Kuro5hin.org: technology and culture, from the trenches
create account | help/FAQ | contact | links | search | IRC | site news
[ Everything | Diaries | Technology | Science | Culture | Politics | Media | News | Internet | Op-Ed | Fiction | Meta | MLP ]
We need your support: buy an ad | premium membership

[P]
An In-Depth Anaylsis of the Cultural Ramifications Evidenced in the Powerpuff Girls

By mrgoat in Culture
Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 01:57:00 AM EST
Tags: Culture (all tags)
Culture

You may be familiar with a certain show aired daily by the cartoon network. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the subject of the powerpuff girls, I reccomend you visit the preceeding links to get your knowledge base on this important subject primed for the important analysis which I intend to bring to light.


Firstly, the environment in which the powerpuff girls operate is of paramount importance to understanding the ramifications of the rest of the material to be presented, for without this important context, one cannot possibly understand the restrictions (or rather, lack thereof) placed upon the Powerpuff Girls. Most specifically, Townsville. Townsville is simply a post-modernist analogy for the current state of world affairs. You see here, the shows authors are speaking directly to the growing "smallness" of the world, and by extension, it's people. The Powerpuff girls themselves are a damning criticism of popular social norms. More specifically, the fact that they never pay attention to anything outside townsville, is tantamount to saying there is nowhere but townsville which, as we can plainly see, is a common perception in the minds of the people. That is to say, most people are happy to stay in their own bubble, and never need experience anything else to think they are happy. It is a case of perception defining reality.

Next we must speak of their creation. You see, here are some young people, created by (and this "creation" is an exageration of simple use, for obvious dramatic purposes) drugs. Specifically, methylenedioxymethamphetamine. For this MDMA is obviously the "chemical X" refered to in the show. This tells us that one can be "created", and by extension, re-created by drugs. Obviously a statement on karma and the reincarnation evidenced in many belief systems. Note also, the symobolism in the technology used to create the powerpuff girls. It is indeed, (as shown in the intro of every show) a large pot (note also the pun), into which are mixed all the ingredients needed. This tells us that the technology itself is not so important as the outcome, in short, an example of the ends justifying the means. Does this mean that the powerpuff girls would be in favor of, say, human cloning? I realize this is a hot button issue, but the fact remains that they indeed, quite possibly would be. For a group of youngsters, decidedly liberated ones at that, who were created through entirely artificial means, to be against such a practice, would be hypocritical in it's entirety, so long as the cloned people served to bring joy to the world. I am sure there are many other such issues on we can derive their stance.

This creation (re-creation), then, coupled with an obvious virgin birth (note the reference to a virgin birth, for it shall become important soon) to a single father (a man of science, it is worth noting) with no mother in sight, is an obvious criticism of the christian Jesus birth myth. In short, a rejection of many of the more organised religions of the day. Freed from that stifling casting of social position, and empowered to their creation (re-creation) by "happy" drugs, they are free to excercise their superpowers. (For example, flight, an obvious reference to freedom.) These superpowers, set the powerpuff girls above (note, "super", indicating higher) ordinary citizens. How were these powers obtained? Through the use of MDMA, as noted earlier. This tells us that the powerpuff girls condone the use of drugs to reach higher states of conciousness. This blatant linking of superpowers to drug use, as well as rejection of many of America's most popular religions and social norms, is a poingant and telling descriptor of the mental state many young (and nay, even older) viewers are being drawn to consider and experience.

I would also like to bring to your attention at this point in time, the work done in this subject by one MisterQueue, a highly valued colleague of mine. He writes:

But what about the social structure of feminism so clearly lined out in these three girls, or, for a better term archetypes. Let us consider the viewpoints of the female of these two-dimensional creations that really only give us one-dimension each.

First we have Blossom, the smart one. She gives us the first impression of what I will call the "triad of stereotypical female personality traits." She is the intellectual of the group, and in so being, has to consitantly prove herself in a male dominated (ie Professor Utonium and the Mayor) spectrum of existence. It is not surprising that she has red hair, as intelligence is not seen as a stereotypically feminine trait and redheads are often seen as outcasts, hence causing her more internal pain than we can imagine. Redheads used to be burned as witches and warlocks on sight, and so she, to the male dominant Townsville, appears magical for her brains, they, in their puny male image, cannot see the possibility of an XX-chromosome (and is it any wonder they were transformed via Chemical "X"?) with such a cerebellum as Blossom has. She truly bears the pain of all women.

