The Powerpuff Girls are three kindergarten-age sisters who can fly, punch through buildings and shoot lasers from their eyes, and who still have to be in bed by bedtime. Created by Craig McCracken, the show grew out of student films and a pair of shorts, then launched as a full Cartoon Network series in 1998. It ran until 2005 and produced a 2002 feature film along the way.
The joke that holds it all together is scale. Townsville faces giant monsters and evil geniuses every week, and its only defence is three little girls who argue about whose turn it is to sit by the window. This guide covers the girls themselves, the people of Townsville, the full villain gallery, both voice casts, and how the 2016 reboot changed things.
- Creator
- Craig McCracken
- Network
- Cartoon Network
- Original run
- 1998–2005
- Film
- The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002)
- Reboot
- The Powerpuff Girls (2016–2019)
- Setting
- The City of Townsville
- US rating
- TV-Y7
Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup
Every episode opens the same way: Professor Utonium mixes sugar, spice and everything nice, a beaker of Chemical X tips in, and the Powerpuff Girls are born. Each sister is built around one of those ingredients, and each has a signature colour that carries through her eyes, her dress and the streak she leaves when she flies.
Blossom
Commander and leader · Pink
Blossom is the self-appointed leader, the planner and the one most likely to explain what everyone should have done. She has long orange hair tied with a large red bow, and her extra power is ice breath. Her confidence is real but brittle: several episodes turn on her bossiness costing the team, or her fear of being anything less than the best. She's the sister who takes the job seriously.
- Voice
- Cathy Cavadini (1998); Amanda Leighton (2016)
Bubbles
The joy and the laughter · Blue
Bubbles is the gentlest sister, with blonde pigtails, a stuffed octopus called Octi, and a soft spot for animals. She can talk to animals and speaks some Spanish and Japanese, which the show uses for gags. People underestimate her, and the episodes everyone remembers are the ones where she finally loses her temper, most famously when she decides to prove she's "hardcore."
- Voice
- Tara Strong (1998); Kristen Li (2016)
Buttercup
The toughest fighter · Green
Buttercup is the brawler: short black hair, a permanent scowl, and no patience for plans when hitting something would be faster. She hates being called cute and rarely admits to having feelings. Underneath that, she's fiercely loyal to her sisters. Her episodes often deal with pride, like the one where she's embarrassed by an old security blanket she can't bring herself to give up.
- Voice
- E.G. Daily (1998); Natalie Palamides (2016)
Bliss
The fourth sister · 2016 reboot
Bliss was introduced in a 2018 multi-part special of the reboot as an older sister from the Professor's first Chemical X experiment. She's a teenager with teal hair and powers that explode out of her when she gets upset, which is what drove her away in the first place. The girls help her get control and she's welcomed into the family, though she was a divisive addition with long-time fans.
The people of Townsville
Townsville is a city of cheerful idiots, and that's the point. The adults in charge are rarely competent, which is why a hotline phone in the girls' bedroom rings several times an episode.
Professor Utonium
Scientist · The girls' father
The Professor created the girls by accident and raises them on purpose. He's a kind, slightly awkward single dad who's much better at chemistry than at dating, and who has no idea how to discipline three children who could level the house. The show treats him warmly: he's the one adult in Townsville who never takes the girls for granted.
- Voice
- Tom Kane (1998)
The Mayor
Mayor of Townsville
The Mayor is tiny, bald and obsessed with pickles. He calls the girls for every emergency, including opening a jar. He's almost entirely useless, and the city runs because his assistant quietly does the work. He never gets a real name, which suits a character who is mainly a hat and a panic.
- Voice
- Tom Kenny
Ms. Sara Bellum
The Mayor's assistant
Ms. Bellum is the real power at City Hall, and her face is famously never shown. She's calm, capable and the person who actually tells the girls what's wrong. The running gag about hiding her face sits on top of a sharper one: everyone treats her as decoration while she runs the city.
- Voice
- Jennifer Hale
Ms. Keane
Kindergarten teacher
Ms. Keane teaches the girls at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten and is one of the few adults with real authority over them. She's patient and fair, and episodes at school let the show treat the girls as actual five-year-olds dealing with sharing, show-and-tell and playground politics.
The Narrator
Voice of the show
The Narrator opens and closes almost every episode with "The City of Townsville!" and the line about the day being saved. He's a character in his own right: he takes sides, gets bored, and occasionally gets dragged into the plot. The show uses him to wink at the audience about how formulaic its own structure is.
- Voice
- Tom Kenny
Talking Dog
A dog that talks
An ordinary dog who tells the girls what's happening, to the confusion of everyone who thinks dogs can't talk. He's a pure one-joke character and a fan favourite because of it.
