Star Fairies was a group of girl-oriented fairy dolls produced by Tonka in 1985, now part of Hasbro. In conjunction with the toys, a half-hour TV special was made by Hanna-Barbera.
The fairy Princess Sparkle lives up in the clouds in Castle WishStar. Sparkle's job is to grant wishes to children who wish upon a star, but lately she has been overwhelmed by the increasing number of wishes being made. The Wishing Well advises her to go to Mount Wishmore and wish on a shooting star. She does so and receives not one, but five new star fairy helpers named True Love, Whisper, Jazz, Spice, and Nightsong.
The fairies grant several wishes, but are stumped when they meet a little girl named Hillary, who is upset but cannot think of a wish to make her happy. Hillary and the other Star Fairies then seek help from Princess Sparkle. When Hillary and the Star Fairies return to Castle WishStar, they discover Princess Sparkle's wand has been stolen by a group of short, hairy elves, and their leader, Bungle Boss, who have also made off with the Wishing Well. This sends them on a journey to recover the wand and save the land before Bungle Boss's misuse of magic plunges it into ruin.
This special contains examples of:
- And the Adventure Continues: The special ends with the fairies going on to grant more wishes.
- Animation Bump: The opening credits are better-animated than the special itself.
- Born as an Adult: The five fairy helpers are created as adults, though they're new to the world.
- Born of Magic: The other Star Fairies were born like this, and True Love magics up a puppy from nothing.
- Decomposite Character: In-universe, Sparkle wishes for her new helper to have "a touch of spice, a whisper of joy, the beauty of night, lots of true love, and a pinch of jazz." Instead of one fairy meeting five requirements, she gets five fairies that meet a single requirement.
- Magic Misfire: Early on the fairies have trouble granting wishes or identifying the wish, and excess magic endangers humans as well.
- Make a Wish: The toyline featured fairies responsible for granting wishes wished on a star. In the animated special, Princess Sparkle, the head fairy, makes her own wish using the Wishing Well for a helper.
- Our Elves Are Different: The villainous elves don't resemble the standard fantasy elves at all. They resemble more gnomes and dwarves with their short height, beards and pointed hats.
- Really Was Born Yesterday: True Love, Whisper, Jazz, Spice, and Nightsong were created in an instant, and are instructed as to who Sparkle is, who they are, and what their mission is.
- Team Pet: Lavender the unicorn is Sparkle's helper.
- Troll Bridge: The fairies are blocked from flying and need to cross a bridge, only to find it guarded by a large hairy creature who agrees to let them cross only if they can grant his wish and guess what the wish is. Whisper rightly guesses he wishes he didn't have to guard the bridge any more, and she conjures up an automatic toll.