Next we have poor Bubbles, always the perpetuator of the myth. Her name even signifies her "bubbly" personality. She is, by no coincidence, a blonde girl with little to no common sense or knowledge. Always laughed at as the oft-referred "bimbo", Bubbles is somewhat at fault for Blossom's own dilemma. Were it not for perpetuators of the myth like Bubbles, Blossom would only have one mark against her. Add to that, the fact that her blonde hair makes her seem even more an icon for ridicule and you almost feel sorry for such a creature. Bubbles is simple, and really not much can be said for her, but she truly is an instigator in a way to the male mind's of Townville.

Finally, we come to Buttercup. Buttercup is in a way what Blossom may be some day if she does not retreat into vapidity like Bubbles. Buttercup rounds out the stereotype of femininity by being the so-called "bitch" of this trio. Her actions are that of the jaded and cynical woman who finds no hope in trying to change her role in the world and merely snaps at it like a viper regardless of her situation. She has no respect for Bubbles and her vapidity, and cares little for Blossom's intellectual approach. She is the ultimate in action, saying as she pleases because in her mind, it has already gotten as bad as it must. Hair as black as her heart has become, Buttercup's wounds have grown too deep to heal, and the nerve's have been severed from all feeling. She is what we fear the female to become if we continue on our path.

I could go on about the significance of the triad in females in myths (ie The Eumenedies, The Erines, The Triads, Charlie's Angels, Roseanne, etc. etc. etc.), but I think you see my point here.

Indeed Queue, I believe we can all see your point. The triumvirate evidenced in the Powerpuff Girls bears special consideration, and the important issue of gender roles is brought up. I feel there is little I can add to your magnificent exploration of this issue.

I would now like to open the floor up to discussion of the important points addressed here today, that we may better understand the sociological ramifications of the Powerpuff Girls.

Thanks to MisterQueue for his important examination of gender roles.

Sponsors

Voxel dot net
o Managed Hosting
o VoxCAST Content Delivery
o Raw Infrastructure

Login

Poll
My personal preference in Powerpuff Girl:
o Yes, and I would like the goat to have my children. 7%
o Blossom. 7%
o Bubbles. 26%
o Buttercup. 31%
o evilpckls. 9%
o Sarah the checkout girl. 17%

Votes: 143
Results | Other Polls

Related Links
o cartoon network
o powerpuff girls
o Also by mrgoat


Display: Sort:
An In-Depth Anaylsis of the Cultural Ramifications Evidenced in the Powerpuff Girls | 146 comments (103 topical, 43 editorial, 0 hidden)
Subtexts with Bubbles (4.50 / 20) (#16)
by fluffy grue on Mon Apr 08, 2002 at 09:40:46 PM EST

It is rather unfortunate that this article seems to dismiss Bubbles out-of-hand as a vapidly insipid airhead. Sure, she's the only one of the group who acts innocent and childlike, but she is also the strongest, as revealed in the episode "Bubblevicious." (The short form of the episode is that Bubbles, sick of being derided as a "baby," eventually enters a berserker rage in which she proves herself to be more capable of both dishing out and handling pain than the other two combined.)

As the three girls are five years old, and only Bubbles is willing to admit (through action) to actually being a five-year-old child, it actually indicates a much higher level of emotional and mental stability than the other two, who feel the need to hide behind a façade of "toughness" and "maturity," while only Bubbles is comfortable enough with her identity to behave in a way that is condusive to her future emotional development.
--
"...but who knows, perhaps [stories about] technology and hardware will come to be [unpopular]." -- rusty the p

What about the Bad Guys? (3.85 / 7) (#26)
by wiredog on Mon Apr 08, 2002 at 10:01:18 PM EST

Are the Gangrene Gang cultural archetypes symbolizing the terrorists? Is MoJo JoJo a symbolic representation of Osama bin Laden? And where does She fit in? Is she symbolic of the conspiracies we deal with every day?

Peoples Front To Reunite Gondwanaland: "Stop the Laurasian Separatist Movement!"
Reading too much into this (3.42 / 7) (#52)
by enry on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 12:02:03 AM EST

That is to say, most people are happy to stay in their own bubble, and never need experience anything else to think they are happy.

