"Kick-Off Party" is the second segment of the 2nd episode of the first season of Trolls: TrollsTopia, and the 3rd overall episode in the series. It premiered on November 19, 2020.
Synopsis[]
When Poppy discovers that Val's idea of a kick-off party is extremely different to her own, she must find a way to plan an awesome party for TrollsTopia without stepping on Val's toes.
Plot[]
Poppy thanks Guy Diamond and Biggie for helping her make invitations for a kick-off party that will set the tone for those who come to TrollsTopia. Biggie is excited at the fact Mr. Dinkles will get a chance to show off his calligraphy skills. Meanwhile, Guy is thrilled as Tiny is at the end he to take things easy. Poppy says the party is the most important there is. As the trio walks along, they find a flyer for a "kick-off party" by Val Thundershock at Misty Meadows the following night. Because the party will clash with Poppy's, she goes to talk to her.
At Rock Hollow, they find the Rock Trolls doing their usual Rock Troll things as they relax and rock out. They go to talk to Val, who is throwing cupcakes at the wall behind her in the outline of a skull. As Poppy approaches to hug, Val glares at her for being too open and Poppy adjusts herself so that she is hugging herself. Poppy goes to talk to her about the clash of parties, but instead says Val's idea is a great idea. Poppy thinks it is good for another Tribe to host their first party, and thanks Val for doing the idea. Poppy tosses her invitations away and only Mr. Dinkles cares for the loss of the party. Poppy asks for her plan, but Val explains Rock Trolls don't plan parties; they go with the "flow". Val acts offended when Poppy tries to explain parties require planning and enquires if she is trying to tell her how to plan her party, as that wouldn't be in the spirit of TrollsTopia. Or maybe it would as Val messes with Poppy. Poppy nervously agrees with Val as her messing makes her uncertain how to respond. As Val walks away, Poppy states with firmness that they cannot go with the flow. Poppy orders Guy and Biggie to round up the most party-loving Trolls they know. Biggie and Guy rush off in an instant, which Biggie notes to Poppy she has to be more specific.
Smidge and Branch are brought in to help. Poppy explains they have to plan Val's party but without her knowing it. Branch chimes in his usual doubt and says the plan is absurd, but Poppy points out that she will badger Branch until he helps. Poppy states their first goal is to spread the word to get Trolls to turn up; they can't send out invitations or Val will find out so they have to spread it via word of mouth. Biggie soon finds himself in a game of "Marco Trollo", dropping the party to other Trolls and ends up getting involved in the game.
Poppy tells Guy to pretend to be an ice cream driver whose truck happens to break down at the party. This makes Guy play the role of "Ice Cream Vendor No.1", an overmellow dramatic character. Poppy tells him to be less dramatic. Instead of melodramatic, he goes for a silly character that's equally as over-the-top, and completely the wrong direction once again. He ends by saying he'll work on it.
Poppy also wants to do a big fireworks finale put of the blue with two meteors crashing, to which Branch can see her vision. Out of the blue, she tells Branch to make it happen and rushes off, to which Branch can only reply "What?" as he realizes she's left him with a tall order.
Poppy does one last party run through with her team. She explains nothing is happening as Val didn't plan anything. At a certain time, Guy comes in (he is currently going with a mock-Count Dracula persona for his character at this point). at 9:23 Mr. Dinkles starts a conga line until 9:34 when Smidge releases glow flies to provide festive lighting. At 11:38, Branch does his bit. Everyone has it covered but Branch still has no idea to perform what his asked, but Poppy stands by they have it.
At Val's party, Poppy is correct and it is not going well. Val wonders why the plan isn't going well and Poppy says it's likely because she didn't plan anything. This causes Val to move the location without warning to the lagoon. Panicking, Poppy tells Guy to start now. His current persona is a robot and he cues his bit. He then changes character to a muscle bound one. Guy however is so focused on his character that he doesn't hear Poppy. Desperate, she tells Branch to cue meteors, but he is still working on that.
Panicking more, Poppy decides they need to stop the party guests leaving and she stops Val. In a panic, she says that she has to sing her a song, and desperate for a subject she says it's about a nearby tree. Val figures out that the song about the tree is just to stall them from leaving. Unable to come up with nothing else to stall them, she says they have to stay to experience the party Poppy planned. This cues all the Trolls to begin the festivities. Guy has also finally chosen the character he wants to go with: a pirate.
Val confronts Poppy on her planning her party. It turns out Val was counting it. "Flow" actually meant she"fakes laziness so that others work". Poppy was so shocked that Val was manipulating her this whole time. As they party, the meteors strike, but it turns out Branch wasn't behind the strike, so it was a random chance.
Cast[]
- Amanda Leighton as Queen Poppy
- David Fynn as Biggie
- Sean T. Krishnan as Guy Diamond
- Kenan Thompson as Tiny Diamond
- Skylar Astin as Branch
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Smidge
Other
Songs[]
Trivia[]
- A "kick-off party" is a phrase from football that refers a party to celebrate the first game of a season. The term is generally used to mean a party that's to celebrate the beginning of something, like a new job. Here it's used to celebrate the first party in TrollsTopia.
- "Marco Trollo" is based on the game "Marco Polo".
- Guy's "Ice Cream Vendor No.1" is a continuation of his character from Trolls: The Beat Goes On!. In the episodes "Don't Worry Be Peppy" and "Hair Ball", when given the chance to play off attention, Guy tends to go into a state of overacting where emotions are overexaggerated and end up making him look like he's taking his role too seriously.
- Smidge's line "Fly my pretties, fly!" is a phrase generally understood to come from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. However, the line isn't actually in the movie, instead being a popular misquote in media culture.
- A book based on this episode titled A Different Groove was released in 2021.