The Toronto Star from Toronto, Ontario, Canada • 51

THE TORONTO STAR Friday, June 28, 2002 D5 Powerpuff creator says girls want action, too WE'RE SELLING SO MANY CARS WE'RE TAKING OVER THE COUNTRY Cl JP a I i i i i i i i K3 aasESsaaBta a month oAonudc IM ridni don Rent nd mv JVC MVIMCD eMO P0Mr mho windows aid door lode Starting from 524895' 2003 Lease from SjSbge TO FILM: Craig McCracken is the creator of The Pmverpuff Girls. Wo RX-V Sport srjg-g, month By Daphne Gordon ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER It might seem a bit ironic that the creator of a cartoon known for its strong female characters is a man, but the guy behind The Powerpuff Girts doesnt think so. Its just a show about kids with superpowers, but they happen to be girls, says Craig McCracken, the creator of the hit half-hour cartoon and a new feature film set to hit theatres on Wednesday. I just grew up with positive role models," says McCracken, who was raised by his mother and sister. "The idea of women being strong and independent was never anything weird to me, it was just a given," he says.

McCracken is known in die biz as foe guy who started the current trend in animation toward tough chick characters. Nobody was doing it when he started drawing the cutesy kindergarteners Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles in 1993 for a series of shorts. The show started airing as a series in 1996, depicting the sisters as a crime-fighting trio with a mind to cleaning up their hometown, Townsville. They might have innocent eyes and perky voices, but these girls rid the place of evildoers using kick-butt superpowers and theyre not afraid to get aggressive, kicking, punching and blowing stuff up. "There had been female superheroes, he recalls, but they werent this hardcore, they were just there to stand behind the male heroes.

Most of the cartoons that starred girls were pretty mudi designed for girls, and theres this misconception of what girls like. Nobody had thought of treating them just as kids and not treating them as though theyre giriy. He thinks they want action, and he certainly gives them that in the movie, which tells the story of how the girls, created by a kindhearted scientist, Professor Utonium, in his laboratory, became the saviours of Townsville, in spite of meddling by the evil monkey MqjoJojo. My girlfriend wishes she had watched this show when she was young, says McCracken, referring to animator Lauren Faust, who also works on the show and helped with the movie. So must a lot of other women.

The show is a hit with many age groups, including college kids and high schoolers, who love the shows pop culture references. 2L130hp-MvMnvnivCT-PW OlnrtMMi.RMrhVdniMviL... Starting from JiA695f Starting from SHOW It's about time everyone had a well-made car. 5 yeaf100000 km comprehensive wanwity 5 ywrlOOWO Ion powertrain warranty 5 yearIOOpOO km Extra Care Roadside Assistance Visit Your Toronto Hamilton Area KIA Dealers Toddy Rkai HtoMU nub) Created by McCracken and a team of about 10 at the Cartoon Networks Burbank studios, The Powerpuff Girts are seen all over the world, with huge followings in Australia, Mexico and Japan. More than 35 million people watch it every week.

But in spite of the girl-power theme, 70 per cent of the shows audience is male. "I think they like the action, explains McCracken. They must be buying the products, too. These days, the characters grace every kind of object imaginable, from shoes to clocks to watches and hair dips, cereal, candy, comics, books, board games, video games and Pop-Tarts. Theres even a plane.

Delta Air Lines recently unveiled a Boeing 737 painted from wing to tail with the characters and decorated inside with a Powerpuff motif. Seriously. McCracken says he leaves the products and marketing up to the Cartoon Network, but admits a flood of products can sometimes signal the beginning of the end. "People might have misconceptions about the show based on the products," he says. But once they see the show once, I think theyre, like, Okay, cool, I can watch this.

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