TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

CW's Powerpuff Girls

Go To

slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#376: Jun 3rd 2021 at 6:05:31 PM

Well most of the Avengers are pretty low on the superhero scale so it makes sense. tongue

Edited by slimcoder on Jun 3rd 2021 at 6:05:39 AM

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#377: Jun 3rd 2021 at 6:07:05 PM

They had a crossover with the Justice Friends?

I remember the parody hero in one episode that was starting crimes.

XMenMutant22 The Feline Follies of Felix the Cat Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: Hoping Senpai notices me
#378: Jun 3rd 2021 at 8:23:54 PM

[up] Major Glory was a guest star in the PPG episode, "Members Only". He was the leader of the Association of World Super Men, and initially denied the Girls from joining for pretty chuvanistic reasons.

Edited by XMenMutant22 on Jun 3rd 2021 at 11:25:45 AM

HBarnill Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: All is for my lord
#379: Jun 3rd 2021 at 10:33:09 PM

Chocolate Ice Cream tastes good.

Edited by HBarnill on Jun 4th 2021 at 3:07:15 AM

Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
NotGrantMorrison Since: Jul, 2014
#381: Jun 4th 2021 at 4:32:58 AM

The Law being useless is such a widespread superhero trope I would argue the Mayor is playing it straight rather than spoofing it. He is silly and incompetent but not in a way that spoofs Gordon. Compare Gordon in the Harley Quinn series for an ACTUAL parodic take. (Gotham's bullshit built up so much he is like a 70s cop cliche taken up to 500 and is one bad day from snapping every episode. And it's played for laughs). Or how it takes the relationship between Gordon and Batman and codes it as a partnership.

PPG didn't do anything like that outside of stuff like the Cityville episodes. Even the villains aren't really spoofs of silver age bad guys more so than just BEING silver age bad guys. A Silver Age Spoof badguy is something more like Condiment King. They were about as spoofy as Kim Possible's villains.

Finally, the ultra-violence wasn't played for laughs, it was played pretty straight. There are of course some one-offs, like the clown episode but the idea that any superhero comedy is inherently a spoof on superheroes themselves is a false one.

The Aqua-bats show was clearly a very comedic very nonsensical superhero show, but it was not a superhero parody like Dragonfly /Dragonflyman

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#382: Jun 4th 2021 at 6:57:51 AM

The Law being useless is such a widespread superhero trope I would argue the Mayor is playing it straight rather than spoofing it.

He is not. Again, it’s probably more noticeable with someone with experience with the Silver Age, but the Mayor is an almost direct parody of Gordon as he appears in those comics and the Batman 60’s show.

Harley Quinn’s Jim Gordon is, specifically, a parody of modern day Jim Gordon, and the tropes specific to the character post-Crisis. As a result, the parody looks different because the version of the character being parodied is different.

PPG didn't do anything like that outside of stuff like the Cityville episodes. Even the villains aren't really spoofs of silver age bad guys more so than just BEING silver age bad guys.

The very first villain was a rando who wanted to turn the world into meat. Their archenemy is “what if Lex Luthor was a giant chimpanzee.” Even Him, who is somewhat more serious, was given his excessively outlandish design for a reason.

Of the first crop of villains (though there's case to be made that newer villains only got more outlandish over time, many of the later ones weren't always strictly plays on superhero tripes) the only one that really feels played straight is Princess.

Finally, the ultra-violence wasn't played for laughs, it was played pretty straight.

Again, not really. This is also something that I suppose is easy to overlook now, from a modern perspective where heroes engaging in more visceral violence is less of an issue, but at the time the PPG’s use of violence, where these adorable little superheroes would rough people up with bruises and visible broken bones and the like (as well as, just in general, them entering situations specifically wanting to beat people up rather than general blank slate heroism), was very much an in-your-face subversion of the kinds of standards heroes had in previous works. This was a period where Superfriends was very much still in reruns, and the writers had grown up on it.

There was a lot of that in the 90’s, a decade that loved to take older tropes and standards and take a boot to them, especially in its animation.

All in all, it ultimately feels like there's some "Seinfeld" Is Unfunny going on here. The things the Powerpuff Girls did are commonplace enough now that it's easy to look back and forget that when it was made it was intended as a marked departure from and a dig at tropes that were culturally standard at the time.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Jun 4th 2021 at 7:26:57 AM

HBarnill Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: All is for my lord
#383: Jun 4th 2021 at 3:06:40 PM

[up](3x) Sincerest apologies. I had no idea I visited the page before. I know I posted this on some other forum but didn't know on here, too.

