Almost everyone who was growing up in the early 2000s knows The Powerpuff Girls. Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup are three kindergartners that were created by their father, Professor Utonium, using sugar, spice and everything nice. But when the Professor accidentally added Chemical X to his concoction, the three girls developed superpowers, leading them to become the protectors of their city, Townsville.
The animated series was created by Craig McCraken (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends) and ran for six seasons on Cartoon Network from 2001 to 2005. The Powerpuff Girls saw undeniable success. It aired more than 70 episodes, a Christmas special, various shorts and anniversary specials, a feature film, and was even adapted into an anime titled Powerpuff Girls Z. During its run, it was also nominated for six Emmys, nine Annies, and a Kids’ Choice Award.
The Powerpuff Girls is so special because it took superheroes — a character that was historically reserved for boys — and used it to show girls they can fight crime and save the world, too. It was empowering and had a lasting effect on those who tuned into the show.
The Powerpuff Girls was rebooted in 2016 and ran for three seasons, wrapping up in 2019. The reboot was met with mixed reviews. But while it’s certainly different from the original — mainly because there are new voice actors for the main characters — and may not be as great as you remember the original being, it is still a worthy addition to the franchise.
Currently, there is a live-action Powerpuff Girls adaptation in development at The CW, but there are few details on what that will entail, and when it can be expected.
In the meantime, a trip down memory lane will have to suffice. With more than 70 episodes to choose from, it’s hard to pull out the best from the bunch, but here are eight of the top Powerpuff Girls episodes from the original series.
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8 Beat Your Greens/Down ’n Dirty
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons/Cartoon Network
Most Powerpuff Girls episodes are split in two, each half telling a different story and making up the 20-minute runtime. The first half of this episode that aired in 1999, “Beat Your Greens”, is a tale about broccoli aliens that invade Townsville after Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup refuse to eat their veggies. It’s a funny take on the “kids hate veggies” trope. But, of course the episode comes full circle in the end, showing that veggies aren’t that bad, and if you don’t want to fall victim to a broccoli alien invasion, you have to eat them.
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“Down ’n Dirty” tackles another common point of tension with kids — bath time. In this episode the girls face off against dusty, dirty monsters, and at the end of the day, when it’s time to bathe, Buttercup refuses. Eventually, when a monster turns Buttercup away because she stinks after days of refusing a bath, she decides it’s probably time for her to bathe. In terms of cartoon episodes trying to get through to kids, “Beat Your Greens/Down ’n Dirty” succeeds in a fun and entertaining way.
7 Him Diddle Riddle
HIM is an iconic villain from The Powerpuff Girls. He’s a very powerful Devil-like creature that can shape-shift, control minds, and may be the most evil villain the girls deal with. In this episode, HIM gives the girls a series of riddles they must complete in a specific amount of time, and if they fail, the Professor will “pay.” The girls are frantic, thinking the Professor is in danger, but it turns out when HIM says “pay” he just means pay for breakfast and there’s no real danger.
Any episode where HIM makes an appearance is usually a good one. Everything about the character from his androgynous look to his devilish demeanor is interesting and really stands out from the rest of the show.
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6 Telephonies/Tough Love
In “Telephonies”, the mischievous Gangreen Gang break into the Mayor’s office and prank call the Powerpuff Girls, making them think that all their signature enemies — HIM, Mojo Jojo and Fuzzy Lumpkins — are committing crimes. After being disturbed by the girls when they actually weren’t up to no good, the three villains get ahold of the Gangreen Gang and treat them to a good beating. It’s not always that the villains crossover and work together, so seeing that turn of events makes for a fun episode.
In “Tough Love”, HIM is sick and tired of all the attention the Powerpuff Girls receive, so he releases a gas that turns all the citizens of Townsville against them. Even the show’s narrator gets annoyed with the girls, making for an episode that has a far different tone than the rest.
5 Just Another Manic Mojo/Mime for a Change
Mojo Jojo is another classic Powerpuff Girls villain. In “Just Another Manic Mojo”, the girls lose a baseball in Mojo’s lair, and when they go looking for it, he does everything he can to keep them there in order to spring some sort of trap on them — but it doesn’t work out. Much like HIM, any episode with Mojo Jojo is a good one.
In “Mime for a Change”, Rainbow the Clown gets caught in a bleach spill and loses all his color, turning him into the black and white Mr. Mime. He then begins to turn all of Townsville black and white and silent, making for a very drab world. Bubbles is the lone survivor, and as she recolors her sisters, they sing “Love Makes the World Go Round” and bring the life and color back to Townsville. It’s a heartwarming episode and worth a re-watch if you’re looking for something to make you smile.
4 The Rowdyruff Boys
“The Rowdyruff Boys” is a classic episode in which Mojo Jojo creates his own version of The Powerpuff Girls — Boomer, Brick, and Butch. When the girls realize they’re struggling trying to beat The Rowdyruff Boys the way they normally tackle villains, they turn to their feminine energy to take the boys down.
It’s a well-developed episode and fans loved the introduction of the Rowdyruff Boys. So much so that they made appearances in later episodes, becoming another reoccurring villain.
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3 Boogie Frights/Abracadaver
“Boogie Frights” is a fun episode where the girls are introduced to the Boogie Man and his giant disco ball he’s trying to deploy to block out the sun in Townsville forever. Complete with a monster disco party and a Star Wars-inspired fight scene, “Boogie Frights” is one of The Powerpuff Girls’ most memorable episodes.
“Abracadaver “is one of the show’s spookier episodes. In it, a dead magician returns as a zombie to terrorize the town. With his magical abilities and sense of cunning, he’s a tough villain for the girls. The episode even inspired a computer game, Zom-B-Gone!, that used to be available on Cartoon Network’s website in the early 2000s.
2 Speed Demon/Mojo Jonesin'
In “Speed Demon”, the girls fly too fast on their way home and end up speeding 50 years into the future to see Townsville in ruins and ruled by HIM as he’s taken on a much more terrifying form. This dystopian tale forces the girls to realize that they can never leave Townsville, even if it’s just for vacation — which is what they were intending to do at the start of the episode.
“Speed Demon” is followed up by “Mojo Jonesin’” and it’s a real treat to have back-to-back episodes featuring two of the series’ most notable bad guys. In “Mojo Jonesin’”, a group of kids wish they had powers like the Powerpuff Girls do, and a stranger creatively deemed Mojo Overcoat offers them Chemical X. In exchange for the Chemical X, though, the other kids have to destroy the Powerpuff Girls for Mojo. There’s a lesson here about jealousy and not taking things from strangers. But these two episodes together is a great package deal and one of the better episodes in the series.
1 Moral Decay/Meet the Beat-Alls
While they’re all great, one of the best episodes in the series has to be “Moral Decay/Meet the Beat-Alls”. In “Moral Decay”, Buttercup accidentally knocks out one of Bubbles’ teeth and realizes the tooth fairy gives you money for lost teeth. This sparks an idea and to get even more money, Buttercup sets out to knock out bad guys’ teeth to put under her pillow, taking advantage of the tooth fairy.
“Meet the Beat-Alls” is a massive parody episode in which four of the show’s main villains — Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, HIM, and Princess Morbucks — represent the four Beatles. They form together to create the ultimate supervillain group to combat the Powerpuff Girls, called The Beat-Alls. In the episode, there are Beatles lyric quotes, album cover references, similar music, and other references to iconic Beatles moments. It’s another really fun episode where the bad guys get to team up, and it was a substantial hit among audience members, too.
