Posted in: Cartoon Network, TV | Tagged: craig mccracken, powerpuff girls

Powerpuff Girls Creator Praises Amazing 1999 Live-Action CN Promo

Powerpuff Girls creator Craig McCracken reminded us about a great live-action promo Cartoon Network ran in 1999 with the "Powerpuff Patrol."

The Powerpuff Girls creator Craig McCracken (the amazing Kid Cosmic) took a time-out from developing what the future might have in store for Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup to deliver a serious blow to our "nostalgia feels" – in a good way. We had forgotten about an amazing live-action promo that aired in early 1999 to promote the animated series as well as Cartoon Network's Cartoon Cartoon Fridays (which also included Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, and other classic animated series). In the interest of not wanting to spoil anything in the clip above, let's just say that there may or may not be a group called the "Powerpuff Patrol" that may or may not be inspired by a certain animated trio to take a much more "Guardian Angels" approach to protecting their city. McCracken retweeted a video of the promo, noting that it was "one of my absolute favorite PPG promos!" McCracken added, "When I saw that the CN creatives in Atlanta were open to doing this, it inspired me to push what we could do in the series."

Here's a look at what McCracken had to share about the promo earlier today:

McCracken: Why The CW's "The Powerpuff Girls" Series Didn't Work

It was a long, strange trip for Diablo Cody (Juno) and Heather V. Regnier's (Sleepy Hollow) pilot for Powerpuff, their modern sequel series take on the beloved animated series "The Powerpuff Girls." Chloe Bennet (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Dove Cameron (Liv and Maddie), and Yana Perrault (Jagged Little Pill) were tapped to play Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup in a modern, live-action take that found the pint-sized Powerpuff superteam now disillusioned twenty-somethings who resent having lost their childhood to crime-fighting but finding themselves needing to reunite to save the day one more time. Based on the animated series, the project also starred Donald Faison (Scrubs), Nicholas Podany (Hart of Dixie), Robyn Lively (Light As A Feather), and Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants). First announced in 2020, the project would be reworked, the pilot retooled, and casting shifted – with the project officially declared as being no longer in development at The CW back in May 2023.

Speaking with the Los Angeles Times six months later in honor of the animated series' 25th anniversary, McCracken shared his belief that The CW's series attempt failed because it was taking away what made the series so special in the first place. "I had one meeting with them, and I told them, 'When you turn them into adults, they're no longer the 'Powerpuff Girls' because if they're adults, that's just three super girls who don't have to deal with being kids.' That's a completely different show," McCracken explained. Stemming from Warner Bros. Television,  the pilot was executive-produced by Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and David Madden, with Erika Kennair producing and Maggie Kiley directing and executive-producing the pilot.

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