What A Cartoon! - The Powerpuff Girls "Bubblevicious" and "The Bare Facts"
Added 2025-02-03 05:00:02 +0000 UTCOur first regular What A Cartoon of 2025 showcases a huge part of US animation history: Craig McCracken's The Powerpuff Girls! On this episode, we chart the growth of Townsville's favorite kids from dorm room shorts to early Hanna-Barbera pilots to Cartoon Network's eternal cash cow. So listen in and help us celebrate two of our favorite episodes from the first season—both of which feature the greatest villain, Mojo JoJo!
Comments
In terms of finding a high quality version of The Powerpuff girls movie that is in its original aspect ratio, one day last year I was poking around the cartoon Network smart tv app and they did have it listed under the movie section, you can't watch it without a cable login unfortunately It had a DVD release, with a commentary and good special features but it doesn't appear to have ever been released in widescreen from what I could find
Covey M.
2025-02-24 00:58:34 +0000 UTCI have no insightful commentary other than that this is the best CN show and Craig McCracken is the most underappreciated of all show runners. I will say that the 2016 reboot is an utter embarrassment and incompetent mess that everyone involved from the top down should be thoroughly ashamed of. Don’t want to be telling tales out of school, but I said as much publicly and one of their friends took me aside to say, “Craig and Lauren agree with you.” No, guys, the ‘90s really was the Golden Age of TV cartoons. You had to be there to believe it, and anyone born after just cannot fully appreciate it.
Thad Komorowski
2025-02-13 19:03:30 +0000 UTCI never knew that was a thing either, I'm guessing the reference was so obscure from a dubbed show no one had heard of, people probably thought MOJOs voice was a new thing. Other than the stiltedness of the delivery it does have any other Asian speaking stereotypes.
SilkiePJ
2025-02-13 03:45:18 +0000 UTCDino is actually a Phil Silvers type in that first season "origin" story that everyone forgot existed as soon as they did it.
Thad Komorowski
2025-02-13 00:57:22 +0000 UTCThis is a genuine head scratcher for me. This show - meaning What a Cartoon etc - usually goes out of its way to call out problematic content. Mojo Jojo immediately sounded to me like a Hop Sing level goofy Asian accent done by a white man. I expect this to come up in the episode, but to my surprise this character and performance specifically is unequivocally praised? As much as it sounds like I’m trying to point out hypocrisy, believe me I am not. I like all right thinking Americans no longer believe in anything. I just want to know what I am missing here. The explanation of the character as a parody of english dubbed anime doesn’t seem to absolve it. It actually seems to damn it further. But I will admit I might be wrong. I just want to know what I should know.
AlsoNamedB0rt
2025-02-13 00:11:47 +0000 UTCI’m a few years older than you guys and was lucky enough to have cable in 1992. Cartoon Network had a countdown to start their channel and I faked being sick so I could stay home from school to catch the premiere. Didn’t have tablets and screens back in the day, so I had to just lay there, pretending to be sick while sneaking views of the countdown and being a bit bummed when it was just more Hanna Barbera stuff. They really made up for it over the years though! Also, E.G. Daily will for me forever be the singer from Better Off Dead
Chris Berndt
2025-02-06 12:19:52 +0000 UTCLoving the pod, guys! This show is amazing! FYI: I managed to sneak a Whoop-Ass Stew reference into the Powerpuff Girls dialogue in LEGO Dimensions. When playing as Buttercup, she will say "Time to open a particular can of stew on these losers" I know it's maybe a little TOO under the radar, but if you know, you know. 😋 Also, Raven tells Bubbles that she's "hardcooooorreee". 😄 Keep up the awesome work!