Rrright. Take a look at other shows. The Simpsons takes place in Springfield. Drew Carey show takes place in Cleveland. Law & Order takes place in NYC. It's farily rare that these shows change location. For TV shows, it means you have to make the audience belive that you're at that location meaning either sending a film crew (expensive), stock footage (gets repetitive and no control over what you see), or using a stage (very hard to convince that you're in Boston vs. NYC).

This tells us that one can be "created", and by extension, re-created by drugs.

I do remember the anti-drug episode. Mojo gave some kids super powers, but they had to commit crimes for him, etc. Don't think that's right either.

This tells us that the powerpuff girls condone the use of drugs to reach higher states of conciousness.

Sorry, they don't continually use drugs to maintain their powers. The PPG were also not involved in their creation (or "drug" use). That's like saying a crack baby condones drug usage.

...in their puny male image, cannot see the possibility of an XX-chromosome (and is it any wonder they were transformed via Chemical "X"?) with such a cerebellum as Blossom has...

Hee, this one is really fun. Never heard of "Planet X"? How about X-Rays? It's a strange letter, and it's used where you don't know what to call something. You could just as well say that since it was called Chemical X, it's an endorsement of adult movies (previously rated X, now called NC-17).

Bubbles is simple, and really not much can be said for her, but she truly is an instigator in a way to the male mind's of Townville.

Really? I never noticed the color of her hair before. Then again, there are a few episodes where Bubbles shows her stuff.

...significance of the triad in females in myths...

Right, and Star Trek: TOS had three main characters (Kirk, Spock, McCoy). TNG has three command chairs on the bridge (I'm watching it now). Hell, DeLaSoul is made up of three people (it's the magic number). Triads exist everywhere, not just females.

This whole thing is based on a lot of shoddy thinking that reaches interesting conclusions.

My thoughts? It's a fun show, one that I have my Tivo record when it gets the chance. It's entertainment, and nothing more. If I want deep philosophical thoughts on life, I turn the TV off.

Whatever happened to fun? (2.50 / 4) (#64)
by Torgos Pizza on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 12:54:02 AM EST

The moment that people start trying to compare the Powerpuff Girls to symbolism in real life, just sucks all the fun out of the show. I tune in, turn my brain off and get my mojo running with Mojo Jojo.

Chill out. Enjoy the 'toon.

I intend to live forever, or die trying.

I was avoiding voting on this story (4.33 / 6) (#65)
by rickward on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 12:58:32 AM EST

until I saw MisterQueue invoke Godwin's Law upon himself. +1FP, because if it's worth reading, it's worth being on the front page.

People who get pissed over silly things deserve to be bothered at all costs. --MisterQueu

Satire (4.27 / 11) (#70)
by Hopfrog on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 02:33:19 AM EST

This is satire. The actual sad part is that during my german lessons, we actually "dissected" popular culture in this way. We had to chew over every single sentence, regurgitate and and chow a bit more, then spit out some meaning. And my teacher always said that all possible intepretations are correct, since it is a work of art. When correcting the papers however, it turned out that some were more equal that the others, and thats why I failed.

Point is, if you look hard enough, you will see what you want to see.

Hop.

I like my sig. (2.00 / 5) (#71)
by bjlhct on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 02:38:29 AM EST



*
[kur0(or)5hin http://www.kuro5hin.org/intelligence] - drowning your sorrows in intellectualism
MisterQueue saves the day (3.80 / 5) (#72)
by carbon on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 02:49:32 AM EST

MisterQueue, please promise to do a follow-up on Dexter's Lab, Courage, and a few other of the Cartoon Cartoons. EEE, for instance, certainly is a lot more surreal then PPG ever is, not that I dislike PPG.

This story seemed to start out as a joke, but strangely result in a lot of (seemingly) intelligent discourse. Certainly, this story was a welcome change from the death and gloom angle. I think that kuro5hin shall forever refer to the thread above as 'The Great Bubbles Debate'. T-Shirts are available.



Wasn't Dr. Claus the bad guy on Inspector Gadget? - dirvish
Yeah, ok... (3.50 / 4) (#74)
by Rhinobird on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 02:56:51 AM EST

Yeah, OK, I can dig it. OR, it could be merely a cartoon about three superpowered kindergardeners...
"If Mr. Edison had thought more about what he was doing, he wouldn't sweat as much." --Nikola Tesla
Stereotyping and mindsets (4.25 / 4) (#77)
by lauD on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 03:43:08 AM EST

I think one of the key issues at hand here is not whether or not Bubbles in an intellectual who can actually be capable of more than being bimbotic (but it was fun watching) but stereotypes and mindsets. Bubbles has blonde hair, and in the mindsets already preexisting in our minds, we think- blonde: dumb: bimbo.