Cortez from Parts Unknown (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#384: Jun 5th 2021 at 12:33:31 AM

There was also that episode with the Justice Friends (themselves Avengers parodies)

It wasn't just those three, it was a huge league of Male heroes called A.W.S.M.

Interestingly, one of the members was Comrade Red who was a villain in the Justice Friends shorts.

Edited by Cortez on Jun 5th 2021 at 3:45:11 PM

unknowing from somewhere.. Since: Mar, 2014
#385: Jun 5th 2021 at 7:07:15 PM

Justice friend is a mix of avenger and justice league parody, mayor america is pretty much superman mix with capitan america.

But yeah, is also that at the time, 90 and 2000 were somewhat more violent or prone to violence nowdays, it feeel weird mostly because today cartoon are less violence like steven universe or star vs force of evil.

"My Name is Bolt, Bolt Crank and I dont care if you believe or not"
KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#386: Jun 5th 2021 at 8:05:10 PM

Modern cartoons like dramatic violence. You do get shocking violence, but only when its a pivotal scene that shows just how tense things are getting, or is explicitly meant to traumatize the characters, etc.

90's cartoons liked comedic violence. People broke bones because it was funny. But ironically, a lot of the more dramatic animated shows in the 90's cheated with their violence and were overall less visceral than the comedies of the time or even the dramatic shows of today.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Jun 5th 2021 at 8:05:49 AM

NotGrantMorrison Since: Jul, 2014
#387: Jun 6th 2021 at 10:12:18 PM

I really don't think you can call PPG's violence satirical without citing the material it was meant to satire. You bring up Superfriends but I feel reading the PPG violence as a commentary on superfriends instead of just being you know, funny seeing three little girls violently beating villains.

Likewise with the bad guys. Is a villain with a meat ray a parody of silver age villains or just a funny super villain gimmick? Kim Possible for sure was a parody because it was an explicit commentary on pre-existing material. Same with Venture Bros. Or hell to get more ancient Mad Magazine's Superduperman. PPG for sure leaned into tons of Pastiche. The Super Robot episode or the triptych where we see takes on Spawn and classic manga, or even the Justice Friends with their takes on Thor, Hulk, and Captain America/Superman. (That actually was a solid parody especially Major Glory having the TDKR Superman/ Homelander Eagleland style riff on the archetype.)

But PPG proper I argue was not a comedic response. You call Mojo Jojo a parody of Lex Luthor by making him a monkey, despite comics having several ACTUAL supergenius evil monkeys. He isn't any more ridiculous than Mallah or Ultra Humnaite or Grodd. Now if they did something like Family Guy with Brian and had him try to do Super villain stuff but then stop to do monkey stuff, that is actually a spoof of a monkey supervillain But a Monkey supervillain doing supervillain plots while being a monkey isn't a parody of supervillains, it is just a monkey supervillain.

For contemporary superhero commentary for comparison look at Arthur's Dark Bunny. He is shown as a counterpart to a Superman-style bunny, he is from a city where "it's always night" and the kids go gaga over his superficial edginess, all critics of Batman and his popularity made into a fictionalized standpoint.

When the PPG beats Fuzzy Lupkins so hard his bones show up its not a riff on Superfriends unless its played that way (Like, a simple example, Fuzzy says "what are ya gonna do call the commissioner to take me to jail? And THEN they beat him to a pulp.) Because then the PPG are explicitly contrasted with other superheroes for comedic effect/ commentary.

Joshbones Since: May, 2015
#388: Jun 6th 2021 at 10:35:40 PM

If Mojo's a parody of any comic villain it'd be the Leader from marvel. Born in the same experiment as his arch enemy, brains vs. brawns, and an oversized head. But even that's a stretch, he's just like that because it's a striking design.

RavenWilder Since: Apr, 2009
#389: Jun 7th 2021 at 12:28:31 AM

Isn't Mojo a parody of villains who give over-explanatory monologues?

Tuckerscreator (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Drift compatible
#390: Jun 7th 2021 at 3:19:19 AM

His dialogue is also a parody of bad anime dubbing.

Diana1969 Since: Apr, 2021 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#391: Jun 7th 2021 at 9:49:13 AM

Mojo Jojo isn't a parody of any American villains, he's based off a villain from a tokusatsu series Mc Cracken watched. That might be where the violence of the series was partially inspired by (beyond the general hilariousness of three little girls beating the shit out of people).

