The Powerpuff Girls is yet another interesting cartoon of the '90s, by one of the best filmmakers of our generation. The show really did good in giving the girls a voice and making them feel part of the community rather than a lesser gender.
The show premiered in November 1998 and aired for six seasons. The animated series revolves around three girls: Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, who had superpowers.
They live in the fictional city of Townsville in America. They use this power to fight their enemies and defend their city. The girls are frequently called upon by the city’s mayor to help fight nearby criminals and villains using their powers.
A brief history of the Powerpuff Girls
The show first developed as a short cartoon entitled Whoopass Stew in 1992 by Craig McCracken in his second year in college back then.
Fred Seibert screened the short cartoon in 1995 and 1996; the cartoon aired as a short film in the, What a cartoon! Showcase program under the name Powerpuff Girls.
The series premiered in November 1998, and the last episode aired in May 2005. The show has a total of 78 episodes.
The plot
The show revolved around the three “Powerpuff” Girls-Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. Each of the girls had a distinctive color, with Blossom identified with pink, Bubbles being blue, and Buttercup’s color was green. The Girls had extraordinary powers that they used to defend their town from enemies and giant monsters.
The Girls have to deal with challenges that average children face like personals hygiene, going to school, sibling rivalries, losing teeth, and bedwetting, amongst others.
Quite a good number of the 78 episodes of these animated series contained old pop culture references. The cartoon tried to have unique stories in every episode.
The show is set in the city of Townsville, USA. The city was depicted as a major city in America with a cityscape consisting of several major skyscrapers.
Characters
1. Blossom
Cathy Cavadini voiced Blossom. Blossom has orange hair with a red bow. Blossom is a schemer and a self-proclaimed leader.
She got her name for having spoken freely and honestly to the Professor after creation. Her signature color is pink. She is also strong and determined.
Besides all, she possesses the unique power of freezing objects with her breath. Blossom was my favorite character in the show. Her strengths and the way she used to fight enemies made me like her.
2. Bubbles
She has yellow hair in two pigtails. She is cute and sweet. She is also kind but can go into a rage, especially when fighting enemies and monsters.
Her personality ingredient is sugar, with the signature color being blue.
Her unique power is speaking in a foreign language such as Spanish and communicating with different animals like squirrels, cats, monsters, and the supersonic waves produced in her voice. She also exhibits love for animals and has a stuffed octopus doll as her best friend. Tara Strong voiced her.
3. Buttercup
She appears to be the toughest girl in the pack.
She has black hair with a flip, has spice as her personality ingredient, and her signature color is green.
She is a tomboy who likes to get dirty, plays hard, and does not plan for anything. She is also always in action and has the unique power of rolling the tongue. E.G Daily voiced her.
Many other characters made this show memorable. However, these are worth mention for the part they played in the series.
4. The Professor
He is their “father.” He is a scientist who works from his home in the suburbs of the city. He wears a white lab coat and black pants. He made the girls from a particular chemical, Chemical X.
He is knowledgeable in science and also plays a significant role as the parent to the Powerpuff Girls.
HIM
HIM is a mysterious supernatural demon who troubles the girls a lot and is probably the biggest enemy. He has red/orange skin, pointed ears, hooked nose, green eyes, and long lobster-like claws.
He wears a woman-like jacket and skirt. His plans consist of manipulating events that drive the girls insane or drive edges between them. He also possesses supernatural and demonic abilities.
Most kids used to fear him. I also used to worry him a lot. Tom Kane voiced him.
The Award-winning show
The show was nominated for various Primetime Emmy’s and Annie Awards. The Powerpuff Girls stole the spotlight in the early 2000s.In total, it was nominated for 18 awards and won four of them.
Among the awards were two Prime Emmy awards that the show bagged from the lovely artwork and the pop culture references in use.
It was also nominated for the Favorite TV show, Kids Choice Award, Best Animated Series, and Best Voice Overacting. It also took home awards for music, art, and individual achievement.
In 2002, the TV magazine named the Girls as the 17th best cartoon characters of all time.
The good old Powerpuff Gils Memories
The animated series remains one of the most loved shows of the 90s. Many kids spent time in their living rooms watching the show. The pop-culture references, coupled with the hapless villains used by the writer, made teenagers and even adults like it.
The use of superpowers by the Girls to fight evil and crimes made many love the animated series. The villains Craig McCracken used in the show were also on point.
The seven years the show used to air are memorable. Back in the days, we used to get glued on our seats for the show's short episodes. No one has the right to say the show wasn’t excellent and thrilling!
My favorite episode
Episode 9 of the first season was my favorite. Bubbles is not happy with how her sisters and father treat her like a baby.
She is also tired of people dismissing her as more sugar than spice. She wanted to prove to everyone that she was hardcore and could be counted on when doing various tasks.
Mojo Jojo kidnaps and blindfolds her only for her sisters to come to her rescue. Meanwhile, the mayor becomes convinced that he can rely on the Girls to fight and reduce crimes in the city. Bubbles is still at a loss for her lost clothes that were stolen.
The Most Memorable things about The PowerPuff Girls
1. It had the highest-rated debut in Cartoon Network history
The show that premiered on the network back in November 1998 enjoyed the highest ratings in all the shows Cartoon Network had previously released. The show was a success for the six years it aired not only in the United States but also in Canada and the United Kingdom.
2. The secretary face was seen only once
The mayor’s secretary's face was since once in the entire series. Most of us were eager to have a glimpse of Ms. Bellum’s face. She is credited to have been a good secretary who gave the mayor most of the ideas.
3. The show won various awards
The Powerpuff Girls deserved to win many awards with viewers it attracted. Notably, the show won two Prime Emmy awards, among other accolades.
4. The Girls eyes were from paintings
Most of us back in the days used to enjoy looking at the girls' eyes. Little did we know that the eyes were made from paintings by Margret Keane, who was a renowned American painter.
5. There could have been a seventh season of the show
Cartoon Network had asked Craig McCracken, the show's creator, to come up with the seventh season. He declined and argued that six were enough. To avoid the show from becoming a cash cow, he left for another project.
6. There was so much nostalgia in the show
The 90s kids love nostalgia, and this is because of the shows like Powerpuff Girls that we used to watch. The series used lots of pop culture references from the 80s and 90s that brought back memories.
7. Each girl had unique power and color
Besides conjuring tornadoes, teleport, and creating inferno shields, the girls possess other extraordinary powers.
Bubbles also has the power to speak in more than one language and have a supersonic wave in her voice. Remember, she is pink! Blossom has a unique capability in which she can create ice breath. Her color is blue. Buttercup, on the other hand, can roll her tongue, and her color is green.
8. There was a Fourth Powerpuff Girl
The Girls needed to ease the workload they had and hence decided to create a fourth Powerpuff Girl. They sneaked into the Professor’s lab to make their new sister but failed to get the right formula. The girl was later created but exploded after throwing cops in jail and releasing all the criminals since the chemical make-up used was unstable.
Bottom line
The Powerpuff Girls was the best animation series of our times. I would recommend those who haven’t watched the show yet to do so. Check out all the 78 episodes of the show. The good thing is that the storyline is captivating, and the episodes are short, with approximately twenty minutes each.