If there is some aspect of Bubbles that does not fit the dumb blonde stereotype, (Bubblevicious as you have mentioned) we ignore it and try and squeeze the rest of it into the mould anyway. I refer to one of Terry Pratchett's opinions here, that humans only see what they want to see and simply disregard the next. I quote, "Training to become a wizard is training to see what is actually there, and not what is not there, which is much more difficult than you think it would be." (Somewhat mangled, it should be from Mort)

What if our mindsets were different? What if we stereotyped black hair to mean low IQ? Does that mean that this debate would be about whether Buttercup tries to hide her intellectual inabilities by making up with her physical ones? Or if it was red hair instead of blonde. Then, would Buttercup be trying to defy the stereotype, go against the flow and assert herself in the male-dominated society of Townsville? Why not?

I really like the point on how Bubbles is secure and able to declare that she is five years old and that the other two have to put on a facade of maturity and physical toughness, because they are not secure in their five-year-oldness. Maybe there's more to Bubbles that what everyone thought. *shrugs* If this was a debate... probably one of the best I've had for a while.

---
Why was I born with such contemporaries? Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

1 Cor 13.11 (2.66 / 12) (#81)
by Demiurge on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 05:39:30 AM EST

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things" Ah yes, geek 'culture'. A stultifying blend of Japanimation, children's cartoons, bad sci-fi/fantasy, and high-school literature.

Let's not forget that your average geek wouldn't realize satire if you rammed it down their throats.

We have a winner. (4.80 / 5) (#92)
by watchmaker on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 10:17:17 AM EST

This story, and the amazing subthread of argument between mrgoat and MisterQueue below, have now replaced "Zen" as my all time favorite K5 story.

A truly amazing piece of work. This ranks up there with Swift's "A Modest Proposal" in my book.

Of course, it's easy to do this with a show like the Powerpuff Girls.

Now, had you drawn conclusions about the stultification of american youth (and the corresponding rise of hate crimes against the elderly) from an analysis of social stereotypes and racial integration in CatDog, that would have been a challenge.

And before anyone gets any ideas, don't even try. Everyone knows that Spongebob Squarepants is only a cartoon.

Triad of female archetypes (3.66 / 3) (#94)
by drivers on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 12:44:24 PM EST

I noticed the same triad in the movie Josie and the Pussycats. Ditzy upbeat blonde (drummer), bitchy (bass), though I don't think Josie represented brains exactly. Good satirical movie by the way.

How's this for an archetype: you have your movie star actress action and/or brains type and then you have your male geek type working on the computer supporting the efforts, analyzing data and tweaking the hitech gear, possibly in a wheelchair (e.g. Dark Angel tv) or blind (e.g. Contact movie).

curious (4.66 / 3) (#96)
by luethke on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 10:06:06 PM EST

I've never been into any drug culture so the part about MDMA obviously being "chemical X" flew right over my head, would someone who knows pleas explain that to me? (sorry i'm an idiot when it comes to these things). I do actually get the part about chem x being a drug, I just don't know whay MDMA would "obviuosly" be chem X versus any other drug (don't even know what MDMA is, other than a drug).

also something else not pointed out: not only could townsville be an allegory for isolationism but the evil monsters the PPG's save townsville from come fom the "evil" outside - so that even strengthens the idea of "them against us".

and for those who watch PPG's regulary, what's up with the sugar episode where mojojojo steals the candy the mayor gives them, they say the professor has told them to never eat candy. I felt this was a culture thing that flew right overe my head also.

Other symbology (4.30 / 10) (#100)
by fluffy grue on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 10:33:03 PM EST

I find it rather interesting that, although there are only 6 ways of ordering three characters of which two are a strict chromatic ordering (R/G/B or B/G/R), the girls are never presented in a chromatic ordering! Whenever they're drawn on screen, they are always in a non-chromatic order from left to right, and even when mentioned by name it's always "Blossom(R), Bubbles(B) and Buttercup(G)." The order in which they're presented they're often mixed up, but it's never in a chromatic ordering, when mathematically-speaking it should happen about 1/3 of the time!

