The PowerPet Squad

The PowerPet Squad is an American animated television series created by animator John A. Davis. The program was produced by Hanna-Barbera until 2001 when GoAnimate Studios took over production.

The PowerPet Squad revolves around six little animals with superpowers and their battles against evil opponents. The series is an action comedy with inspiration from American superheroes as well as Japanese Tokusatsu.

The series was a launching pad for an entire media franchise including an anime, three CD albums, numerous video games, a multitude of merchandise, and a feature film. In 2016, the series also received a reboot.

Overview[]

The Powerpuff Girls revolves around the adventures of Super Hedgehog, Elastic Rat, Ice Penguin, Static Fox, Flame Skunk, and Turbo Duck, six little animals with superpowers. The plot of a typical episode is some humorous variation of standard superhero and/or tokusatsu fare, with the girls using their powers to defend their town from various villains, such as bank robbers, car thieves, gangsters, mad scientists, aliens and giant monsters, amongst others.

In addition, the girls also have to deal with normal issues young kids face, such as bed-wetting or dependence on a security blanket. There is often a particular influence from 1950s, 60s, and 70s culture, ranging from bands such as The Beatles and films like Star Wars.

The show primarily had a thick line cel animation style with character designs and settings drawn with angular and/or blocky shapes with an aesthetic akin to that of a classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon mixed with that of 1950's pop art. The series also made extensive use of limited animation with its action sequences taking influence from the MTV series "Stevie and Zoia" and possibly retro anime such as Speed Racer, which took advantage of the lack of in-between frames to create action that while very sudden created a fast pace and made hits feel solid.

Starting in Season 4 after the release of the movie, the show would transition to digital ink and paint animation with updated character designs and a brighter color palette. Movie critic Bob Longino of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution praised the style in his review of The PowerPet Squad Movie by saying that "the intricate drawings emanate 1950s futuristic pizazz like a David Hockney scenescape," and that The PowerPet Squad is "one of the few American creations that is both gleeful pop culture and exquisite high art."

The show's background music is of the drum and bass genre with Davis scoring the series like a movie, with the music fitting the mood of a scene and characters having a certain sound accompanying them (similar to how characters in many films have themes or leitmotifs). For example, Super Hedgehog is defined by brass instruments that convey a "heroic" feel, Ice Penguin, Static Fox Elastic Rat has a "belly" cute sound to her, Turbo Duck and Flame Skunk has a rock sound that conveys a strong "action" vibe. The series composer, James Venable, compares the series music to that of a 50s monster movie and big beat techno.

Setting[]

The show mainly takes place in the fictional city of Metroville, USA. Metroville is depicted as a major American city, with an impressive cityscape consisting of several major skyscrapers. The physical location of Metroville has never been determined. Cities like LA, San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, Paris, London, Chicago, and Tokyo have been shown throughout the series.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Charlie Schattler as Super Hedgehog
Chuck McCann as Infecto Slug
Rob Paulsen as Turbo Duck and Inferno Devil
Billy West as Ice Penguin and Electro Echidna
Jason Marsden as Flame Skunk
Richard Steven Horvitz as Elastic Rat
Cree Summer as Static Fox
Tom Kane as Professor Etno, Hexopus and Talking Dog
Jeff Bennett as Hammer Ram, Pharoah Coyote and Shocker Anteater
Crystal Scales as Invisible Weasel
Steve Blum as Dark Crow
Nicole Oliver as Wonder Leopard
Dante Basco as Spider Monkey
Tim Daly as Patriot Hawk
Clancy Brown as Mermaid Seal
Richard McGonagle as The Invincible Crock
Matthew Erickson as Robo-Turtle
Keone Young as Dr. Mindhog
Pamela Adlon as Kyle Harrison
Debi DerryBerry as Mikey Watson
Lauren Tom as Emma Trent and Shadow Jackal
Nancy Cartwright as Tommy Baxter
Kari Wahlgren as Daisy Carmichael
Tara Strong as Stanley Watson
Jessica DiCicco as Mia Parr
Christopher Lloyd as Iguanator
Mr. Lawrence as Maestro Flea
Tom Kenny as Narrator, The Mayor of Metroville, Sludge Mongoose, Absorbing Chameleon, Glacier Platypus, Magnet Vulture, Butch Skellington and Liquid Goose
Jennifer Martin as Edna BusyBody
Jennifer Hale as Ms. Russo, Elongate Mole, Princess Billiongale and Wigstrucker Poodle
Jim Cummings as Freezer Gator, Nitro Pigeon and Duplicator Badger
John Kassir as Psychomedian Hyena
Kathleen Barr as Queen Floravine
Lyon Smith as Nega Stoat
Tim Curry as Dr. Warren Stockville

