The Powerpuff Girls (franchise) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Powerpuff Girls |
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| Creator | Craig McCracken |
| Original work | Whoopass Stew! (1992) |
| Owner | Cartoon Network (Warner Bros.) |
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| Comics |
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| Films and television | |
| Films | The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002) |
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| Television specials |
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The Powerpuff Girls is a popular American animated series and media franchise. It was created by Craig McCracken and first produced by Hanna-Barbera, then later by Cartoon Network Studios. The idea for the show started with a short cartoon called Whoopass Stew! in 1992.
The story is about three super-powered little girls named Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. They were created by accident in a lab. They live in the fictional city of Townsville with their father and creator, Professor Utonium. The city's mayor often calls on them to fight criminals and other bad guys, especially the evil chimpanzee Mojo Jojo, who wants to take over the world.
The Powerpuff Girls franchise has been very successful. It has won two Emmy Awards and two Annie Awards. The main TV series aired from November 1998 to March 2005. It also led to a movie in 2002, a Japanese anime version in 2006, and a reboot in 2016. A second reboot is also planned. This franchise has been around for 31 years, making it Cartoon Network's longest-running one. There are also The Powerpuff Girls toys made by Trendmasters and Spin Master.
Three special episodes have been released: The Powerpuff Girls: 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas, The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!, and Powerpuff Girls: Dance Pantsed. There was even a crossover episode with Teen Titans Go! and the 2016 series.
Television Series: The Powerpuff Girls on TV
| Series | Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Showrunner(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||||
| The Powerpuff Girls | 1 | 13 | November 18, 1998 | May 27, 1999 | Craig McCracken | |
| 2 | 13 | June 25, 1999 | June 30, 2000 | |||
| 3 | 13 | July 28, 2000 | April 6, 2001 | |||
| 4 | 12 | April 14, 2001 | December 13, 2002 | |||
| 5 | 12 | September 5, 2003 | April 9, 2004 | Chris Savino | ||
| 6 | 15 | April 16, 2004 | March 25, 2005 | |||
| Powerpuff Girls Z | 1 | 52 | July 1, 2006 | June 30, 2007 | Megumu Ishiguro Yoshio Urasawa |
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| The Powerpuff Girls | 1 | 39 | April 4, 2016 | December 1, 2016 | Nick Jennings Bob Boyle |
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| 2 | 40 | March 3, 2017 | May 13, 2018 | |||
| 3 | 40 | April 8, 2018 | June 16, 2019 | |||
The Original Powerpuff Girls Series (1998–2005)
Craig McCracken first created The Powerpuff Girls in 1992 as a short cartoon called Whoopass Stew!. This was during his time at CalArts college. The series officially started on November 18, 1998, as a "Cartoon Cartoon." The last episode aired on March 25, 2005.
The show is about Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. They are three super-powered girls who are still in kindergarten. They live in Townsville with their father and creator, Professor Utonium. The city's mayor often asks them to use their powers to fight criminals and other bad guys.
Powerpuff Girls Z: The Anime Version (2006–2007)
Powerpuff Girls Z (known in Japan as Demashita! Pawapafu Gāruzu Zetto) is a Japanese magical girl anime series. It is based on the original The Powerpuff Girls and was made in 2006. Cartoon Network Japan and Aniplex worked together on it, and Toei Animation animated it.
The characters in Powerpuff Girls Z look different from the original series. The show also has a different style of animation. It aired in Japan on TV Tokyo from July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007.
The Powerpuff Girls Reboot (2016–2019)
On June 16, 2014, Cartoon Network announced a new The Powerpuff Girls series. It was produced by Cartoon Network Studios. New voice actors were chosen for the main characters. Amanda Leighton voiced Blossom, Kristen Li voiced Bubbles, and Natalie Palamides voiced Buttercup.
However, Tom Kenny continued to voice the Mayor and the narrator. Tom Kane also returned as Professor Utonium and Him. The new series had a similar look to the original show. On May 26, 2016, it was confirmed that the series would have a second season.