What's more, the natural ordering that they would fall into during a battle is chromatic (Blossom(R) the leader, Buttercup(G) the offensive support, and Bubbles(B) the rear flanks), but that is never the case... It is very unnerving to me.
--
"...but who knows, perhaps [stories about] technology and hardware will come to be [unpopular]." -- rusty the p

A relevant quote (4.75 / 4) (#102)
by Robert Hutchinson on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 10:48:17 PM EST

"... [B]e nice, or I'll color over your head."

-- Bubbles (in an unofficial capacity)

Robert Hutchinson
No bomb-throwing required.

Woa, for a minute I thought this was adequacy.org (2.33 / 3) (#105)
by megahal on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 11:47:49 PM EST

Seriously. If you look way too far (as this author did) into anything, you can always come up with some stupid shit like this.

Kudos to you for the excellent troll, btw.

Interesting View, But it's just a Cartoon for kids (4.25 / 4) (#108)
by Gideon on Tue Apr 09, 2002 at 11:58:42 PM EST

By Kids, I mean children and Adults with too much time on their hands. (I clearly fall into one of those categories).

mrgoat did a very good job analysing the show. However, I do think that the show is only guilty of targeting by the show's producers and writers.

they never pay attention to anything outside townsville

When has any cartoon (written for children) has escaped the locale of their home base? Townsville is where the action is, and there always seems to be SOMETHING happening.

For this MDMA is obviously the "chemical X" refered to in the show

It's not that obvious. How can you assume that the writers wanted to push Extacy on other kids? The symbol X has always been used to identfy some unknown (much like X-rays). And it has some kind of special appeal to younger audiences. Its an easy way to simplify something and leave with the viewer believing and understanding what has happened. I doubt that the Professor is trying to push purple pills to the next generation of ravers. And if it does happen, I blame Brittney.

the social structure of feminism so clearly lined out in these three girls, or, for a better term archetypes

The point of having 3 characters on the show that have completely different personalities is two-fold. Firstly, it's all marketing. Children will identify with their "favorite" character and stick by them. (Much like Power Rangers, Poké Mon, and Wrestling). It gives the show three times the opportunity for the viewer to like the show and its characters. The second point is that each character has a different personality, and naturally, a different method of doing things. What the show shows children is that even though there are very many ways to do one thing, the only way it works out, is if you work as a team and use everyone's different strenghts to resolve it. (Because lets face it, I'm better at doing some things you are, and you're better at doing things than I am. (Like spelling, probably)

Even though I enjoyed this article, and found that it was very insightful, I really don't think that the show is some kind of Social barometer. It's just a way to keep kids watching for 30 mins full of commercials.

I would much rather read an examination of Townsville's Mayor and his tall, headless, red-dressed, busty sidekick!

They're as evil as smurfs! (4.50 / 2) (#113)
by sangdrax on Wed Apr 10, 2002 at 05:54:27 AM EST

Papa Smurf is modeled after Stalin
And even more links on Google about smurfs and communism.

And what about all those cartoon characters walking without pants (like Donald Duck)? that can't be good for kids!

Cartoons are meant to be simple and understandable for kids. They are not made to represent the real world; any kid knows that. Somehow some grown-ups perceive it as real. Apparently they still need some more growing up to do.

Bubbles is not dumb. (4.50 / 2) (#120)
by raygundan on Wed Apr 10, 2002 at 12:44:33 PM EST

This is a masterful attempt to read a whole lot into a simple, fun kids' cartoon, but I have one big gripe.

misterqueue reveals stereotyping of his own-- labelling Bubbles ditzy and dingy based on her bubbly personality. Bubbles is the member of the team who most frequently displays the "common sense" misterqueue accuses her of lacking. While the other two attempt to overplan (Blossom) or solve everything through strength (Buttercup) and frequently argue about which method is better, Bubbles often saves the day through a solid, common sense solution. (See the episode "Three Girls and a Monster" for a prime example)

Bubbles also speaks fluent Spanish (episode "Ice Sore"), and apparently, more than a small bit of Japanese (episode "Super Zeroes"). Not to mention she can talk to squirrels. No mean feat for a "bimbo" who is in KINDERGARTEN.

While she is the target of evil for her kind and trusting nature ("Octi Evil") these are hardly bad traits. And kindness, a childish voice, and blonde hair do not make a person (however fictional) stupid.

I have been trolled splendidly.