VengefulBale Bishie Gijinka Meta Knight from Nowhere Since: Feb, 2016 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Bishie Gijinka Meta Knight
#392: Jun 7th 2021 at 9:51:55 AM

Specifically he was inspired by Dr. Gori from Spectreman

Prettiest Meta Knight Gijinka, ngl
miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#393: Jun 7th 2021 at 10:02:38 AM

Same with the kaijui of the series which are very much tokusatsu inspired.

Edited by miraculous on Jun 7th 2021 at 10:03:02 AM

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
NotGrantMorrison Since: Jul, 2014
#394: Jun 7th 2021 at 4:50:41 PM

I was told Jojo's dialogue is taken from the Dc Super Dictionary

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#395: Jun 7th 2021 at 4:54:23 PM

To respond to overall point, however, trying to claim that the PPG are parodic takes on superhero tropes in general while trying to claim that the things that those tropes come from don't matter seems rather disingenuous. At this point, you're just kind of mincing definitions to try and justify the idea that the PPG are a parodic comedy in general, but not a parody of anything in particular, but once you get to that point the actual difference in regards to whether the actual outstanding question of whether the show is, indeed, a parody is moot. Both interpretations lead to a "yes" answer to that question.

At this point, I'm just rather confused as to why it's such a line in the sand in the first place.

Parodies don't have to be specifically parodies of specific things to be so: many parodies are medium parodies or satires, and are meant to be digs or nods to overall genres and their tropes. Likewise, parodies don't only become parodies when they're caustic or mean-spirited, and many parodies do so with a more light hand of general absurdism or tongue-in-cheek nature.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Jun 7th 2021 at 5:06:08 AM

NotGrantMorrison Since: Jul, 2014
#396: Jun 7th 2021 at 7:23:50 PM

I am aware mediums/genres can be parodies overall but a parody is specifically taking an element of the original and highlighting and/or subverting it for comedic effect. Just being a superhero comedy doesn't make something a superhero parody.

A Superhero slipping on a banana peel isn't a parody, a superhero getting their cape stuck in a phone booth and slipping is.

A parody, whether light-hearted or mean-spirited, is still making fun of something. The PPG jokes aren't mocking superheroes, for the most part, the humor is mostly rooted in slapstick and situation comedy.

The Feminist villain episode and the animal's rights episodes were parodies, but not specifically of superhero stuff. I think the episode where it turns out the monsters can talk and fight the PPG's for fame back on the island is the most superhero parody episode.

Actually do, perfect example, the one where the proof makes a giant robot and it basically levels the city in a battle. That is an out-and-out spoof of giant robot vs giant robot fights. An "average" ppg episode humor doesn't really work on those lines. You have to stretch to consider the girls just being girls as somehow being a pisstake of superhero in general, which is so broad a definition as to be nonsensical. By your logic, The Nanny is a parody of Marry Poppins.

Joshbones Since: May, 2015
#397: Jun 7th 2021 at 7:52:54 PM

I feel like it's assumed that just because something has certain tropes, that means it has to be poking fun at something instead of just using those tropes. The Powerpuff Girls does have a lot of silver age comics holdings, but it's not The Tick, it's not trying to poke fun at that, it's just using those to help the plot. The Mayor isn't useless because Gordon was useless, he's useless for comedic effect.

I'd compare PPG to something like Darkwing Duck, where it's obvious what they're taking inspiration from, but they're just using that to tell a weird story.

windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#398: Jun 7th 2021 at 11:11:58 PM

This conversation is the first time I've ever seen anyone refer to the Mayor as a pastiche of Jim Gordon. I'm not seeing the connection either.

KnownUnknown Since: Jan, 2001
#399: Jun 8th 2021 at 8:01:16 AM

By your logic, The Nanny is a parody of Marry Poppins

You’ll have to explain that line of thinking, because I’m not seeing how my logic regarding the PPG’s use of troping is applicable to those two franchises specifically.

Unless you’re exaggerating my point to be “all humor is parody,” which is of course not something I actually implied.

Just being a superhero comedy doesn't make something a superhero parody.

I didn’t say it was. What I’ve said rather repeatedly over the course of the last couple pages was “the show in concept is based around pastiches of specific core superhero tropes” - with examples and such. Trying to sum that up as “it’s funny, so it has to be a parody” just gives off the impression that you didn’t read what has been said to you.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Jun 8th 2021 at 8:08:47 AM

RavenWilder Since: Apr, 2009
#400: Jun 8th 2021 at 11:30:16 AM

[up][up] The Mayor calling the Powerpuff Girls on the hotline whenever there's a crisis is lifted straight from Gordon doing the same thing each episode in the Adam West Batman (1966) show.


Total posts: 585
Top