Lady Lovely Locks
Encyclopedia
Lady Lovely Locks and the Pixietails was a character property created by American Greetings
Corporation (creators of Strawberry Shortcake
, Care Bears
, and Popples
among others) in the mid-1980s. The characters were licensed for a toyline by Mattel, and for a syndicated animated television series by DiC
in 1987. However, only 20 episodes were produced in all.
and produced from 1987 to 1989. The toyline consists of character dolls that are approximately 8.5 inches tall, with certain dolls having long, colorful locks. Most dolls came with three to four Pixietails (small plastic squirrel-like animals with long silky tails). The Pixietails could be worn in the hair of either Lady Lovely Locks or the child. Additional items in the toyline were other pets and setting playsets.
Hi-Tops released five Lady Lovely Locks videos in the '80s. More recently, the videos re-appeared on the market. They resurfaced as part of the DVD set "Girls Rule Vol. 1" which included the following cartoon series: Jem
, Rainbow Brite
and Lady Lovely Locks. Several of the episodes are also available on a DVD in the "Biggest DVD Ever" series for Lady Lovely Locks. Two episodes have never been collected except on the Australian VHS edition.
The series episodes are as follows:
, the character Randy says: "Donna, Hyde's already given me a nickname. It's Mrs. Lady Lovely Locks." This is an anachronism
, as the Lady Lovely Locks line of products were not produced until after the mid-80s.
American Greetings
American Greetings Corporation, Inc. is the world's largest publicly-traded greeting card company. It is based in Brooklyn, Ohio and sells paper greeting cards, electronic greeting cards, party products , and electronic expressive content...
Corporation (creators of Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberry Shortcake is a licensed character owned by American Greetings, originally used in greeting cards and expanded to include dolls, posters, and other products...
, Care Bears
Care Bears
The Care Bears are characters created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. The original artwork for the cards was painted by artist Elena Kucharik. In 1983, Kenner turned the Care Bears into plush teddy bears...
, and Popples
Popples
Popples is a series of fantasy characters created by Those Characters From Cleveland , a subsidiary company of American Greetings. Popples resemble brightly colored teddy bears or marsupials , and have pouches on their backs that they can go into and resemble brightly colored balls.-History:Susan...
among others) in the mid-1980s. The characters were licensed for a toyline by Mattel, and for a syndicated animated television series by DiC
DIC
- Science :* Differential interference contrast microscopy, an illumination technique in optical microscopy* Diisopropylcarbodiimide, a reagent in organic chemistry* Digital Integrating Computer, a digital implementation of a Differential Analyzer...
in 1987. However, only 20 episodes were produced in all.
Toyline
The Lady Lovely Locks toyline was created by MattelMattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
and produced from 1987 to 1989. The toyline consists of character dolls that are approximately 8.5 inches tall, with certain dolls having long, colorful locks. Most dolls came with three to four Pixietails (small plastic squirrel-like animals with long silky tails). The Pixietails could be worn in the hair of either Lady Lovely Locks or the child. Additional items in the toyline were other pets and setting playsets.
Animated series
The Lady Lovely Locks animated series began in 1987, concurrent with the release of the toyline. The premise of the series is that Lady Lovely Locks is the princess of the Kingdom of Lovelylocks. She and her friends are aided by the Pixietails in keeping the kingdom safe from its enemies. Among the hero characters of the show are Lady Lovely Locks, Maiden Fair Hair, Maiden Curly Crown, the Pixietails, Prince Strong Heart, Shining Glory, Silky Pup (a puppy), and Silky Mane (a pony). The main villains are Duchess Ravenwaves, Hairball and Comb Gnomes, the latter of whom tend to speak in rhyme. The series was produced by the French and Japanese animators of Rainbow Brite and Jem, among other cartoons of the '80s.Hi-Tops released five Lady Lovely Locks videos in the '80s. More recently, the videos re-appeared on the market. They resurfaced as part of the DVD set "Girls Rule Vol. 1" which included the following cartoon series: Jem
Jem (TV series)
Jem, also known as Jem and the Holograms, is an American animated television series that ran from 1985 to 1988 in U.S. first-run syndication...
, Rainbow Brite
Rainbow Brite
Rainbow Brite was a character franchise introduced by Hallmark Cards in 1983, with the animated television series starting the following year....
and Lady Lovely Locks. Several of the episodes are also available on a DVD in the "Biggest DVD Ever" series for Lady Lovely Locks. Two episodes have never been collected except on the Australian VHS edition.