Mitch Mitchelson
Classmate
A rough, rule-breaking kid at Pokey Oaks who picks on everyone, the girls included. He's the closest thing the school has to a bully, and a reminder that not every problem can be punched.
The villains
The Powerpuff Girls has one of the strongest villain rosters in children's animation. Each one is a different kind of threat: brains, fear, greed, temper, vanity or pure incompetence. Several are parodies of comic-book villain types, which is why the show still turns up in discussions of villain archetypes.
Mojo Jojo
Evil genius chimpanzee
Mojo Jojo is a chimpanzee with an oversized exposed brain, a cape, a turban-like helmet and a habit of saying the same thing three different ways in a row. He lives in an observatory on top of a dormant volcano in the middle of Townsville and wants to rule the world, starting with the girls. The 2002 film reveals he was the Professor's lab assistant, mutated by the same accident that made the girls, which gives their rivalry an odd family edge.
- Voice
- Roger L. Jackson
Him
Demonic arch-villain
Him is a red-skinned demon with lobster claws, a high, echoing voice and a pink, theatrical wardrobe. He doesn't want money or power so much as the chance to break the girls psychologically, turning them against each other or trapping them in nightmares. His episodes are the creepiest the show made, and the ones most likely to unsettle younger viewers.
- Voice
- Tom Kane
Fuzzy Lumpkins
Hillbilly monster
Fuzzy is a pink, furry backwoods creature who lives in a cabin outside town and turns into a raging beast whenever someone touches his property. He isn't evil so much as territorial, and he has a banjo and a short fuse in equal measure.
- Voice
- Jim Cummings
Princess Morbucks
Spoiled rich girl
Princess is a classmate whose father's fortune buys her everything except what she really wants: to be a Powerpuff Girl. When the girls turn her down, she buys a powered suit and becomes a villain instead. She's the show's sharpest satire of money as a shortcut.
The Gangreen Gang
Teenage street gang
Five green-skinned teen delinquents: smooth-talking leader Ace, the hulking Big Billy, the hissing Snake, the tiny Lil' Arturo and the shape-shifting Grubber. They're small-time vandals and shoplifters, a step down from world domination, and the show sometimes gives them surprisingly sympathetic moments.
- Voice (Ace)
- Jeff Bennett
The Amoeba Boys
Would-be criminals
Bossman, Slim and Tiny are three single-celled amoebas who desperately want to be real crooks. They're so harmless that the girls mostly ignore them, and their running frustration at not being taken seriously is the whole joke.
Sedusa
Master of disguise
Sedusa is a glamorous thief whose hair moves like snakes and works like extra limbs. She uses disguises and charm to manipulate the men of Townsville, including the Professor, which puts the girls in an awkward spot.
The Rowdyruff Boys
The girls' male counterparts
Brick, Boomer and Butch were created by Mojo Jojo to beat the girls at their own game, with matching powers and roughly matching personalities. They're gross, loud and very hard to beat in a straight fight. They return in later episodes, and the reboot gave them a new version of their own.
Femme Fatale
Thief
A criminal who steals only coins with women on them and wraps her crimes in a garbled version of feminist slogans. The girls first fall for her pitch, then work out what she's actually doing. It's one of the show's smartest single-episode villains.
Roach Coach
Cockroach villain
A cockroach leading an army of fellow roaches in an attempt to take over Townsville from below. A good example of the show's monster-of-the-week variety.
Voice cast at a glance
The original series used a small, versatile cast, with several actors covering more than one role. Tom Kane voiced both the Professor and Him, which fans enjoy pointing out given how different the two are.
| Character | Original (1998) | Reboot (2016) |
|---|---|---|
| Blossom | Cathy Cavadini | Amanda Leighton |
| Bubbles | Tara Strong | Kristen Li |
| Buttercup | E.G. Daily | Natalie Palamides |
| Professor Utonium | Tom Kane | — |
| Him | Tom Kane | — |
| Mojo Jojo | Roger L. Jackson | — |
| The Mayor / Narrator | Tom Kenny | Tom Kenny |
| Ms. Sara Bellum | Jennifer Hale | — |
| Fuzzy Lumpkins | Jim Cummings | — |
| Ace | Jeff Bennett | — |
A dash means we haven't listed a reboot credit we can't confirm. For more on how cartoon voice actors often cover several roles, see our voice acting guide.
The 2016 reboot
Cartoon Network revived the series in 2016 with new writers, a new voice cast for the girls and a brighter, flatter look closer to modern Cartoon Network shows. It ran until 2019. The core set-up stayed the same: same Professor, same Townsville, same villains. The tone shifted toward quick, internet-aware jokes and away from the original's mix of action parody and occasional real menace.
