The Powerpuff Girls (1998 TV series)

The Powerpuff Girls is an Emmy award-winning American animated TV series revolving around three super powered little girls and their many battles against evil opposition. Created by animator Craig McCracken, the program was produced by Hanna-Barbera until 2001 when Cartoon Network Studios took over production.

The series is an action comedy with common parodies of American superheroes as well as Japanese Tokusatsu.

The series was a launching pad for an entire media franchise including an anime, three CD albums, numerous video games, a multitude of merchandise, and a feature film. In 2016, the series also received a reboot.

Overview
Powerpuff Girls revolves around the adventures of Blossom, Bubbles Buttercup, and their three human robotic friends who were once villians now reformed, in protecting the citzens of the world from harm conducted by the forces of Evil. The three kindergarten-aged sisters, along with their elementary aged friends, Travis, Curtis, and Hunter possess the ability of super powers.

The plot of a typical episode is some humorous variation of standard superhero and/or tokusatsu fare, with the girls using their powers to defend their town from various villains, such as bank robbers, mad scientists, aliens, or giant monsters.

In addition, the girls also have to deal with normal issues young kids face, such as bed wetting or dependence on a security blanket. There is often a particular influence from 1950s, 60s, and 70's culture. Ranging from bands such as The Beatles and films like Star Wars.

The show primarily had a thick line animation style with character designs and settings drawn with angular and/or blocky shapes with an aesthetic akin to that of a classic Hannah Barbera cartoon mixed with that of 1950's pop art. The series also made extensive use of limited animation with it's action sequences taking influence from the MTV series "Stevie and Zoia" and possibly retro anime such as Speed Racer which took advantage of the lack of in-between frames to create action that while very sudden created a fast pace and made hits feel solid.

Starting in Season 4 after the release of the movie the show would transition to digital animation with updated character designs and a brighter color palette. Movie critic Bob Longino of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution praised the style in his review of The Powerpuff Girls Movie by saying that "the intricate drawings emanate 1950s futuristic pizazz like a David Hockney scenescape," and that The Powerpuff Girls is "one of the few American creations that is both gleeful pop culture and exquisite high art."

The show's background music is of the drum and bass genre with McCracken scoring the series like a movie, with the music fitting the mood of a scene and characters having a certain sound accompanying them (similar to how characters in many films have themes or leitmotifs). For example, Blossom is defined by brass instruments that convey a "heroic" feel, Bubbles has a "belly" cute sound to her, and Buttercup has a rock sound that conveys a strong "actiony" vibe. The series composer, James Venable compares the series music to that of a 50's monster movie and big beat techno.

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

History
Craig McCracken, a student of California Institute of the Arts, created The Whoopass Girls in 1992 in his short film The Whoopass Girls in A Sticky Situation.

Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation selected the short in 1993; McCracken submitted it to Hanna-Barbera's innovative What A Cartoon! shorts program (eventually to be produced for Cartoon Network as "The Powerpuff Girls in: Meat Fuzzy Lumkins" as part of World Premiere Toons) while working on Dexter's Lab.

As the word "whoopass" was deemed verbally inappropriate for younger audiences, the word was replaced by "powerpuff."

The Powerpuff Girls' TV debut in 1998 was the highest rated premiere in Cartoon Network's history.

For several seasons, the series consistently scored the highest rating each week for the network across a wide range of demographics—from young children to adults. In October 1998, Cartoon Network credited the Powerpuff Girls for its Friday night prime time ratings win among cable networks.

By 2001, merchandising based on The Powerpuff Girls encompassed everything from T-shirts, toys and video games to lunchboxes and dishware. There was also a CD entitled Heroes and Villains, featuring original songs about the Powerpuff Girls characters by a number of artists, including the New Wave group Devo. 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."

In April 2005, plans for an anime version, Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z were announced and the series premiered in Japan the following year. The series deviates highly from its American predecessor in terms of style, storyline, and characterization. Cartoon Network in the USA currently has no plans to air this show.