The Powerpuff Girls is an animated series about three superpowered little girls who fight crime in Townsville, USA. Created by an accidental combination of sugar, spice, everything nice and Chemical X, the Powerpuff Girls battle with supervillains like Mojo Jojo, Him and Fuzzy Lumpkins.
The series first started developing in 1992 when Craig McCracken produced a short called "The Whoop-Ass Girls" for a class at California Institute of the Arts which was debuted at Spike and Mike's Twisted Animation Festival. Based on his initial short, a new full color short called A Sticky Situation! was financed and produced following the premiere at the festival (still under the title of the Whoop-Ass Girls). The prospective title was renamed to The Powerpuff Girls, a more television friendly name, in 1995 when two shorts were produced at Hanna-Barbera studios and aired on What a Cartoon! Show, entitled Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins and Crime 101.
The series was picked up for a full run on November 18, 1998 and ran for six seasons, ending on March 25, 2005 with an inordinate 78 episodes and 2 specials. One episode from season 5, See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey, has aired virtually everywhere except the United States, presumably because the episode's message of totalitarianism didn't sit well with Cartoon Network, but actually it was feared that the episode's strobe-lights effects may affect children with spasms. It was the touted "rock opera" episode and finally appeared in the U.S. on the complete series DVD set. The series spawned a full length movie in 2002 entitled The Powerpuff Girls Movie. A holiday special, 'Twas The Fight Before Christmas, was released on home video on November 5, 2003 and then premiered on Cartoon Network December 12, 2003. A 10th anniversary episode, The Powerpuff Girls Rule, aired on January 19, 2009, one day before Warner Home Video released the complete series on DVD.
Eight episodes from season four were first screened Saturday mornings on Kids WB in the summer of 2002 before being played on Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network aired a special of The Powerpuff Girls, titled "Dance Pantsed" in January 2014. Craig McCracken did not figure in its production as he was busy at Disney with Wander Over Yonder.
A relaunch of the series premiered in 2016. A live action pilot has been ordered by the CW but is still in development. It was recently announced that the cartoon is returning with Craig McCracken at the helm. It would be produced through Hanna-Barbera Europe. However, parent company Warner Discovery is shifting its focus away from kids and family programming, so the start up of the revival is in doubt.
Cast
Pilots
Seasons
Season
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Premiere
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Finale
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#
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Cartoon Network
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Season One
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November 18, 1998
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May 27, 1999
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13
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Season Two
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June 25, 1999
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June 30, 2000
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|
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13
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Season Three
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July 28, 2000
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February 9, 2001
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|
|
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13
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Season Four
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April 20, 2001
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June 28, 2002
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|
|
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10
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Season Five
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December 6, 2002
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May 14, 2004
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|
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18 + 1
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Season Six
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June 25, 2004
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March 25, 2005
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|
|
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11
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Feature film
Special
In-Depth
DVD Releases
Title
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Release
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Discs
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Complete Series (Region 1)
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10th Anniversary Collection
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January 20, 2009
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purchase
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6 (DS)
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Season Sets (Region 1)
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The Complete First Season
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|
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June 19, 2007
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purchase
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2
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Episode Collections (Region 1)
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Powerpuff Bluff
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November 7, 2000
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1
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Down 'n' Dirty
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|
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November 7, 2000
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1
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The Mane Event
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|
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April 3, 2001
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1
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Meet the Beat-Alls
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October 23, 2001
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1
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Individual Episodes (Region 1)
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'Twas the Fight Before Christmas
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October 7, 2003
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1
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Episode Collections - Various Series (Region 1)
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Scooby-Doo and the Toon Tour of Mysteries
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June 1, 2004
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1
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Cartoon Network Halloween: 9 Creepy Capers
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|
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August 10, 2004
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|
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1
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Cartoon Network Christmas: Yuletide Follies
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|
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October 5, 2004
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|
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1
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Cartoon Network Halloween 2: Grossest Halloween Ever
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|
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August 9, 2005
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|
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1
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Cartoon Network Christmas 2: Christmas Rocks
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|
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October 4, 2005
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1
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Cartoon Network Halloween 3: Sweet, Sweet Fear
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|
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September 12, 2006
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|
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1
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Feature Film (Region 1)
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The Powerpuff Girls Movie
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November 5, 2002
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purchase
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1
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Soundtrack Releases
External Sites