The Powerpuff Girls (Franchise)

The Powerpuff Girls is a television series revolving around three super powered little girls and their many battles against evil opposition. Created by animator Craig McCracken 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.Powerpuff Girls revolves around the adventures of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, three kindergarten-aged sisters with 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 criminals, supervillains, and 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.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.James L. Venable composed the opening theme of the series and Scottish band Bis performed the ending theme song, as played during the credits. Veteran announcer Ernie Anderson (more well known as "The Voice of ABC" in the 1970s and 80's) was the narrator of the two pilot episodes and would have likely continued to narrate. However, Anderson passed away in February of 1997, the year before the show became a series, which left the studio to hire voice actor and comedian Tom Kenny to be the series' narrator. Tom Kenny narrated the introduction, and also acted as narrator through the series era.

The opening narration reads as follows: "Sugar, spice, and everything nice. These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little girl. But Professor Utonium accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction: Chemical X! Thus the Powerpuff Girls were born! Using their ultra super powers, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup have dedicated their lives to fighting crime and the forces of evil!"

As the narration reveals, Professor Utonium created the girls out of sugar, spice, and everything nice (a reference to the nursery rhyme "What Are Little Boys Made Of?"), plus the accidental addition of Chemical X. The opening of the series pays homage to the animated beginning of 1960s live-action television series, Batman, as both shows feature a pan across a gallery of villains, with the animated heroes running toward the viewer while striking the villains, who are tossed away in slow motion.== The Powerpuff Girls Movie == On 5 November 2002 The Powerpuff Girls Movie is released in cinemas. The story tells how Professor Utonium accidentally creates the Powerpuff Girls, and how they begin to defend the city from the fearful villains. This movie is directed from the creator: Craig McCracken.

 The Powerpuff Girls Rule!
On March 18, 2008, Tara Strong announced that there will be a second Powerpuff Girls movie in an interview with The Big Spoon. According to C' Raggio's blog, it will use Flash Animation. The movie's plot: The girls find out that the key to the world is coming to Townsville. The girls have hoped that the key will never come to Townsville because it gives the person who has it the right to rule the world. Every villain (except the Rowdyruff Boys) searches for the key in the town. The girls decide that they cant beat all the villains, so they look for the key themselves. They have no luck until Bubbles points out that the mayor is a complete idiot and probably left the key in his desk drawer. They race all the villains there and almost lose to Mojo Jojo. When Mojo Jojo loses the race he gives up with ruling the world and decides to be a normal citizen. The girls start to lose sight of what is important and decide that they want to rule the world with different ideas each. They start to fight over the key and all the villains show up and its a big fight with the girls winning. But then they start fighting each other for the key until they see all the townspeople looking down at them of how they look. The girls apologize and the Mayor takes the key and starts a speech. Mojo Jojo seeing his chance ask the mayor for the key and the mayor not paying attention gives it to him. Mojo Jojo starts to build his machine and puts the key into the machine. While the town is scared of what is about to happen Mojo turns the world into a happy place. Everyone is surprised by what Mojo Jojo wanted to do the whole time, including the girls. Then Mojo Jojo starts to get bored because there is nothing wrong with the world and starts to hate it. He starts to blow up the city, the Girls go fight Mojo and it ends. The TV movie aired on January 19, 2009 in the United States.

Powerpuff Girls Special: Dance Pantsed
On January 28, 2013, it was announced that a new CGI special titled Powerpuff Girls Special: Dance Pantsed (Originally titled Powerpuff Girls Special: Dance Pants R-EVIL-ution) starring the girls would premiere later in the year, but it was announced on December 16, 2013 that the special would premiere on January 20, 2014. The special featured Ringo Starr of the Beatles singing an original song "I Wish I Was A Powerpuff Girl" as well as voicing a new character named Fibonacci Sequins. The special was be directed by Dave Smith, who wrote and directed episodes for the series in the past, along with the original cast members returning to reprise their roles. This marks the first time series creator Craig McCracken had no involvement. The episode's plot has Mojo Jojo kidnap Fibonacci along with an opera singer and a badger. The girls rescue all of them, and defeat Mojo yet again with his kidnapping plan. Not deterred he then goes on to invent an evil video game called "Dance Pants R-EVILution," in order to steal Professor Utonium's chemical X and take over Townsville.

Reboot

 * Main article: The Powerpuff Girls (2016 TV series)

On June 16th, 2014, Cartoon Network announced a comeback of the series that aired in 2016.. Nick Jennings serves as the executive producer. Creator Craig McCracken isn't involved, since he worked for Disney while the reboot was in production.

Tara Strong stated on Twitter that the girls themselves were being recast, and later said she, Cathy Cavadini, and E.G. Daily were beyond hurt, but held no ill will. Tom Kenny, Roger L. Jackson, and Jennifer Hale reprise their respective roles (though Hale has been replaced as Princess Morbucks).

Despite positive anticipations from audiences, the reboot ended up unsuccessful to live up to expectations. It received very mixed to negative reviews from critics, and was lambasted by audiences. Although it gained relatively high ratings at the start of its runtime, its ratings drastically dropped. Since September of 2016, most of its newer episodes failed to reach over a million viewers.

Parodies and comics
A crossover parody of The Powerpuff Girls and 2 Broke Girls was done in Cartoon Network's TV series MAD's second season known as "2 Broke Powerpuff Girls". The parody which aired on January 30, 2012, is of Bubbles and Buttercup, who are broke and work for "Him" in a diner after the show got placed on permanent hiatus. Tara Strong (Bubbles) and Tom Kane (HIM) reprised their roles here. The MAD episode with the parody ranked  #26/30 for the week with 1.903 million viewers. In February 2013, IDW Publishing announced a partnership with Cartoon Network to produce comics based on its properties and The Powerpuff Girls was one of the titles announced to be published. A fan-produced webcomic series called PowerPuff Girls Doujinshi was created in 2004 and released through Snafu Comics. The girls are shown to be a bit older than, but with the same personalities as, their T.V. counterparts, and the comic includes many characters from other cartoon shows. The story has the girls now going to school in a neighboring city of Townsville known as Megaville. The comic was the "Outstanding Superhero Comic" and "Outstanding Character Art" winner on the Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards in 2005. In 2010, an adult comedy animated series known as Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt premiered, featuring an art style that mimicks that of the Powerpuff Girls and several other Western cartoons. Shortly after the 2014 CGI special's release, a comic which was published by IDW Publishing was withdrawn after retailers complained that they wanted to boycott the issue. The comic, which shows the Powerpuff Girls with breasts and dressed in latex, was designed by an artist who works for Cartoon Network. The artist was "thinking of it more along the lines of 'female empowerment' than the kind of thing you guys are talking about". Cartoon Network said in a statement: "We recognise some fans' reaction to the cover and, as such, will no longer be releasing it at comic book shops."

Awards
The show has been nominated for an Emmy five times in 1999 & 2000 for "Outstanding Achievement in Animation". In 1999 the show won the Emmy for episode 1.09 - "Bubblevicious" & "The Bare Facts." In 1999 & 2000 the show also won Emmys, both juried for non-nominated selections.

The show has also been nominated for an Annie award nine times, winning it twice.

DVD releases

 * Main article: List of episodes and VHS/DVD releases#VHS/DVD releasesThe series has been released on VHS tape and DVD in Episode highlights, The Christmas Special, and seasonal DVD releases respectively, with the second season coming soon to the USA. There is also a complete series DVD release that was released on January 20, 2009 to celebrate The Powerpuff Girls 10th anniversary.