The Powerpuff Girls (1998)

The Powerpuff Girls (1998) Thus the Powerpuff Girls were born! Using their ultra super powers, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup have dedicated their lives to fighting crime and the forces of evil! Genre: Superhero Comedy Action Animation Running Time: 9-22 minutes Country: United States Release Date: February 20, 1995 (Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins) January 28, 1996 (Crime 101) November 18, 1998 – March 25, 2005 Network(s): Cartoon Network Milkshake (Channel 5; UK) YTV (Canada) Created by: Craig McCracken Distributed by: Warner Bros. Television Distribution Starring: Cathy Cavadini Tara Strong E. G. Daily Tom Kane Tom Kenny Roger L. Jackson Jennifer Hale Jeff Bennett Jennifer Martin Jim Cummings Kath Soucie Christine Cavanaugh Seasons: 6 Episodes: 78 (136 segments) Next show: Powerpuff Girls Z (2006-2007) The Powerpuff Girls (2016) (2016-2019)

The Powerpuff Girls (1998) is an American superhero animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken for Cartoon Network from November 18, 1998, to March 25, 2005, with the series finale The Powerpuff Girls Rule! airing on January 19, 2009. The show centers on Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, three girls with superpowers, as well as their father, the brainy scientist Professor Utonium, who all live in the city of Townsville. The girls are frequently called upon by the town's childlike and naive mayor to help fight nearby criminals using their powers.

Plot

The show focuses on Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, three super-powered little sisters who were accidentally created in a lab by Professor Utonium who raises them as his daughters. They regularly save the City of Townsville from villains such as Mojo Jojo, the Gangreen Gang, Fuzzy Lumpkins, Princess Morbucks and Him. Blossom is the self-proclaimed leader of the trio, Bubbles is the cute one and Buttercup is the toughest one.