Bravo ! (none / 0) (#121)
by bugmaster on Wed Apr 10, 2002 at 01:11:29 PM EST

I love it when people take a simple idea, and take it to the extreme. I also love reading the comments of other people, who can't tell the difference between satire and reality. I'd mod this +1 FP if it weren't on the FP already :-)

I'd just like to add that the Mayor (of Townsville) is obviously modeled after our current president, Dubya Bush. The parallels are undeniable, even though the Mayor is slightly smarter than his real-world counterpart.
>|<*:=

The End Time is Nigh (4.00 / 1) (#123)
by bugmaster on Wed Apr 10, 2002 at 01:42:23 PM EST

Actually, while I agree with most of the article, I believe that the show as a whole has a deeper point. Anyone versed in Greek mythology can clearly see that the PPG are, in fact, the Erinyes, more commonly known as "The Furies".

The Furies are generally renowned for being the "avenging spirits of retributive justice... Their task was to punish crimes not within the reach of human justice" [loggia.com]. This describes the PPG pretty cleanly, as well. They deliver swift, painful, extremely retributive justice to supervillains, who are too powerful to be safely contained by mere mortals.

While MisterQueue briefly mentions that the PPG might in fact be the Furies, he doesn't seem to attach much attention to this fact. However, I believe the PPG/Furies to be critically important. Consider a regular day in the life of Townsville: everything is fine and dandy, until the supervillain attacks. The PPG then typically beat the snot out of the supervillain. In the process, at least a city block (and usually more) of Townsville is razed to the ground.

The implications here are clear. If Townsville represents our world (i.e., the Earth), then what we are witnessing is a mortal battle between the gods and the forces who are the opposites of gods. The Norse myths speak of Ragnarök, the epic battle between the gods and the giants which will destroy the world. Inicidentally, the Ragnarök forces of the Aesir will be led by three gods: Odin (the smart one, the leader), Loki (tricky, angst-ridden, scary as hell), and Thor (packs a punch, dumb as a rock). Remind you of anyone ? In any case, the Greek myths also speak of a final battle which will end this world; in the Greek version, the battle will be fought as a "rematch" of sorts between the Olympian gods, and the Titans whom they have imprisoned. Many other religions contain the final-battle-which-will-end-the-world myth in some form.

In short, the PPG is not merely a show about sociology or drugs. The PPG is a prophecy. The final battle draws near. THE END TIMES ARE NIGH !!! Make peace with your gods, all of you ! Especially mrgoat.
>|<*:=

I always thought of the PPG... (5.00 / 2) (#130)
by Dephex Twin on Wed Apr 10, 2002 at 05:19:41 PM EST

...as a parody on comic books and Japanimation rather than a social commentary. "Townsville" always reminds me of "Metropolis"-- the generic city that Superman (especially early on) always seemed to be saving. He certainly did a lot more good in that city than elsewhere in the world.

The look of the Powerpuff Girls themselves seems to be a parody of anime-style cartoon characters, with the big eyes and head, etc.

I always thought of Mojo-Jojo to be an anime parody as well-- the way he talks reminds me of characters from that genre (very fast, lots of words with no breaks, lots of redundancy). (Sorry, I'm not an expert on anime, so I can't think of a precise example.)

The PPG do have somewhat stereotypical personalities, but I think that's the point. It's taking these stereotypes to the extreme, to the point of absurdity. They even take the stereotype of the fact that the girls are kids to the extreme. All the characters are different kinds of stereotypes, and I think that is part of what is so fun about the show.

There's a lot more parallels one could make, but my point is, while looking at the PPG as social commentary might be interesting, I don't think it is the creators' intent, and that it is intended as more of a parody.

mark


Alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems. -- Homer Simpson
the movie omg (1.00 / 2) (#131)
by logiterr on Wed Apr 10, 2002 at 06:22:46 PM EST

ima haf ta see that movie omg. too cool.

what is the chemical X though?

My girlfriend looks like buttercup. (none / 0) (#134)
by S1ack3rThanThou on Thu Apr 11, 2002 at 09:14:04 AM EST

Which I think is pretty cool.

"Remember what the dormouse said, feed your head..."
I met two of the PPG writers a while back. (none / 0) (#135)
by Fantastic Lad on Thu Apr 11, 2002 at 10:38:10 AM EST

I had the opportunity to meet a couple of the writers who work on the PPG series. I asked them where the heck PPG came from, and I quote:

". . ."

Actually, I can't remember a damned thing either of them said. I do, however, recall neither of them had anything terribly wise or memorable to say regarding culture or what have you. Nice enough people, but still. --It was a long time ago, I was dead tired, and I was just making polite conversation. Give me a break.