Original (1998–2005)
Action-movie framing, a dry narrator, and villains who could genuinely threaten the city. Him episodes lean into horror. Lots of jokes aimed at the adults watching.
Reboot (2016–2019)
Faster, more slapstick, more social-media humour. New voices for the girls, the addition of Bliss as a fourth sister, and redesigned or reimagined villains. Aimed more squarely at younger kids.
Fans tend to prefer the original, but the reboot is gentler and may suit younger children better. Either is a reasonable starting point.
Where to start and how to watch
- Start with the original series — season one episodes are self-contained, so you can begin anywhere. Early episodes introduce Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy, Him and the Gangreen Gang quickly.
- Watch The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002) — it's the origin story, showing how the girls were made and how Townsville first reacted to them. It works well before or after season one.
- Try the 2016 reboot — especially if you're watching with younger children who prefer a faster, sillier pace.
Streaming rights for Cartoon Network shows change often and vary by country. Check the services that carry Cartoon Network's library in your region, or digital stores that sell individual seasons.
A note for parents
What the characters are really about
Under the action-movie trappings, The Powerpuff Girls is a sibling show. The villains change every week; the constant is three sisters with very different temperaments learning to work together.
- Blossom is about the pressure of being responsible, and what happens when being right matters more to you than being kind.
- Bubbles is about being underestimated. Her best episodes show that gentleness isn't the same as weakness.
- Buttercup is about toughness as armour, which ties her to a long line of tough-girl characters in our female protagonists guide.
- The Professor is about unconditional parenting: he made them by mistake, and he never treats them as one.
The show's influence is easy to trace. The action-comedy blend and team dynamics feed directly into later Cartoon Network hits like Teen Titans, and the creator-driven era it helped define also produced shows like Adventure Time and Steven Universe.
All Powerpuff Girls character names A–Z
A–B
- Ace — Gangreen Gang
- Amoeba Boys — Villains
- Big Billy — Gangreen Gang
- Bliss — 2016 reboot
- Blossom — The girls
- Boomer — Rowdyruff Boys
- Brick — Rowdyruff Boys
- Bubbles — The girls
- Butch — Rowdyruff Boys
- Buttercup — The girls
F–G
- Femme Fatale — Villain
- Fuzzy Lumpkins — Villain
- Grubber — Gangreen Gang
H–L
- Him — Villain
- Lil' Arturo — Gangreen Gang
M
- The Mayor — Townsville
- Mitch Mitchelson — Classmate
- Mojo Jojo — Villain
- Ms. Keane — Teacher
- Ms. Sara Bellum — City Hall
N–P
- The Narrator — Townsville
- Octi — Bubbles's toy
- Princess Morbucks — Villain
- Professor Utonium — Family
R–T
- Roach Coach — Villain
- Sedusa — Villain
- Snake — Gangreen Gang
- Talking Dog — Townsville
Frequently asked questions
What are the Powerpuff Girls' names?
Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup. Blossom has long orange hair and a red bow and acts as leader, Bubbles has blonde pigtails and is the sweet one, and Buttercup has short black hair and is the fighter. The 2016 reboot later added a fourth, older sister named Bliss.
How were the Powerpuff Girls made?
Professor Utonium was trying to make the perfect little girls from sugar, spice and everything nice. He accidentally added a dose of Chemical X, and the result was three girls with super strength, speed and flight. The 2002 film tells this origin in full.
Who is the main villain in The Powerpuff Girls?
Mojo Jojo, a genius chimpanzee who lives in an observatory on a volcano in the middle of Townsville, is the most frequent villain. Him, a red, lobster-clawed demon, is the most frightening one. Fuzzy Lumpkins, Princess Morbucks, Sedusa, the Gangreen Gang and the Amoeba Boys round out the regulars.
Who voices Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup?
In the original 1998 series, Blossom is voiced by Cathy Cavadini, Bubbles by Tara Strong and Buttercup by E.G. Daily. The 2016 reboot recast them with Amanda Leighton, Kristen Li and Natalie Palamides.
Who are the Rowdyruff Boys?
Brick, Boomer and Butch are the girls' male counterparts, created by Mojo Jojo to beat them. They have matching powers and personalities: Brick leads, Boomer is the dim one, Butch is the brawler. They first appear in an episode named after them and return several times.
Is The Powerpuff Girls OK for young kids?
The original series was rated TV-Y7 in the US, meaning it's aimed at children seven and up, as was the 2016 reboot. Expect cartoon fighting and a few genuinely creepy villain episodes, mostly involving Him. Very young or easily scared children may want an adult nearby for those.