Bubbles, she is the joy and the laughter!
Buttercup, and she's the toughest fighter!
Powerpuffs save the day!
Fighting crime, trying to save the world
Here they come just in time...
The Powerpuff Girls! (x2)
POWERPUFF!"
One of Cartoon Network's classic franchises originally created by Craig McCracken, which then expanded to other media.
When Professor Utonium attempted to make the perfect daughter, he combined sugar, spice, everything nice... and Chemical X. Out came the Powerpuff Girls, pint-sized superheroes dedicated to defending Townsville from all sorts of danger and evil (and hopefully still have some time just to be girls).
The show gained its origins as a drawing that a college-aged McCracken had made for a birthday card. When the silliness of their designs were pointed out, he decided to make them into the subjects of his student art film at California Institute of the Arts, dubbing them "The Whoopass Girls". After graduating and working his way through as an animator for Hanna-Barbera, he was given a chance to submit a cartoon pilot for the then-fledgling Cartoon Network, who was moving into producing their own works. Once again, he used the girls as his subject, re-christening them as the more kid-friendly Powerpuff Girls. The short was showcased on a Space Ghost Coast to Coast special, which displayed a selection of pilots (among them being the pilot for Dexter's Laboratory) and apparently "won" it (if only because Craig was willing to dance in a silly get-up at Space Ghost's demand). Said pilot premiered on The What A Cartoon! Show. After it gained a positive response, another short was commissioned, and ultimately the series was greenlit for a full-blown series in 1998. It gained acclaim for both its silly yet creative premise and its passionate drive to push the boundaries of what can be shown on an animated show for kids. Because of this, it's no surprise to see why it became one of the flagship shows of the network in the late 90's and early 2000's. The original series lasted until 2005, through six seasons and 78 episodes.
As of 2022, the franchise consists of 10 seasons with 252 episodes, 10 shorts, 4 specials, and 2 movies across three different iterations; as well as a number of comic book series and video games. In August 2020
, it was announced that a live-action version of the series was in development for The CW, though that version would be cancelled in 2023 after The CW was sold to Nexstar Media Group. In July 2022, it was announced that Craig McCracken would be returning to produce a new Powerpuff series with Hanna-Barbera Europe, Cartoon Network's UK-based animation studio. The forthcoming WarnerMedia/Discovery merger has plans to drop existing projects (Little Ellen, Batgirl, Scoob!: Holiday Haunt) and their future plans do not include kids and family programming. The PPG reboot is presumed to still be a go as where it was thought to be on the chopping block as well.
Shorts:
- The Whoopass Girls in A Sticky Situation (1992): The original short, featuring prototype versions of the girls fighting the Gangreen Gang and Amoeba Boys.
- Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins (1994) and Crime 101 (1996): Early concept shorts created for the What A Cartoon! Show animation anthology series.
TV Series:
- The Powerpuff Girls (1998) (1998-2005): The original series created by Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera at Warner Bros. Animation in Sherman Oaks' Galleria (and later Cartoon Network Studios), centered on the comedy/action adventures of the titular characters. Lasted for 78 episodes.
- Powerpuff Girls Z (2006-2007): An anime adaptation of the original series directed by Megumu Ishiguro and produced by Aniplex, the show is an alternate continuity wherein the girls are classmates who become magical girls after a laboratory accident causes citizens across New Townsville to mutate or gain superpowers. Lasted for 52 episodes and
never aired in the United States despite receiving an English dub. - The Powerpuff Girls (2016) (2016-2019): A Soft Reboot of the series with a more Slice of Life bent, produced by Bob Boyle and Nick Jennings at Cartoon Network Studios with no involvement from McCracken.
- Powerpuff (Cancelled TV Pilot): A Live-Action Adaptation produced by Greg Berlanti for The CW, following the girls as young adults trying to live normal lives after a childhood of crimefighting, only to begrudgingly find themselves becoming superheroes once again. Originally planned for the 2021-22 season, poor internal response to the pilot lead to them reworking the concept. In May 2023 it was announced that this version was officially cancelled.
- The Powerpuff Girls (TBA): A second reboot of the series created once again by McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbara Europe, billed as a revival of the original 1998 series.
Movies:
- The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002): An origin story of the girls' creation, early days and how they became the protectors of Townsville. The first theatrical movie based on a Cartoon Network property.
Specials:
- The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!! (2009): Created for the franchise's 10th anniversary, written and directed by Craig McCracken. Word of God considers this to be the Grand Finale for the original show.
- The Powerpuff Girls: Dance Pantsed (2014): A second special, directed by David P. Smith and the first Western Powerpuff Girls production to be done without McCracken's involvement. Featured Ringo Starr. Noted for being entirely CGI animated.
- TTG v PPG : A crossover between the 2016 series and Teen Titans Go!.
Comic Books:
- DC Comics Issues (1999-2006)
- CN Block Party: Merged into this series along with other CN series after main comics ended, ended in 2009.
- IDW Comics Issues: Picked up the license from DC in 2012; original six issue series followed. Also publishes comics for the 2016 series
- Cartoon Network Super Secret Crisis War: Part of a crossover with Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Ben 10 Omniverse and Ed, Ed and Eddy.
- Super Smash-Up: Another crossover which sees the girls visiting different dimensions inhabited by other CN shows.
Video Games:
Consoles:
- The Powerpuff Girls Chemical X Traction (2001) An arena fighter, similar in the vein of Power Stone (Playstation, Nintendo 64)
- The Powerpuff Girls: Relish Rampage (2002) (Playstation 2, Gamecube) A free roam action game.
Handhelds:
- The Powerpuff Girls: Bad Mojo Jojo (2000) (Game Boy Color)
- The Powerpuff Girls: Paint the Townsville Green (2000) (Game Boy Color)
- The Powerpuff Girls: Battle HIM (2001) (Game Boy Color)
- The Powerpuff Girls: Mojo Jojo A-Go-Go (2001) (Game Boy Advance)
- The Powerpuff Girls: HIM and Seek (2002) (Game Boy Advance)
- Game de Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z (lit Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z: The Game) (2007) (Nintendo DS, never released outside of Japan)
PC:
- The Powerpuff Girls: Gamesville (2002)
- The Powerpuff Girls: Mojo Jojo's Clone Zone
- The Powerpuff Girls: Princess Snorebucks
- The Powerpuff Girls: Mojo Jojo's Pet Project
- The Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville
Music:
Albums featuring music inspired by the original show.- Heroes & Villains (2000)
- The City of Soundsville (2001)
- Power Pop (2003)
Crossovers:
- Cartoon Network Racing (2006)
- FusionFall (2009): An MMO crossover with the girls making guest appearances.
- Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion (2011): A crossover fighting game with the girls as playable characters.
- LEGO Dimensions (2017): 2 packs consisting of a Team Pack and a Fun Pack renders all 3 girls playable, and an Adventure World adapting the show is also included. All of these are based on the 2016 series.
