The design aesthetic is a clash between blinding primary colors and sappy pink heart logos, sort of like Barbie living in a large box of Crayolas. Holding evil at bay is not always accomplished through violence sometimes guile and cleverness play a role. And Buttercup, the brunette, is scrappy, a "quick-fisted fighter who likes to strike first and ask questions later." The stories tend to unfold rapidly (each one runs 11 minutes) and always end happily. Blossom wears a red bow and is the leader. The bad guys are also big stars: Mojo Jojo, Him, Roach Coach, the Amoeba Boys and Fuzzy Lumpkins.Įach of the girls has an identity, but it's hard for a novice to tell them apart. Pow! They attend kindergarten at Pokey Oaks Elementary but always seem to be getting called out of class to fight evil. To the traditional recipe of sugar, spice and everything nice he added "Chemical X," which gives them superpowers like the ability to fly, to see with "microscopic vision" and to pack a wallop with their tiny fists. You have to assume that most 5-year-olds are not watching at, say, 11 p.m.Īccording to the story line, the tykettes were created by Professor Utonium, a genetic engineer who wanted to concoct three perfect little girls. The age spread of the show's audience can be seen in Cartoon Network scheduling there are half-hour shows most days from early afternoon to late at night. While he admits to being a pretty liberal guy, with an artistic family and a feminist girlfriend, his inspiration was simply to find "a fun idea" or "a cool concept," not to serve up role models for a new generation. He called that first one "The Whoop- Girls," a name that was changed for television in 1998. He designed the show originally for his film requirement at California Institute of the Arts. "I just liked the contrast of cute characters being strong and tough," says creator Craig McCracken, 29. A small change in the pop culture, perhaps, but noteworthy. Nonetheless, it is unusual to have girls in the superhero seat, driving the action and landing the blams. To say that the Powerpuffs are a feminist answer to the Power Rangers or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would be an overstatement. And the target audience-the 2-to-11-year-olds-has surprised everyone by being predominantly male. College kids appreciate the puns and pop culture allusions-like the episode called "Boogie Frights," and the time the people of Townsville were forced to disco-dance to near-fatal exhaustion. Teenage girls like to mimic the squeaky baby voices of Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, the crime-fighting cuties. On Halloween, streets were full of pint-size imitators who, when asked their costume's identity, would confide, "I'm a Powewpuff Giwl." Even if you're not impressed with their audience of more than 2 million, or the CD that was at the top of both the children's and the college charts in Billboard, or the merchandising licenses expected ultimately to gross more than $350 million, you might have encountered one sure measure of their popularity. "The Powerpuff Girls" is the latest Cartoon Network hit to infiltrate the ephemeral youth market. Once again the day is saved by the Powerpuff Girls! Those darned hypnotransmitters implanted in their parents are destroyed! Bye-bye, bad guys! Pow! Blam! Get those evil broccoli heads! The other kids of Townsville pour cheese sauce on the marauders and munch them down. "We got to eat 'em to beat 'em!" they cry. "Nobody invades Earth without a fight!" squeaks Blossom, the redhead, as the three cartoon kindergartners prepare to battle an invading army of aliens disguised as broccoli. They look like mutant flies and sound like Charlie's Angels on helium.
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