The reboot also had a crossover episode with Teen Titans Go! on June 30, 2016. On September 17, 2017, a new fourth Powerpuff Girl named Bliss was introduced in a five-part special called "The Power of Four."
Powerpuff: The Cancelled Live-Action Show
On August 24, 2020, a live-action TV series based on The Powerpuff Girls was announced. It was being developed for the CW network. The show planned to show Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup as adults in their twenties. They would be unhappy about losing their childhood because they had to fight crime. They would then face the choice of reuniting when the world needed them again.
The project was written by Heather Regnier and Diablo Cody. A pilot episode was ordered on February 9, 2021. Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron, and Yana Perrault were cast as Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. Donald Faison was cast as Professor Drake Utonium. Nicholas Podany was cast as Joseph "Jojo" Mondel Jr., Mojo Jojo's son. Robyn Lively was cast as Sara Bellum, and Tom Kenny returned as the narrator. However, on May 18, 2023, The CW announced that the series was cancelled.
Upcoming Second Powerpuff Girls Reboot
On July 18, 2022, a second Powerpuff Girls reboot series was announced. Craig McCracken, the original creator, is returning to direct and produce it. This new reboot aims to expand on the world of the first series. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup will face both old and new villains. This series will be produced by Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe.
Main Characters and Their Friends & Foes
The main characters are Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, and Professor Utonium. Other important characters include Ms. Bellum and the Mayor. The villains they fight are Mojo Jojo, HIM, Fuzzy Lumpkins, Princess Morbucks, Sedusa, the Gangreen Gang, the Amoeba Boys, and the Rowdyruff Boys.
The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002)
| Film | U.S. release date | Directed by | Written by | Produced by | Status |
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| The Powerpuff Girls Movie | July 3, 2002 | Craig McCracken | Story by : Craig McCracken, Charlie Bean, Lauren Faust, Amy Keating Rogers, Paul Rudish & Don Shank Screenplay by : Craig McCracken, Charlie Bean, Lauren Faust, Paul Rudish & Don Shank |
Donna Castricone | Released |
This film is a prequel to the TV series. It tells the origin story of how the Powerpuff Girls were created. It also shows how they became the heroes who protect Townsville.
Special Episodes
The Powerpuff Girls: 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas (2003)
This Christmas special features Princess Morbucks as the main villain. She tries to trick Santa Claus into turning her into a fourth Powerpuff Girl. She also tries to make Santa believe that the real Powerpuff Girls have been "very, very naughty."
The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!! (2009)
In August 2008, Craig McCracken announced a new Powerpuff Girls special. It was made to celebrate the series' tenth anniversary. The 22-minute special, called "The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!", aired in the United States on January 19, 2009. Unlike earlier episodes, this special was animated using Adobe Flash. It was originally an idea for the final episode of the series.
The Powerpuff Girls: Dance Pantsed (2014)
On January 28, 2013, a new CGI special called Powerpuff Girls: Dance Pantsed was announced. It was meant to be a possible pilot for a new The Powerpuff Girls series. Former Beatle Ringo Starr helped promote the special. He sang a new song called "I Wish I Was a Powerpuff Girl." Starr also voiced a new character named Fibonacci Sequins in the episode.
In the story, Mojo Jojo kidnaps Fibonacci, an opera singer, and a badger. The Powerpuff Girls rescue them. Mojo then invents an evil video game called "Dance Pants R-EVILution" to take over Townsville.
TTG v PPG: A Crossover Episode (2016)
This episode was produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It mostly used the art style of Teen Titans Go!. This was unusual because it was an episode of The Powerpuff Girls.
In the story, Mojo Jojo uses a device to teleport himself to Jump City in the Teen Titans Go! universe. There, he tricks Beast Boy and Cyborg into helping him build a monkey army. The Powerpuff Girls follow him and meet Robin, Raven, and Starfire. The two teams then compete to see who can stop Mojo Jojo first.
