When the Powerpuff Girls made their debut on Cartoon Network in February 1995, it easily became my favorite original cartoon on that channel, and until last year, I had no idea that the whole thing started out as a Cal-Arts cartoon short by creator Craig McCracken called WHOOPASS STEW (1991)! I saw that short in its entirety and for those who haven't, it has the same exact feel of the resulting TV series! Originally known as the Whoopass Girls, they fought the then-unnamed Gangrene Gang in the OP credits (ala the 60s BATMAN's opener mixed with 60s anime) and in the actual episode (entitled "A Sticky Situation"), fought the Amoeba Boys, which were originally smart, as opposed to benign in the show.
Suitably renamed the "Powerpuff Girls" for Cartoon Network (think of what it would've been like if it aired on Comedy Central!), they made their premiere as two "World Premiere Toon" shorts before ultimately becoming the popular TV series as we know it! McCracken, obviously a big fan of Japanese animation, SF and superheroes (you have to look for some of those references; Mojo Jojo, for example, does hand signs like SPECTREMAN's Dr. Gori, and his braincap looks like the helmet of the title superhero from THE SHADOWSTAR [Toei; 1976]), he mixes it with 60's style cartoons and also emulates the 60s BATMAN series (which McCracken loved as a kid), poking fun at it without taking slams at it like Tim Burton did in his overblown movies. Most of all, the three little heroines, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup (my favorite!) have tons of charm and personality, as well as inner conflict, which make them all the more likeable (for instance, Buttercup claims that she should be the leader instead of Blossom, and Bubbles, the nicey-nice one, wants to take on the tough stuff)! Even the villains have charisma, particularly the paranoid super-intelligent monkey Mojo Jojo! Also, the action (parodying routine anime action), though mild, is fairly graphic for a cartoon series geared for kids! But that and the stories, which call for tons of humor and character development, have enough charisma to appeal to grown-ups as well!
All in all, a great series! One of my favorite shows on the air! Watch it at all costs!!!
Suitably renamed the "Powerpuff Girls" for Cartoon Network (think of what it would've been like if it aired on Comedy Central!), they made their premiere as two "World Premiere Toon" shorts before ultimately becoming the popular TV series as we know it! McCracken, obviously a big fan of Japanese animation, SF and superheroes (you have to look for some of those references; Mojo Jojo, for example, does hand signs like SPECTREMAN's Dr. Gori, and his braincap looks like the helmet of the title superhero from THE SHADOWSTAR [Toei; 1976]), he mixes it with 60's style cartoons and also emulates the 60s BATMAN series (which McCracken loved as a kid), poking fun at it without taking slams at it like Tim Burton did in his overblown movies. Most of all, the three little heroines, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup (my favorite!) have tons of charm and personality, as well as inner conflict, which make them all the more likeable (for instance, Buttercup claims that she should be the leader instead of Blossom, and Bubbles, the nicey-nice one, wants to take on the tough stuff)! Even the villains have charisma, particularly the paranoid super-intelligent monkey Mojo Jojo! Also, the action (parodying routine anime action), though mild, is fairly graphic for a cartoon series geared for kids! But that and the stories, which call for tons of humor and character development, have enough charisma to appeal to grown-ups as well!
All in all, a great series! One of my favorite shows on the air! Watch it at all costs!!!