The series episodes are as follows:
- "To Save My Kingdom"
- "Cruel Pretender"
- "Vanished"
- "The Wishing Bone"
- "The Discovery"
- "The Lake of Reflections"
- "The Menace of Mirror Lake"
- "Blue Moon"
- "The Bundle"
- "In the Kingdom of Ice"
- "The Power and the Glory"
- "Prince's Broken Heart"
- "The Noble Deed"
- "The Doubt"
- "The Dragon Tree"
- "The Capture"
- "The Keeper"
- "The Rally"
- "Fire in the Sky"
- "To Take a Castle"
Protagonists
- Lady Lovely Locks - the main protagonist. She wears a pink medieval dress and has blonde hair with streaks symbolizing her royaltyRoyal familyA royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
in three colors: soft pink (dawnDawnDawn is the time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the presence of weak sunlight, while the sun itself is still below the horizon...
), gold (sunSunThe Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
) and lavender (twilightTwilightTwilight is the time between dawn and sunrise or between sunset and dusk, during which sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere illuminates the lower atmosphere, and the surface of the earth is neither completely lit nor completely dark. The sun itself is not directly visible because it is below...
). She is the defender of Kingdom Lovely Locks who is loyal, brave, kind-hearted, polite, optimistic and dependable, often like a princessPrincessPrincess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
. - Maiden FairHair - a good friend of Lady Lovely Locks who wears a blue dress and has her brunette hair done in wavesWAVESThe WAVES were a World War II-era division of the U.S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. The name of this group is an acronym for "Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service" ; the word "emergency" implied that the acceptance of women was due to the unusual circumstances of the war and...
. She is cool, serene, and intelligent, and is a natural beauty, party-planner and daydreamer, who would sometimes lose her sense of direction. - Maiden CurlyCrown - another friend of Lady Lovely Locks who wears a yellow dress and has her orange hair done in curls. She is funny, good-hearted and imaginative, and loves making up stories and styling her hair, but would sometimes get herself in trouble.
- The Pixietails - tiny, magical creatures with bodies of cute animals and very long tails. They were delightful helpers of Lady and her friends. Each type has an association with the corresponding person; for instance, Lady's were bunny-likeRabbitRabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
(and were the most prominent in the series), FairHair's were chipmunk/squirrel-likeChipmunkChipmunks are small striped squirrels native to North America and Asia. They are usually classed either as a single genus with three subgenera, or as three genera.-Etymology and taxonomy:...
, and CurlyCrown's were bird-likeBirdBirds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
. - Shining Glory - a blind, yet very wise and powerful wizardMagician (fantasy)A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
. He is also a beloved mentor to Lady and her friends. - SilkyMane - Lady's kind, loyal, brave horse who always understandsAnimal communicationAnimal communication is any behavior on the part of one animal that has an effect on the current or future behaviour of another animal. The study of animal communication, is sometimes called Zoosemiotics has played an important part in the...
her thoughts and feelings. - SilkyPup - Lady's cheerful, yet danger-prone puppy who has a secret crushPuppy lovePuppy love is an informal term for feelings of love or infatuation felt by young people during childhood and adolescence, so-called for its resemblance to the adoring, worshipful affection that may be felt by a puppy. 'Simple infatuation is often called a "crush" or "puppy love"...
on the Prince. - The Prince - originally a human, but was turned into a dog as a result of a curseCurseA curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
. He was taken in by Shining Glory. Plus, he acts like of a lifesaverRescuerA Rescuer is a person who rescues something from harm or danger. They are trained in technical rescue, diver rescue, mountain rescue, extrication rescue, or/and advance technical firefighting...
, as he often saves Lady's life in her times of danger, but was never seen in his true appearance.
Antagonists
- Duchess RavenWaves - the main antagonist. She wears a purple medieval dress and, like Maiden FairHair, her black hair done in waves. She is mean, jealous, cruel, stubborn, careless, and conniving, often like a witch. She always plots to take over the kingdom for herself, believing that cutting off a piece of Lady's hair would succeed.
- HairBall - helper of RavenWaves and former apprentice of Shining Glory. He specializes in magicMagic (paranormal)Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
, especially when it comes to making trouble. - Comb Gnomes - mean creatures with big ears and wild-looking hair and fur. They are henchmen of RavenWaves and are always mischievous.
Books
A number of tie-in books were released alongside the toyline and animated series. Among these books are "An Enchanting Fairy-Tale Adventure", "For the Love of Lovely Locks", "Lady Lovely Locks Original Story" (1987), "Silkypup Saves the Day", "Silkypup's Butterfly Adventure" (1987) and "The Golden Ball".Pop culture
In the 8th season episode, "Killer Queen" of the series That '70s ShowThat '70s Show
That '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979...
, the character Randy says: "Donna, Hyde's already given me a nickname. It's Mrs. Lady Lovely Locks." This is an anachronism
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
, as the Lady Lovely Locks line of products were not produced until after the mid-80s.