The Powerpuff Girls

The Powerpuff Girls
Intertitle
Genre	Action Adventure Fantasy Comedy
Format	Animated series
Created by	Craig McCracken
Directed by	Genndy Tartakovsky John McIntyre Randy Myers Robert Alvarez Rob Renzetti Chris Savino Craig McCracken
Voices of	Cathy Cavadini Tara Strong Elizabeth Daily Tom Kane Tom Kenny
Narrated by	Tom Kenny
Ending theme	"The Powerpuff Girls!"
Composer(s)	James L. Venable Thomas Chase Stephen Rucker
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	79 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Craig McCracken
Producer(s)	Gennedy Tartakovsky
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Twenty-First Century Entertainment, Inc. Hanna-Barbera Studios (Seasons 1-4) Cartoon Network Studios (Seasons 5-6)
Broadcast
Original channel	Cartoon Network
Original run	November 18, 1998 (1998-11-18) – March 25, 2005 (2005-03-25)
Chronology
Related shows	Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z
External links
Official website

The Powerpuff Girls is an American animated television series about three kindergarten-aged girls who have superpowers. Created by animator Craig McCracken, the program was produced by Hanna–Barbera until 2001 when Cartoon Network Studios took over production for Cartoon Network. The show has been nominated for an Emmy Award five times, in the category Outstanding Achievement in Animation.

Overview

The Powerpuff Girls revolves around the adventures of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. Professor Utonium wanted to make "the perfect little girls" by using "sugar... spice... and everything nice." However, the accidental addition of Chemical X into the mixture created the girls each having superpowers but whose individual personality was dominated by one of the ingredients ("sugar" for Bubbles, "spice" for Buttercup, and "everything nice" for Blossom). The plot of a typical episode is some humorous variation of standard superhero and tokusatsu fare, with the girls using their powers to defend their town from villains and giant monsters. In addition, the girls also have to deal with normal issues young children face, such as sibling rivalries, loose teeth, personal hygiene, going to school, bed wetting or dependence on a security blanket. Episodes often contain more or less hidden references to older (circa 1950s to 1980s) pop culture.

The show mainly takes place in the City of Townsville, USA. Townsville is depicted as a major American city, with a cityscape consisting of several major skyscrapers. The physical location of Townsville has never been determined. Cities like Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle, Paris, London, and Tokyo have been shown throughout the series.

The show has a highly stylized, minimalistic visual look, reminiscent of Hanna-Barbera's previous limited animation including The Huckleberry Hound Show, Yogi Bear, and The Flintstones. In his review of The Powerpuff Girls Movie, movie critic Bob Longino of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said that "the intricate drawings emanate 1950s futuristic pizazz like a David Hockney scenescape", and that the show is "one of the few American creations that is both gleeful pop culture and exquisite high art".^[1]

The original 79 episodes were hand-drawn and produced at Rough Draft Studios in South Korea,^[2] but the 2009 special episode The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!! was animated with Adobe Flash at Cartoon Network Studios.^[3] The show's animation director was Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack), who also directed many episodes himself.

James L. Venable composed the opening theme of the series and Scottish band Bis performed the ending theme song, as played during the credits. The opening theme is based on the Amen break sample.

History

Craig McCracken, a student of the California Institute of the Arts, created The Whoopass Girls in 1992 in his short film The Whoopass Stew! A Sticky Situation. Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation selected the short in 1994; McCracken submitted it to Hanna-Barbera's innovative What A Cartoon! Show shorts program (eventually to be produced for Cartoon Network as "The Powerpuff Girls in: Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins" as part of World Premiere Toons) while working on Dexter's Laboratory.^[4] Announcer Ernie Anderson, the narrator of the pilot episode, died in 1997 before the show became a series. "Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins" first aired in 1995, followed by a second short, "Crime 101", a year later.

The Powerpuff Girls TV debut in 1998 was the highest rated premiere in Cartoon Network's history. The series consistently scored the highest rating each week for the network across a wide range of demographics—from young children to adults.^[5] In October 2000, Cartoon Network credited the Powerpuff Girls for its Friday night prime time ratings win among cable networks.^[6] By 2001, merchandising based on The Powerpuff Girls encompassed everything from T-shirts, toys, and video games to lunchboxes and dishware.^[5] Concerning the Powerpuff Girls success, Craig McCracken has stated, "I thought it would get on Cartoon Network and college kids would watch it and there would be a few random T-shirts out there in the rave scene or in record shops. But I had no idea that it would take off to this extent."^[5]

In April 2005, plans for a Japanese anime version, Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z were announced, and the series premiered in Japan the following year with 52 half-hour episodes, airing each Saturday from 1 July to 23 December 2006 and 6 January to 30 June 2007. The series deviated considerably from its American predecessor in terms of style, storyline, and characterization. Although an English version has since been produced, Cartoon Network in the United States currently has no plans to air the adaptation.

In August 2008, McCracken revealed on his DeviantArt account [2], as had been announced in that year's Comic Con, that he was working with Cartoon Network on a new half-hour Powerpuff Girls special to celebrate the series' 10th-year anniversary. The special aired on the Pan-Euro version of Cartoon Network on November 29, 2008 on the Powerpuff Girls Birthday Marathon, and in the US on January 19, 2009 on North America Cartoon Network, part of its PPG 10th Anniversary marathon.