As for the whole MDMA connection. . ?

They're SD Sailor scouts, for Pete's sake! Nobody fights crime on 'e'. You hug it, jump around like a moron and quietly brain-bleed for a few hours after the hydrogen peroxide effect kicks in. Sheesh. If the PPG girls were taking 'e', they'd be more like hyper Care Bears with that popular 'strug-out Monday' look. Subtle difference, I realize, but you don't see too many well delivered flying kicks at the average rave.

Suitable for lunchboxes and getting that ever-powerful 10 year girl demograph addicted en-masse to some brain sucking computer game.

You want to talk about cultural impact? Try the word, 'Engineered' on for size. Unwitting, perhaps, especially if you consider those two well-meaning but entirely unremarkable, & very White pay-check writers. --Who may indeed realize, but try not think too much about the fact wholesale marketing to girls of the idea that, 'It's Cool To Be Tough, So Long As You Remain Cute, Feminine and Pre-Pubescent,' is no better, and in fact, probably worse for societal health than a whole legion of anemic runway models.

Mess 'em up right good when they're young, and they'll be obedient little consumers for life. --Who come pre-programmed to fuck nicely and make cute noises when they submit. And the misery train rolls on. . .

-Fantastic Lad

"Japanimation" (none / 0) (#138)
by Lai Lai Boy on Fri Apr 12, 2002 at 09:36:12 PM EST

Would you degenerates stop calling it Japanimation for Christ's sake?

It's anime.


[Posted from Mozilla Firebird]

project a-ko (5.00 / 2) (#140)
by christfokkar on Fri Apr 26, 2002 at 10:13:21 AM EST

Well, I'm glad somebody finally had the courage to step up and say that chemical X is MDMA.

Still no real mention of PPG's anime roots though. The triad is very easy to explain. It comes from Project A-Ko.

In Project A-Ko, you have the calm, self-assured redheaded leader (A-Ko), the annoyingly immature blonde (C-Ko), and the bluehaired bitch (B-Ko). All three are young, female, and defy the laws of physics on a regular basis. Sound familiar? They were also quite fond of wrecking the town in blind pursuit of their own ego-battles.

A-Ko, of course, is a parody of other anime, notably Ranma and Gallforce. Ranma is the calm, red-headed hero, and Akane is his bitchy brunette counterpart. Ditz, take your pick from the supporting cast. Gallforce, again, has a calm, redheaded leader (Rabby), a petulant, immature blonde (Rumy), and a bitch (Eluza) although admittedly she's not a brunette. Sound familiar though?

All three animes I listed are heavily driven by female characters - in fact, A-Ko and Gallforce essentially have no male characters at all.

How do I know this is intentional? From the epsiode where the Professor builds a giant, heavily-weaponized robot in his basement overnight. B-Ko was fond of doing just that.

PPG is awash in cultural references. You might want to note the lack of head on Ms. Bellum (Charlie Brown), or her sexual dominance and redhaired voluptuousness, which are reminiscent of Jessica Rabbit.

There are certainly more than this, but these are the ones that stand out for me.


mrgoat needs a valid argument (none / 0) (#141)
by stickmanbob on Thu Jul 18, 2002 at 01:14:56 PM EST

In the begining of his argument mrgoat assumes that chemical X is MDMA by stating "this MDMA is obviously chemical X" but he leaves no support for this claim. this part of mrgoats argument is invalid and can be tossed aside until he can back up his weak claim that Chemical X is MDNA.
There is no knowledge that is not power
Too much time on your hands? (none / 0) (#145)
by Whatdafark on Mon Jan 27, 2003 at 08:40:22 PM EST

It seems that way. What a waste of cyberspace.

An In-Depth Anaylsis of the Cultural Ramifications Evidenced in the Powerpuff Girls | 146 comments (103 topical, 43 editorial, 0 hidden)
Display: Sort:

kuro5hin.org

[XML]
All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective companies. The Rest © 2000 - Present Kuro5hin.org Inc.
See our legalese page for copyright policies. Please also read our Privacy Policy.
Kuro5hin.org is powered by Free Software, including Apache, Perl, and Linux, The Scoop Engine that runs this site is freely available, under the terms of the GPL.
Need some help? Email help@kuro5hin.org.
My heart's the long stairs.

Powered by Scoop create account | help/FAQ | mission | links | search | IRC | YOU choose the stories!