Sea Princesses


Sea Princesses is a series of children's books created by the Brazilian writer and cartoonist Fábio Yabu. The first book was released in 2004 by publisher Panda Books; due to its success, three other books were made.
In 2007, it was adapted into a cartoon series produced by Neptuno Films from Spain and Southern Star Entertainment from Australia. It was broadcast in 50 countries including France on Piwi+, Germany on KiKa, Spain on Disney Junior, Portugal on RTP2 ZigZag, South Africa on K-T.V., Italy on Rai 2 & Rai Gulp and the United Kingdom on Tiny Pop. It aired in the United States on Discovery Familia from 2007 to 2013, dubbed into Latin American Spanish and on Discovery Kids in Latin America. As of today, the show is still available on Amazon Prime Video for streaming and is also on Pluto TV.

Plot

The series is set in a place deep under the sea known as the World of Salacia, a hidden kingdom founded by a goddess named Salacia, home to a race known as the Salinos who lived in harmony with the sea creatures. However, when the sea creatures began to feel threatened, Salacia chose different families to rule over each sea creature, with their own kingdoms and palaces. At the same time, Salacia created a series of laws for the Salinos to follow, the most important of which was to avoid contact with humans from the surface of the Earth, referred to by them as Drylanders, to avoid major conflicts.
The series' main protagonists are the princess trio Polvina, Tubarina, and Ester, three elementary school girls who study at the Sea School under the tutelage of their teacher, Marcia. The trio, along with other princes and princesses, frequently learn new things about the oceans and animals while experiencing adventures, often trying to help sea creatures when they are in danger.

Concept and Production

After the Combo Rangers comic book was canceled in 2004 due to lack of funds to pay the artists, Fábio Yabu decided to create a new series aimed at a completely different audience than his previous series, targeting young girls. According to Yabu, he had never liked the beach and the sea, but that changed when he made a drawing of a girl with octopus-shaped hair who became Polvina. The initial plan was to make an animated series, but due to the difficulty of creating animation in Brazil in the 2000s, he opted for a picture book. A website for the series hosted under the domain of the company UOL was launched over time. With the popularity of the first book, Yabu expanded the series further, writing more books over the years and making some products while the series got its animated adaptation in 2007. The franchise was discontinued in 2010, with the final book released that year. The website was last updated in 2012 until it was deactivated in 2014, probably due to the fact that Fábio Yabu returned to betting on the Combo Rangers graphic novel trilogy during this period.

Characters

Main characters

  • Polvina – She is the Princess of the Octopuses. She usually tends to be the leader of the trio, being a calm and friendly girl who likes to read, but who doesn't hesitate to risk herself to help her friends. In the books her hair and clothes are red, but in the animation they were changed to pink. She is voiced by Isabella Dunwill.
  • Esther – She is the yellow Princess of the Starfish, and best friend of Polvina and Tubarina. She's been Polvina and Tubarina's best friend since they were babies and always accompanies them on their adventures. She usually tends to be the most mischievous and immature of the trio. She is voiced by Katherine Cohn Beck.
  • Tubarina – She is the blue Princess of the Sharks, and daughter of one of the most powerful men in Salacia, the King Shark. Tubarina tends to be the most temperamental and bad tempered of the trio, sometimes very bossy and arrogant, but she often learns from her mistakes. She's almost always with her best friends Polvina and Esther, and she's also Marcello's cousin, with whom she doesn't get along very well. She is voiced by Paige Walker.