Why They Are Able To Save The World Before Bedtime

1. The concept of the five-year-old girls who are in kindergarten being artificially created with superpowers is a pretty cool idea for the show.
2. Simple, clean, smooth, detailed and very cutesy animation, thanks to the unforgettable studios of Hanna-Barbera Cartoons and Rough Draft Studios, the animation got even better in the last two seasons due to the switch to digital ink-and-paint animation.
3. Very appealing and cute character designs that are pleasing to look at.
4. The intro and outro are both really cool, and they’re pretty catchy to listen to.
   • The outro is played by BIS.
5. Launched Craig McCracken's career as show creator, who then created Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, Wander Over Yonder, and Kid Cosmic.
   • In addition, also led to launching the careers of Paul Rudish (who developed The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse), Genndy Tartakovsky (creator of Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack), Lauren Faust (who developed My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and DC Super Hero Girls), Rob Renzetti (creator of My Life as a Teenage Robot), Lynne Naylor and Chris Reccardi (who created the failed pilot the Modifyers), Chris Savino (creator of The Loud House and director of Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil) and Thurop Van Orman (creator of The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, writer of Camp Lazlo and the director of The Angry Birds Movie 2 film).
6. An hilarious and overly-dramatic narrator, it helps that he's voiced by Tom Kenny (mostly known for being Spongebob SquarePants).
7. The voice cast is amazing, by the talents of: Cathy Cavadini, Tara Strong (Harley Quinn from Batman Arkham Series), E. G. Daily (Tommy Pickles from Rugrats (1991), Baby Doll from Streets of Fire and served as a singer performer for certain music in Scarface (1983)), Tom Kane, Tom Kenny (The titular character of Spongebob SquarePants), Roger L. Jackson, Jennifer Hale (Gladys from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy), Jeff Bennett (The titular character of Johnny Bravo), Kath Soucie, Christine Cavanaugh (The titular protagonist of Dexter's Laboratory (seasons 1-3a), Jennifer Martin and Jim Cummings (The titular character of Winnie The Pooh).
8. The crime-fighting and action scenes are awesome to watch.
9. Memorable side characters such as Professor Utonium, The Mayor, Ms. Bellum (who later on became a fan favorite/fan service), Ms. Keane, etc.
10. Plenty of cool and threatening villains such as Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, Sedusa, the Gangreen Gang, Princess Morbucks, HIM, the Ameba Boys, The Rowdyruff Boys, Mask Scara, etc.
11. There are lots of nice references to Dexter's Laboratory such as the voice cast and certain cameos from Dexter himself in certain episodes.
12. Plenty of funny comic reliefs such as The Mayor of Townsville.
13. The girls themselves are cute, awesome, adorable and work off each other well:
    • Blossom is the leader and the smart girl of the group, and also the most rational, meaning it's her plans that contribute to victory. She is the Everything nice of the group.
    • Bubbles is the cute girly girl of the group who is the most optimistic and shy, meaning it's her openness to friendship that sometimes allows the girls to gain an upper hand by not fighting without a reason. She is the Sugar of the group.
    • Buttercup is the sporty, no-nonsense tomboy who is always eager for a good fight, making her the key to overpowering enemies that can only be taken head-on. She is the Spice of the group.
      • The fact the girls' personalities were based off single words from the kids' song "What are Little Boys Made Of?" makes this even more ingenious.
14. It has a perfect mix of humor, drama and action.
15. The narrator is revealed in Season 5 on-screen (though only his hand and not he's full appearance)!
16. The hit song, Love Makes The World Go Round from the episode, "Mime for a Change".
17. Has so many great and memorable episodes, such as:
    • "Meat Fuzzy Lumkins" (the show's pilot)
    • "Crime 101" (the show's 2nd pilot)
    • "Monkey See Doggie Do" (Which started the series and season 1 on a high note)
    • ”Mommy Fearest”
    • "Telephonies"
    • "Major Competition"
    • ”Ice Sore”
    • "Bubblevicious" (Depending on your view)
    • "Just Another Manic Mojo"
    • "Mime for a Change"
    • "The Rowdyruff Boys"
    • "Uh-Oh, Dynamo"
    • "Stuck Up, Up, And Away"
    • "Supper Villain"
    • "Birthday Bash"
    • "Too Pooped to Puff"
    • "Beat Your Greens"
    • "You Snooze You Lose"
    • "Imaginary Fiend"
    • ”The Powerpuff Girls’ Best Rainy Day Adventure Ever”
    • ”Twisted Sister” (Although, It has a sad ending)
    • ”Mojo Jonesin”
    • "Child Fearing"
    • "Meet The Beat-Alls"
    • "Get Back Jojo"
    • "Knock It Off"
    • ”Stray Bullet”
    • "Forced Kin"
    • "Power-Noia"
    • "Divide and Conquer"
    • "Burglar Alarmed"
    • "Shotgun Wedding"
    • "Substitute Creature"
    • "The Boys Are Back in Town"
    • "See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey" (Although it had some controversial scenes, see Trivia for more info)
    • "Curses"
    • "Silent Treatment"
    • "Makes Zen to Me"
    • "Live and Let Dynamo"
    • "A Made Up Story"
    • "Aspirations"
    • "Nuthin Special"
    • "I See A Funny Cartoon In Your Future"
18. Some villains also save the day just the first time in various memorable episodes, such as "Telephonies", "Just Another Manic Mojo", "Aspirations" and especially "Forced Kin", showing how they’re not completely evil.
19. Before this show came out, it had 2 pilot shorts in 1995 called "Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins" and "Crime 101".
20. It spawned two movies such as: The Powerpuff Girls Movie in 2002 (which serves as a prequel to the series) and The Powerpuff Girls: Twas the Fight Before Christmas in 2003 (The christmas special).
    • In 2009, it also spawned a 10th anniversary special movie, "The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!". Which is the first Powerpuff Girls cartoon to be animated in Flash.
      • In one scene when the girls look at everyone's sad faces and moan in disbelief, Mac and Bloo from Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends (another Craig McCracken show) make a cameo appearance.
      • We even get to see Ms. Bellum's face as a freeze-frame bonus.
      • It was an overall great way to end the original series.
      • Mojo Jojo has a good singing voice. He sang two verses of "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" by Tears for Fears.
21. Despite it's flaws, it also received a 15th special CGI episode titled "Dance Pantsed" which was also somewhat good.
22. Has a good moral in most of the episodes.
23. Despite the title saying "Girls" on it which they thought is a feminist show, it can be watched by both girls and boys, teens, adults and heck even for everyone who wants to be gay or lesbian.

