The Fairies

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The Fairies is an Australian television show based on two fairies: Harmony and Rhapsody. They also have friends, including Elf, the Fairycake maker,Barnaby, the Bizzy Buzzy bee and "Wizzy the Wizard". It was created and written by Jen Watts, directed by Mat King and produced by David Hancock.

[edit] History

The history of the show started in 2000 with Harmony, Rhapsody, Barnaby, Elf and 4 Tots. The producers of the series made two straight to video releases. The creator of the show was inspired by her daughter's obsession with glitter and fairies.

The producers replaced the actress of Harmony, the golden fairy, and Elf. These two characters were replaced by younger looking adults. The little tots were also reduced to three. These changes were done to boost the popularity of the show as a multi-million dollar 26 part television series that was in production. In November 2005, The Fairies came to television for the first time, airing on the Seven Network in Australia, going into a 9am time slot.

The Fairies was made more realistic and magical, making it more like a fantasy drama for children. New Zealand-based WETA Workshop (the outfit behind the special effects used in King Kong and The Lord of the Rings) designed the sets. Also, the actors were replaced, except for Elf. Harmony, who was the Golden Fairy, and Rhapsody, the Rainbow, were also changed into more 'girly colours'. Elf and Barnaby's costumes' were also changed. Elf looked more 'Elfy' and Barnaby lost some of his legs. The tots costumes and actors were also revamped, now making them more cheeky, and dressing them to look more sophisticated.

Season One of The Fairies was repeated in April 2006 on the Seven Network, going back into the 9am time slot.

In 2007, The Fairies' second TV series was produced, and aired on the Seven Network from 23 April. With two new characters, Bubbles the Beach Fairy and Twinkle the Tooth Fairy, the magic of the concept continues. Sales of the DVDs in Australia have now topped 100,000 units, and the international market is looking on the concept as one with many, many legs.

The show is filmed in Adelaide, South Australia.