To Boldy Joe... Moore - the Michael Crichton of the comments section
2025-02-05 18:34:53 +0000 UTCI’m sure that any narrative about the removal of patron requests has to also note that time they covered Laverne and Shirley Joined the Army
Ben
2025-02-05 03:44:09 +0000 UTCWooo! Glad you guys got around to this show. Despite being a huge Cartoon Network head, this and Dexter’s Lab were two big blindspots for me growing up. I was born in 2000, so by the time I was of CN watching age, both shows were winding down production and reruns were getting sparse. After finally giving the show a shot as a young adult, it’s shocking to me how much DNA this shares with OK KO (my personal favorite Cartoon Network show). Both cartoons are hyperactive action fests with funny drawings and a kitchen sink approach to pulling out artistic inspiration. Craig and the crew really had something special going on here and it’s sad that even though we’re literally getting more PPG from him, the industry conditions that got us this show in the first place have all but evaporated. Oh well! Great podcast as usual. I’m definitely excited to watch more of this
Tashmon Dimps
2025-02-04 21:44:20 +0000 UTCThe What a Cartoon shorts all started showing up right around the time Cartoon Network was added to my cable package. From what I can remember, you could call a hotline after the weekly premiere (which would include three shorts) and vote for your favorite. At the end of the year, they did a New Year's Eve countdown to see what the most requested short was. I don't recall there being any promise of the showing going to series, but we are talking 30 years ago and I'm going off of my memory. I was really into the whole WAC concept though. And I was basically addicted to Cartoon Network that first year and would watch whatever crap it served me. By the time Powerpuff Girls made it to series, I was kind of moving on, but I did peek at it. Since DBZ was popular by then that felt like the way to approach the show without feeling insecure about it being a "girl's show." Funny that you mentioned Kath Soucie voiced Bubbles in the debut short. I heard Strong's performance here and thought it sounded like she was doing her best Soucie impression. My daughter actually found this show all on her own and went through a pretty solid phase last year where she watched it a bunch. I got her a dress, but it was Blossom and that's her least favorite of the girls. Sadly, it was all they had. She is definitely more of a Buttercup.
Joe Hodgson
2025-02-04 20:58:17 +0000 UTCI have had the entire opening title narration of PPG memorized for the past twenty seven years. I can recite it on command. I was eight when the show premiered, I was never embarrassed about liking it, the over the top violent action scenes justified my enjoyment. If you ever do another PPG episode in the future you should totally review the Rowdyruff Boys episode.
Seth
2025-02-04 19:16:15 +0000 UTCI still say numchucks for the same reason I say sammich
Evan Brady
2025-02-04 02:49:44 +0000 UTCOr the Xmas special, also featuring Donny Osmond
Evan Brady
2025-02-04 02:48:39 +0000 UTCLike most teen boys I kneejerk had no interest in "Powder Puff Girls" until one day Cartoon Network was on in my buddy's dorm room and Tom Kenny's narrator intoned "Everything was quiet and peaceful in the City of Townsville... IF YOU IGNORE THE GIANT ANT!" And we were hooked. Two years later I'm getting laughed at by the girl in the ticket booth when I ask for "two students for Powerpuff Girls."
Evan Brady
2025-02-04 02:47:07 +0000 UTCWell they used to but they removed the patron requests. Capitol Critters broke them.
SilkiePJ
2025-02-04 00:23:32 +0000 UTCHearing you mention the Snorks makes me want to ask, “Do you have a list of shows that you won’t review / only will review if paid to do so?” I know there’s been at least one show mentioned offhand, which I fail to recall. But there’s got to be at least a few certainties. Yo Yogi? Turbo Teen? Assy McGee?
Ben
2025-02-03 23:47:49 +0000 UTCNow I wanna know about how Powerpuff Girls Z really came together. You forgot a crazy crossover they did in 2018 where the leader of the Gang Green Gang replaced the bassist of The Gorillaz in music videos, tour branding and merch for a summer in 2018. PPG and Gorillaz are weirdly intertwined. I reccomend looking up the official art because its surreal!
Tom Brien
2025-02-03 21:47:56 +0000 UTCI took the line-reading of "num chucks" as it just being something a kid would say, mispronouncing a word because they don't know any better (or in some cases, have some kind of minor speech impediment)
Dylan (batmanboy11) Freitag
2025-02-03 15:22:41 +0000 UTCDuck duck goose is alive! I’m a teacher and we just played a variation called “Hibernating, Hibernating, Awake” to learn about winter animal adaptations. I don’t think kids play DDG independently because it requires following a lot of rules
Riley Jessett
2025-02-03 14:34:23 +0000 UTCIf Johnny Bravo is ever on the menu i humbly nominate the episode where Donny Osmond becomes his nanny for your consideration
Blake R.
2025-02-03 14:03:13 +0000 UTCAll of the talk of the enshittification of the modern animation industry throughout this What A Cartoon has me once again asking you to review any of the modern indie animations on YouTube. It's a huge blind spot on this podcast's portfolio and with shows like Amazing Digital Circus or Punch Punch Forever there's a lot to discuss. It would be interesting to see how modern shows not tied to a streaming service or buried under a marathon of Teen Titans Go compare to all time classics.
Matt Quintanilla
2025-02-03 13:03:42 +0000 UTC
