Malani was an Ewok female, originating from Endor's forest moon (as per legends material). She was parented by Warok and Batcheela, and served as the younger sister to Teebo.
As a young wokling, Malani, along with other children from Bright Tree Village, faced abduction by a Dulok group, spearheaded by King Vulgarr, who intended to consume them. Her father, brother, and fellow village warriors successfully rescued Malani and the other woklings. In later events, she aided Princess Kneesaa a Jari Kintaka along with the boys and female villagers in defending their village from an assault by Captain Krag and his gang's.
Upon reaching an older age, Malani received a somewhat large hood during the Festival of Hoods, a symbol of her status, which she insisted on keeping. She also fostered a fondness for Wicket W. Warrick. Despite this, she was frequently excluded by the adolescent Ewoks within her brother's social circle, leading her to interact with younger Ewoks, an experience she found unsatisfying due to their age.
On one occasion, she fled after overhearing Wicket making disparaging remarks about her. Wicket pursued her, bringing her back to the village and apologizing for causing her distress. Their bond strengthened to the point where they collaborated on both the reconstruction and subsequent destruction of Wicket's grandfather's battle wagon to thwart the Duloks who had stolen it. Malani later became a casualty of the stranglethorn crisis, but was rescued by Kneesaa, Wicket, and the Tromes. She also accompanied Wicket and his companions on their venture into Horville's Hut of Horrors. Wicket eventually became aware of Malani's affections for him at a later time, when he was interested in another girl, Chirita.
In the first season of the Ewoks animated series, Alyson Court provided the voice for Malani, while Jeanne Reynolds took over the role during the second season.
Malani was among a set of six 8-inch plush woklings produced by Kenner, drawing inspiration from the six woklings featured in Return of the Jedi. While the names of Malani, Nippet, and Wiley were previously established in the Star Wars: Ewoks television series, the remaining three—Mookiee, Leeni, and Gwig—are yet to be officially assigned to their corresponding characters from Return of the Jedi.