    Other Princesses and Princes

  • Marcello – He is the Prince of Hammerhead Sharks, and cousin to Tubarina. He began living at the Shark Palace after the episode because his parents were away, and has since become a frequent character in the series. He usually doesn't get along very well with Tubarina and her friends and often acts as an antagonist against the girls, accompanied by his best friend Hugo. However, he sometimes shows that he can be a good boy and help the girls, including his cousin. The character was originally from the cartoon, but was later incorporated into the books.
  • Bia – She is the Princess of the Abyssal Kingdom, responsible for maintaining order in Beyondness sea and take care of the throne while her parents are travel throughout the kingdom. She met Polvina and her friends in one of the first episodes of the series, becoming friends with them ever since, and frequently appearing in episodes related to the Abyssal Kingdom. Because she lives in the darkness, she is very sensitive to light and usually only leaves the kingdom at night. She is voiced by Roslyn Oades.
  • Hugo – The Prince of Sea Turtles, heir to the throne with his twin sister, Tata. He usually appears as Marcello's best friend, often accompanying him, although he appears to be much more shy and naive than him. He dresses in a similar way to a cyclist wearing a turtle shell shaped bicycle helmet as his crown. Despite being Tata's twin brother, he is never seen interacting with her or even the turtles. The character was original to the cartoon.
  • Marley – She is the Princess of Swordfish. She is usually portrayed as an arrogant and competitive girl who easily picks on other girls, sometimes having been portrayed as Esther's rival in the animation, but deep down she is a good girl. In the books she is basically the opposite being a shy, quiet girl. Her crown is a cheerful swordfish hooked in her hair.
  • Leia - The princess of the Whales. Among the princesses, she is the one who is seen most concerned about protecting the animals in her kingdom, constantly trying to stop the Drylanders from harming the whales and often asking her friends for help. She has a baby brother named Lelo. Her crown has the appearance of an orca.
  • Tata - Hugo's twin sister and princess of the Sea Turtles. Similar to Leia, she cares deeply about protecting the turtles from danger and the Drylanders, often even asking her friends for help. Her crown is a helmet shaped like a sea turtle with yellow limbs.
  • Isa – The Princess of the Penguins. She and her parents live on the surface of the South Pole, she likes to play with penguins and also shows resistance to the cold. Her crown has the appearance of a sleepy penguin with a Santa Claus hat.
  • Sirilo - The prince of the Crabs. Like Hugo, he tends to be a calm, polite, and naive boy. He sometimes appears interacting with Marcello and Hugo when they want to form a trio.
  • Eletropaula "Elektra" - The princess of the Electric Eels. An old friend of Polvina, Esther and Tubarina, was introduced in the cartoon returning to Salacia with her family after many years away from the kingdom. Because she is the princess of the electric eels, she is able to resist electricity.
  • Vivi - The princess of the Jellyfish. She has dark skin and pink clothes. In one of the episodes of the cartoon she is portrayed as a girl who likes to play pranks on others.
  • Delfi - The princess of the Dolphins. Similar to Leia and Tata, she is also very close to the animals in her kingdom, always trying to help the dolphins from the Drylanders, but also playing with them.
  • Julie and Jessie - The twin princesses of the Clown Fish. They are notably always seen doing everything together and are always getting along without ever fighting with each other. Julie wear orange clothes while Jessie wear black clothes.
  • Angelica - The princess of the Angelfish. She is the most naive and distracted of the princesses, losing concentration very easily, which makes her not very good at studying.
  • Matilda - The princess of the Hawkfish.
  • Dinho - The prince of the Blowfish. He has only appeared in the books.
  • Mauricio - The prince of the Sea Urchins.
  • Goldina - The princess of the Goldfish. She has only appeared in the books.
  • Agostina - The princess of the Lobsters. She was never heard speaking.
  • Socita - The princess of the Grouper Fish.
  • Caton - The prince of the Salmon. He's one of Marcello's friends and is very mean to Esther on insulting her.
  • Marcela - Marcello's sister and princess of the Hammerhead Sharks. She has only appeared in the books.
  • Soraya - The princess of the Stingray.
  • Janue - The princess of the Blue Lyretail.
  • Vito - Tubarina's older brother and prince of the Sharks.
  • Camerelo - The prince of the Sea Snails.
  • Lia - The princess of the Lionfish.
  • Camarina - The princess of the Shrimp.
  • Duante - A traveler who helps sick fish in need.

    Animals

  • Tavinho - Polvina's pet purple octopus. In one of the episodes of the show it is revealed that he was a gift from the Octopus Queen to Polvina, having found him near the beach.
  • Telo - Esther's pet yellow starfish.
  • Dentinho - Tubarina's pet blue baby shark.

    Others

  • Ms. Marla - The teacher of Salacia's school. She is one of the few inhabitants of Salacia to appear in the series who is not part of royalty. She tends to be very patient with her students. Her hair resembles a blue wave.
  • Shark King - Tubarina's father and one of the most powerful men in Salacia. Among the kings, he is the one who appears most during the series, being a very serious and severe man, but deep down he is a good person. Many things that happen in Salacia are mostly decided by him.
  • Shark Queen - Tubarina's mother and King Shark's wife. Unlike her husband, she makes very few appearances throughout the series.
  • Starfish King and Starfish Queen - Esther's parents. They tend to be very patient with their daughter's antics, who often disobeys them.
  • Octopus King and Octopus Queen - Polvina's parents. They have very few appearances in the cartoon.