Marshtato Fairy

"Marshtato Fairy" is the first segment of the 2nd episode of the sixth season of Trolls: The Beat Goes On!, and the 65th overall episode in the series. It premiered on April 9, 2019.
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Branch tries to prove that the Marshtato Fairy is non-existent while Poppy tries to put some Marshtato spirit in him.
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Poppy starts with a scrapbook explanation on Marshtatos and the Marshtato Fairy. She explains that on one foggy night every year, the fairy visits and the next day the Trolls find Marshtatos, their favorite sweets, talking in rhyme verse to the children of Troll Village. The kids ask if the fairy will hear them despite living on Hill Mountain, but Poppy is not concerned. As the kids correctly guess, the rocks that they are painting faces on will tell the fairy who's taking part. Other Trolls are decorating and burping the alphabet. Poppy then calls for the fairy's favorite activity: the group hug. All trolls form up and hug.
Poppy is interrupted mid-hug countdown by Branch, who's off to claim his spot on the patch. Poppy tells him to join in, or the Marshtato Fairy will think he has no "Marshtato Day spirit" and not come. Branch is confident she will come, as he believes she doesn't exist. He states their plants and that everything else in the holiday is weird superstitions. Poppy will have none of that, and trips Branch with her hair while agreeing that it is super but not stitish, with Smidge and Guy Diamond backing her up.
When they won't let him leave, Branch states that he will prove she doesn't exist and hopefully they'll leave him alone. A deal is made: if Branch cannot prove she isn't real, he will lead the Marshtato Day hug every year from then on out.
Branch is staking out the patch with Poppy, who refuses to stake it out in case they scare her off, as she claims she is shy. He creates a hide from his hair and the two wait. However they are awoken next morning by other Trolls as they fell asleep and missed the fairy. Thinking she has won as everyone is celebrating their Marshtatos, Poppy begins to organize things. Branch points out nothing is proven because they fell asleep, but she points out nothing was disproven either. Branch decides to climb Hill Mountain to prove no one lives up there.
In the next scene, Poppy tugs at Branch as he approaches Hill Mountain. Poppy reminds him the fairy is shy, but Branch states he is coming back with proof that the holiday is a sham. When Branch refuses to stop, Poppy states she'll make up for whatever damage he's about to do by making sure everyone else shows extra spirit.
Branch climbs Hill Mountain, and arrives at the summit to an empty space. A glow from inside an old tree trunk attracts his attention and he climbs in. He finds an area inside covered in Marshtatos, and is approached by a figure he thinks is the Marshtato Fairy, until she pokes him. She accuses Branch of being there to steal her Marshtatos, and when he asks if she is the fairy gets offended, as she doesn't even have wings. Her threats don't really make him fear her, as he says she looks adorable and her attacks just tickle him. He explains his reasons for being there and she gets annoyed.
She explains her name is Marshtato Mary, and every year she goes around taking all Marshtatos for herself, except one night of the year, when fog prevents her from taking her delicious bounty. Branch realizes he was right; the Marshtatos grow all year around, but Mary has been taking them all. Mary doesn't care, but Branch asks her to do him a favor.
He shows her where the Trolls live. She responds negatively calling them "elves", to which Branch advises her not to say as he claims it's offensive to them. He wants her to go down there and prove there's no fairy. As Branch does a victory dance, Mary says the pair have a lot in common, as neither can tolerate foolishness, which he confirms is true; but he then disagrees with her when she says they both like the crushing disappointment of others. Branch states all he wants is to prove a point, not to upset anyone. Mary claims that they'll ruin the holiday, which of course will upset them, but Mary enjoys the sound of. Branch has a vision of disappointing Trolls, with Keith stating Branch ruined his childhood. Branch has a change of heart, as the Marshtato Fairy means a lot to his friends and won't take that away from them just to prove a point.
Mary won't back down, and thanks to Branch she knows how to get back at them for stealing her Marshtatos. She grows a pair of wings and goes off to the Trolls. Realizing he has to stop her, he jumps off of Hill Mountain and falls to the bottom.
Mary approaches the Trolls, who greet her well, but she soon begins to tell them about how the Marshtatos belong to her and the holiday is a lie. She's soon countered by Branch, who says she's not the fairy, but rather her archenemy, using Mary's own name against her. To the dismay of Mary, Branch begins to spin his own story about her; she's jealous of how the Trolls love the fairy. Mary counters this by pointing out it's like Branch making up stuff, as he goes along echoing an earlier comment Branch had with Poppy and her claims on the fairy. He says she has one weakness: to give her as much love as they give the fairy. Mary can't stand the affection, and flies off back to Hill Mountain.
This saves the day, as Poppy approaches Branch to say that it looks like he was wrong as he said it himself: she does exist. Branch just shrugs it off and eats Marshtato.
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;Trolls
*Amanda Leighton as Queen Poppy
*Skylar Astin as Branch
*Abby Ryder Fortson as Priscilla
*Kyla Carter as CJ Suki
*Declan Churchill Carter as Keith
*Fryda Wolff as Satin & Chenille and Gemma Fur
*Ron Funches as Cooper
*David Fynn as Biggie
*Kevin Michael Richardson as Smidge
*Sean T. Krishnan as Guy Diamond
;Others
*Corina Boettger as Marshtato Mary
*David Fynn as Mr. Dinkles
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This episode is available on the "Trolls: The Beat Goes On! - Complete Seasons 5-8" DVD.
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*There is a crowd shot early on when Poppy is talking about the holiday, wherein the Trolls perform a wall of hugs and their scale is off.
*"Elves" is a nod to how the Trolls live in a forest and have many elf-like traits. Even though, it's shown to be a racial slur to the Trolls, since Branch warns Mary when she says it.
*This episode is a nod to childhood beliefs and folklore like the Tooth Fairy, of which the Marshtato Fairy is based on with the Marshtatoes somewhat resembling molars, with some elements of Santa Claus as well.
**Branch being akind to someone who found out the truth. At that moment, someone in his position has a choice between telling their friends the truth and spoiling the fun, or letting them still believe the tale and remain blissfully ignorant.
*Branch previously mentioned the loss of his own childhood in "Snow Day", and referenced his wasted life in "The Bunker List". This is why the idea of spoiling someone else's childhood would upset him.
*Branch is in the same situation Poppy was in "The Giver", being faced with revealing a truth or not. This time, the moral is related to spoiling things for everyone, instead of Poppy's situation of spoiling things for one him (Branch).
Category:Episodes
Category:Trolls: The Beat Goes On! episodes
Category:TBGO Season 6 episodes
Category:Holiday Themed Episodes
Category:2D animation