Other Powerpuff Girls Adventures
Early Shorts: Whoopass Stew
The very first version of the Powerpuff Girls was a short cartoon called "Whoopass Stew." Craig McCracken made it when he was a student at the California Institute of the Arts. In this early version, the girls were called the Whoopass Girls. Instead of Chemical X, they were created with a "can of whoopass."
The first short, "A Sticky Situation," shows the Whoopass Girls stopping the Amoeba Boys from robbing a bank. There were three other unfinished Whoopass Girl shorts that were later released on a DVD set.
What A Cartoon! Shorts
Two pilot shorts for The Powerpuff Girls were shown on the cartoon series What A Cartoon!.
Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins
In this short, the Powerpuff Girls host a jam-making contest. Fuzzy Lumpkins appears for the first time as a contestant. The Mayor and Miss Keane also appear here for the first time. When Fuzzy's meat jam doesn't win, he gets angry and tries to turn Townsville into meat. The girls fight him, and Bubbles gets very angry when one of her pigtails turns into meat. She defeats Fuzzy by turning him into meat with his own gun.
Video Games: Play as the Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls have appeared in many video games. The first game, The Powerpuff Girls: Bad Mojo Jojo, was released in 2000 for the Game Boy Color. Many other games followed on different platforms.
Comic Books: More Powerpuff Stories
The Powerpuff Girls have also starred in many comic books. The first comic series, based on the original TV show, was published by DC Comics from 2000 to 2006. It had 70 issues.
A manga version of Powerpuff Girls Z was also published in Japan. Later, IDW Publishing released new comics based on the characters from 2013 to 2017. In 2015, IDW released The Powerpuff Girls: Super Smash-Up!, where the girls teamed up with other Cartoon Network characters like Dexter's Laboratory and Johnny Bravo.
New comics based on the 2016 series were published from 2016 to 2017. In 2023, Dynamite announced a new line of Powerpuff Girls comics, set to be released in July 2024.
The Powerpuff Girls Across Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network Promotions
Bumpers
The Powerpuff Girls have appeared in short Cartoon Network promos called "bumpers." For example, in a 2004 bumper, Blossom makes a quick appearance. She retrieves her dress from a washing machine, which accidentally turns Samurai Jack's robes pink.
Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall
The Powerpuff Girls are playable characters in this online game. Their designs were changed to look more realistic. In the game, Bubbles and Blossom work together after Buttercup is thought to be defeated by Mojo Jojo. Blossom also helps players by giving missions if Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory is chosen as the main guide.
Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion
The Powerpuff Girls are also playable characters in this fighting game. Buttercup is a main character who is freed from a bad influence by Chowder and Ben Tennyson. Blossom and Bubbles can be called upon to help in the game. The girls team up with Dexter to travel between dimensions and save the universe.
Powerpuff Girls Merchandise
After the success of the TV shows and movies, many The Powerpuff Girls products were released. These include comic books, board games, card games like Top Trumps, video games, Lego sets, bedding, coloring books, and shoes. All the animated shows have also been released on DVD.
Home Video Releases
The Powerpuff Girls episodes were released on both VHS and DVD from 2000 to 2003. The first season was released entirely on DVD on June 19, 2007, to celebrate 15 years since the franchise began. For the show's 10th anniversary, a complete DVD set of the first TV series was released on January 20, 2009.
Toy Lines
From 1999 to 2002, Trendmasters made Powerpuff Girls dolls and action figures. Fast-food restaurants like Subway, Dairy Queen, Jack in the Box, and Burger King also offered Powerpuff Girls toys in their kids' meals. In the United Kingdom, Buttercup and Mojo Jojo toys were given away in Kellogg's cereal boxes.
Before the 2016 series started, Spin Master announced a new line of toys for 2016 and 2017. These included new playsets. McDonald's also had a Happy Meal promotion for the series in 2016, with mini action figures and collectibles. In 2018, two Lego sets were released in the United States and United Kingdom.
