The Powerpuff Girls: Everything We Know So Far About The Upcoming Reboot

In a world dominated by superhero stories, it was only a matter of time before crime-fighting kindergarteners made a comeback. Prepare to cue the nostalgia — "The Powerpuff Girls" are officially returning to screens! Again! The original series debuted on Cartoon Network in 1998 and was created by Craig McCracken at Hanna-Barbera Studios. Over the course of its 78-episode run, the show won two Emmy Awards and numerous animation honors but most importantly, it won over a massive fanbase. The passion for the series has persisted through the years and now McCracken is celebrating his Hanna-Barbera homecoming by rebooting the story.

On the off chance that you aren't familiar with "The Powerpuff Girls," we highly suggest correcting that character flaw immediately. The series revolves around the adventures of three child superheroes — Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup — as they face off against monsters, supervillains, and kindergarten. Every episode begins by reminding the audience of their origins: the three girls were made in a lab by their father (as I assume all children are) thanks to a mix of "sugar, spice, and everything nice." But when he accidentally includes the mysterious Chemical X, Professor Utonium ends up with three superpowered daughters. And thank god he does because the city of Townsville is overrun with kaijus, criminals, and the havoc caused by a scheming chimpanzee. All of this and more will be back on our screens in no time, thanks to the upcoming reboot of "The Powerpuff Girls."

Does the idea of a Powerpuff reboot feel a little too familiar? At this point, let's just assume that none of the '90s and 2000s cartoons are safe from being rebooted. If it hasn't happened yet, then it's only a matter of time. But in the case of these crime-fighting kids, this isn't their first time making a grand return. The series was rebooted in 2016 by a new creative team — McCracken's contract with Disney prevented him from joining in, but the Cartoon Network persisted and ended up spanning three seasons. You probably remember this reboot for turning the Powerpuff trio into a quartet with the introduction of Bliss, their long-lost sister and the first Powerpuff Girl of color. The series ended in 2019, but this wasn't the last we would hear of the powerful squad.

In 2020, after Cartoon Network tried to replicate the Powerpuff magic, The CW tackled the other end of the nostalgia reboot spectrum: dark and gritty. The network announced their plan to bring the girls to live-action TV with a series called "Powerpuff," starring Dove Cameron as Bubbles, Chloe Bennet as Blossom, and Yana Perrault as Buttercup. This iteration would catch up with the girls as disillusioned adults. Fun, right? The internet certainly thought so, especially after the set pictures leaked. Although the pilot was shot, the series ended up reentering the development stages when The CW decided the pilot was "too campy" and needed to be rewritten and reshot. Soon after, Bennet exited the series and her role has yet to be recast. From the sound of things, the live-action reboot is currently in development limbo, which might be for the best given the chaos that erupted every time a new detail of the series was revealed. But whether or not the live-action Powerpuffs make their way to screens, the story is now set to continue.

The biggest selling point of "The Powerpuff Girls" reboot is the return of creator, Craig McCracken. After beginning his career at Hanna-Barbera Cartoons and creating two beloved series — "The Powerpuff Girls" and "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" — McCracken moved over to Disney where he created "Wander Over Yonder," then moved on to Netflix with another incredible take on young superheroes, "Kid Cosmic." Now McCracken is returning to his roots by rebooting both of the shows he created decades ago with Cartoon Network. While the return to "Foster's Home" will take the series in a new direction, as a pre-school animated series, "The Powerpuff Girls" will be closer to the original.

According to the announcement from Hanna-Barbera, "The Powerpuff Girls" reboot will "revisit and expand upon the world of the original show, as Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup face off against a variety of villains comprised of familiar foes and new threats." As for what will become of Bliss and any other continuity established in the 2016 reboot, nothing has been announced. Personally, I take comfort in the knowledge that McCracken will be at the helm, and the promise of familiar characters returning to the series. Things just wouldn't be the same without Mojo Jojo, the Rowdy Ruff Boys, Miss Bellum, and, most importantly, the sassy and exhausted narrator. Of the upcoming series, Sam Register, President of Cartoon Network Studios, Warner Bros. Animation, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, said:

"The Hanna-Barbera homecoming of Craig was an opportunity we could not pass up. Along with his unparalleled sense of fun and imagination, he's bringing two of his greatest works in The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and we are so excited for these characters to be a part of the new legacy taking shape at the studio."