Bad Qualities

1. It has its fair share of bad episodes, such as:
   • "Powerpuff Bluff" (The first terrible episode of the series)
   • "Geshundfight"
   • "Schoolhouse Rocked"
   • "Down 'n' Dirty"
   • "A Very Special Blossom" (Arguably the worst episode of the series)
   • "Daylight Savings"
   • "Cover Up" (A Buttercup torture episode)
   • "Fallen Arches" (Which started season 3 on a sour note)
   • "The Mane Event"
   • "Town and Out"
   • "Getting Twiggy With It"
   • "Cop Out"
   • ”Three Girls And A Monster" (depending on your view)
   • "Candy Is Dandy"
   • "Hot Air Buffoon"
   • "Equal Fights" (A episode that is sexist towards men)
   • "Moral Decay" (Also counts as the worst episode of the series)
   • "Helther Shelter"
   • "City of Clipsville"
   • "Girls Gone Mild" (A Powerpuff Girls torture episode)
   • "Sweet N' Sour"
   • "Simian Says"
   • "Sun Scream"
   • "The City of Frownsville" (The most annoying episode of the series/And was based on the tragic 9/11 attack)
   • "Toast of The Town"
   • "Shut the Pup Up"
   • "Monstra-City"
   • "Night Mayor"
   • "Oops, I Did It Again"
   • "Pee Pee G's"
   • "Reeking Havoc" (The most disgusting episode of the series)
   • "Save Mojo"
   • "Mo' Linguish" (Depending on your view)
   • "Say Uncle"
   • "Crazy Mixed Up Puffs"
   • "Roughing It Up"
   • "Octi Gone" (Which ended season 6 and the TV series on a sour note, in broadcast order)
2. It can at times be mean-spirited towards Buttercup, as she tends to get the least amount of respect compared to Blossom and Bubbles. In fact, there have been episodes where Buttercup was punished for something that Bubbles is equally guilty of doing, but the difference is that Bubbles never suffers consequences, though Buttercup herself can be unlikable at times such as in the episode "Moral Decay". The most torture she got was in the episode "Cover Up".
3. There are some gross-out and toilet humor, mostly notable in the episodes: "Down 'n' Dirty", "Reeking Havoc" and "Pee Pee G's".
4. The Mayor of Townsville, while funny, can also be flawed at times due to how dumb and childish he can be, especially in the episodes: "Hot Air Buffon", "Toast of the Town" and "Night Mayor".
5. It got a very awful reboot in 2016, even worse, Craig McCracken is not involved in this one.
   • Hopefully, the new reboot (which is in development), will be an improvement since Craig McCracken will be involved in it.

Reception

The Powerpuff Girls (1998) got a 7.3/10 on IMDB.

Trivia

• Originally "Déjá View" was going to be made as an episode in the show, but due to the amount of time spent by the show's crew making The Powerpuff Girls Movie, the episode was never produced, instead, it was made as a story in the 50th edition of The Powerpuff Girls comic book published by DC Comics.
• Series' creator Craig McCracken was offered a job to work on The Ren & Stimpy Show from Nickelodeon during its first season, but he did refuse due of he was still studying in CalArts in the early 90s.
  • Speaking of Ren & Stimpy, the creator of the series: John Kricfalusi is a fan of the show, mainly due of the colors that the original series used.
• The original voice actors of the Girls came back in Craig McCracken's new series, Kid Cosmic, as the Planet Protection Group featuring Agent Pink (Cathy Cavadini), Agent Blue (Tara Strong), and Agent Green (E.G. Daily).
• Three of the Dexter's Laboratory cast are here as the Harold Family in the "Supper Villain" episode such as: Jeff Bennet, Kath Soucie and Christine Cavanaugh.
• The show is popular in Japan. So much so, in fact, that they made their own version of the series. It's even had merchandise released into The New '10s and even got it's own alternate opening.
• In terms of airing order as well as on consumer purchase platforms and home media releases, the episodes "Keen on Keane", "Not So Awesome Blossom", and "Power-Noia" are officially listed as the final three episodes of Season 4, rather than the first three episodes in Season 5, as per production order (they were also the first three episodes to be produced by Cartoon Network Studios excluding The Powerpuff Girls Movie). This is possibly due to these episodes being the final inputs from the show's creator, Craig McCracken himself, as he helped direct these episodes before leaving the show to create Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends; the series also went on hiatus for eight months after "Power-Noia" first debuted on December 13, 2002, until September 5, 2003. Similarly, the episodes "Nuthin' Special", "Neighbor Hood", "I See a Funny Cartoon in Your Future", and "Octi-Gone" are officially listed as the final four episodes in Season 6, as per airing order. However, as per production order, "Nuthin' Special" / "Neighbor Hood" and "I See a Funny Cartoon in Your Future" / "Octi-Gone" are Season 5's 3rd and 5th episodes respectively.
• Mucci Fassett, known for being the director of Bratz (2005 TV series) and The Proud Family, was the writer of the episode "Octi Gone".
• "See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey" episode was banned in the United States because Cartoon Network claimed that the metal beams in the destroyed buildings looked too much like crosses and that one of the hippies looked like Jesus; it was also speculated that it was banned due to the stroboscopic effects seen in the "Hear Me Fathers" sequence. However, the episode only aired on YTV in Canada on March 18, 2004, followed by Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia on April 19, 2005, and later in Latin America and Brazil on May 20, 2006.
• As of September 3, 2023 just like Ben 10 (2005), the original series is now on Netflix, albeit only the first two seasons.
• The late Filipino YouTuber and fanartist Jerimin Dilao (known as Jerimin19) loved this show.
• Cathy Cavadini and Tara Strong later on starred in the next Craig McCracken's show, Kid Cosmic.

• The fourth season is the last season to be animated by Hanna-Barbera before switching to Cartoon Network Studios in the last two seasons in 2003.