Characters

As depicted in the opening sequence of each episode, the Powerpuff Girls were created by Professor Utonium in an attempt "to create the perfect little girl" using a mixture of "sugar... spice... and everything nice" (shown in respective fields of baby blue, light green, and pink). However, he accidentally spilled a mysterious substance called "Chemical X" into the mixture, creating instead of one "perfect little girl" three girls (each possessing one the above elements dominating her personality), and granting all three superpowers commonly including flight, super strength, super speed, limited invulnerability, x-ray vision, super senses, heat vision, and energy projection. However, it is never revealed what exactly Chemical X is. The three girls all have oval-shaped heads, abnormally large eyes, stubby arms and legs, and lack noses, ears, fingers, and flat feet with toes. They wear dresses with black belts that match the colors of their eyes, as well as white stockings and black Mary Janes. The closing theme to the cartoon, performed by Bis, includes the lyrics Blossom, commander and the leader; Bubbles, she is the joy and the laughter; Buttercup, she is the toughest fighter. This offers a nutshell description of the three Powerpuff girls' personalities.

Blossom

Blossom (voiced by Cathy Cavadini) is "the smart one" and self-proclaimed leader of the Powerpuff Girls. Her personality is "everything nice," her signature color is pink, and she has long red hair with a red bow.She also has a little sense in style.She was named for having spoken freely and honestly to the Professor shortly after her creation. She is often seen as the most mature, level-headed, and composed member of the group, although she can at times be fussy, overbearing, petty, and too analytical. She tends to "parent" Bubbles and Buttercup, and often tries to play peacemaker between the two if they fight (though she is very quick to argue with Buttercup). In the episode "Ice Sore," she showed the ability to blow ice. However, even though Blossom said her ice breath was "all used up", she has been seen using it frequently in later episodes.

Bubbles

Bubbles (voiced by Tara Strong in the series and by Kath Soucie in the What a Cartoon! episodes) is "the cute one". Her personality is "sugar," her signature color is baby blue, and she has short blond hair in two pigtails. She was named for her cute and bubbly personality. She tends to act like the baby of the group, despite being the same age. Her best friend is a stuffed octopus doll she calls "Octi". She exhibits the ability to both understand foreign languages (Spanish, Japanese) and communicate with various animals (squirrels, cats, monsters). She will always stand up for (and cuddle with) animals except cockroaches which she (along with her sisters) finds "icky". She displays and is defined by innocence, playfulness, and a gentle demeanor, having a tendency to be naïve, ditsy, submissive, shy, and sensitive. She is also more loving to her father figure, Professor Utonium. These latter qualities lead to her often being regarded, by friends and foes alike, as the group's "baby" or weak link. She can become very independent and aggressive when pushed, however, and among the girls, she is most feared by Mojo Jojo after having single-handedly taken him down in a fit of rage in the episode "Bubblevicious".

Buttercup

Buttercup (voiced by Elizabeth Daily) is "the tough one". Her personality is "spice," her signature color is light green, and she has short black hair in a dido flip. She was named because "Buttercup" begins with the letter "B" like her sisters, much to her chagrin. She is a tomboy despite the dress. She has a very short temper. Sometimes her aggression gets the better of her, making her reckless and stubborn. She possesses a mean and somewhat vindictive streak not shared by her sisters. She has, however, shown a softer side in several episodes. For example, in the episode "Cover Up", she had a soft green blanket that she was obsessed with that she would hug that gave her the confidence to be a better fighter, and she is quite protective over her sisters. She hates baths and loves getting dirty. While Buttercup is the only Powerpuff Girl without a unique power, she is the toughest and often shown to be stronger than the other two, despite their already superhuman strength. In "Nuthin' Special", it is revealed that Buttercup is the only Powerpuff Girl (and Townsville citizen) who can curl her tongue.

Episodes

A total of 79 half-hour broadcasts have been made, one of which has never been shown in the USA and one which aired during the 10th Anniversary special in 2009. Most broadcasts consist of two episodes, while others contain a single episode that spans the entire half hour. The show spanned six seasons. In addition, a self-titled feature film was released in 2002, and an hour-long Christmas special was released on DVD in 2003. One episode in production, "Deja View," was never finished. A special titled The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!! aired during the 10th Anniversary special on Cartoon Network on January 19, 2009 (although it aired before in Europe and Asia).

Controversy

The show has come under criticism for its rather excessive violence (including images of characters gushing blood from their mouths when hit), and for what have been perceived as morally questionable actions on part of the main characters (specifically Buttercup), such as sometimes using more brutal force than necessary.^[7]

Awards

The show has been nominated for an Emmy five times in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, & 2005 for "Outstanding Achievement in Animation". In 1999 the show was nominated for the award for episode 1.09 - "Bubblevicious" & "The Bare Facts". In 2000 & 2005 the show also won Emmys, both juried for non-nominated selections.^[8] The show has also been nominated for an Annie Award nine times, winning it twice.^[8] In 2001, the show was nominated for the Blimp Award for Favorite Cartoon at the 2001 Kids' Choice Awards.^[8]

Music CDs

There have also been three officially released CD soundtracks, one entitled Heroes and Villains, featuring original songs about the Powerpuff Girls characters by a number of artists, including the New Wave group Devo. Another entitled City of Soundsville featured Electronica style character themes and a third CD entitled Power Pop, borrows heavily from Heroes and Villains.

Home media releases

Season releases

The entire first season of the show was released in America on a 2-disc DVD set on June 19, 2007.^[9] Bonus features include the original pilot pitch and never before seen animatics. French and Spanish language tracks are also included. It was released in Australia April 16, 2007.^[10]

Complete Series

The complete series of The Powerpuff Girls was released on January 20, 2009 for the series' 10 year anniversary.

Episode highlights

Prior to the seasonal DVD release sets, and complete series set, the series was previously released on DVD in episode highlights, as well as on VHS.

Christmas special

See also

• The Powerpuff Girls Movie, a feature-length film
• Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z, an anime re-imagining

References

External links

• Official website
• The Powerpuff Girls at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• The Powerpuff Girls at the Internet Movie Database
• The Powerpuff Girls at TV.com