tour
Queen Barb decides to invade the other 5 kingdoms to get their Strings and erase all music except for Rock. In response, Queen Poppy of the Pop Trolls decides to rally all the Tribes against her.
Due to the movie not yet being released, details remain unknown.
==Influence==
===Brief history===
See Troll Dolls. 
===Dreamworks Trolls===
Their designs are based on elements of the various Troll toys that became popular in the 1990s.
*Funk trolls are based on a Toy giraffe Troll.
*Many of the toylines by Russ had gems for bellybuttons which is where the presence of the gems on Trolls in the Dreamworks Trolls come from.
*Trolls Holiday pays homage to the toys that inspired the film, as Poppy and her friends venture through a "Worm hole" they change to look like the toys.
Note: Different concepts for the Trolls can be found on their pages throughout the Trolls wiki and this section will only briefly touch on their designs to note the tie-in with Trolls Dolls.
Poppy was one of the first Trolls made and Branch was made to match her design. They also found during their research the existence of Trolls based on animals and a giraffe Troll had attracted attention. This doll is the basis for Cooper and the Funk Trolls, with Cooper's original design being more giraffe-like. He was later changed and went through a host of re-designs before a design was settled on. In The Art of the Trolls, it was stated that Guy Diamond had been based on the 1960s Trolls, while Poppy and Branch as based on the 1990s Trolls. Poppy was originally conceptualized in the style of the 1980/1990s curvy style of Trolls but this was dropped in favour of a more stylised design that was "ugly-cute". During early production, the staff had also experimented with the original "human-baby" look to the designs but had opted out of this. Throughout the concepts, Trolls were given gems and then had them taken away and DJ Suki ended up being one of the few to keep hers in design.
Despite the numerous dolls in the 1960s and 1980s/1990s, there was a lack of previous animation and story-based literature. This meant that Dreamworks had much freedom to take the Trolls in any direction they wanted and originally they were not based on a musical theme.
==Trivia==
*The 6 Troll Tribes have some influences from mythology;
**The Pop Trolls are loosely based on elves - though the term "Elves" is considered a racial slur to them and they find it very offensive. 
**The Techno Trolls are loosely based on Merfolk.
**The Country Trolls are loosely based on Centaurs.
**The Classical Trolls are based on cherubs.
Category:Characters
Category:Trolls
Category:Species