Additional voices[]

April Winchell
Aubrey Ankrum
Billie Hayes
Bill Farmer
Bob Bergen
Bob Joles
Brad Garrett
Brian Cummings
Cam Clarke
Candi Milo
Carlos Alazraqui
Charlie Adler
Chris Cox
Christine Cavanaugh
Colleen O'Shaughnessey
Corey Burton
Daran Norris
Dan Castellaneta
Danny Mann
Dave Fennoy
David Boat
David Cowgill
David Lodge
David Kaye
Dee Bradley Baker
Derin Basden
Don Shank
Frank Welker
Grant Raymond George
Greg Berg
Gregg Berger
Grey DeLisle
Jack Angel
James Arnold Taylor
Jan Rabson
Janice Kawaye
Jeff Bergman
Jennifer Darling
Jess Harnell
Jim Ward
Joe Alaskey
John Cygan
John DeMita
John DiMaggio
John Kassir
Julie Nathanson
Kerry Shale
Kevin Michael Richardson
Khary Payton
Kimberly Brook
Laraine Newman
Lara Jill Miller
Lou Romano
Mark Hamill
Matthew W. Taylor
Maurice LaMarche
Megan Canavagh
Michael Bell
Michael Donovan
Michael Patrick Bell
Mike Kelley
Mona Marshall
Quinton Flynn
Pamela Hayden
Pat Fraley
Patrick Pinney
Pat Musick
Paul Eiding
Paul Greenburg
Phil LaMarr
Phil Proctor
Rachael MacFarlane
Richard Epcar
Roger Rose
Rodger Bumpass
S. Scott Bullock
Scott Menville
Sherry Lynn
Susan Blakeslee
Susan Blu
Susan Silo
Teresa Ganzel
Townsend Coleman
Tress MacNeille
Vanessa Marshall
Warren Graff
Will Ryan

History[]

John A. Davis, a student of California Institute of the Arts, created The Super Animal Heroes in 1992 in his short film The Super Animal Heroes in A Sticky Situation. Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation selected the short in 1993; Davis submitted it to Hanna-Barbera's innovative What A Cartoon! shorts program (eventually to be produced for GoAnimate Network as "The PowerPet Squad in: Meet Freezer Gator" as part of World Premiere Toons) while working on Mark and Gator's Lab. As the word "Super Animal Heroes" was deemed verbally inappropriate for younger audiences, it was replaced by "powerpet"

The PowerPet Squad TV debut in 1998 was the highest rated premiere in GoAnimate Network's history at the time. For the first few seasons, the series consistently scored the highest rating each week for an original program for the network across a wide range of demographics—from young children to adults. In October 2000, GoAnimate Network credited The PowerPet Squad for its Friday night prime time ratings win among cable networks. By 2001, merchandising based on The PowerPet Squad encompassed everything from T-shirts, toys and video games to lunchboxes and dishware. There was also an audio CD titled Heroes and Villains, featuring original songs about the PowerPet Squad characters by a number of artists, including the New Wave group Devo. Concerning the PowerPet Squad success, John A. Davis has stated "I thought it would get on GoAnimate Network and college kids would watch it and there would be a few random T-shirts out there in the rave scene or in record shops. But I had no idea that it would take off to this extent."

In April 2005, plans for an anime version, Demashita! PowerPet Squad Z were announced and the series premiered in Japan the following year. The series deviates highly from its American predecessor in terms of style, storyline, and characterization. Cartoon Network in the USA currently has no plans to air this show.

Opening and ending themes and sequences[]

James L. Venable composed the opening theme of the series and Scottish band Bis performed the ending theme song, as played during the credits. Veteran announcer Ernie Anderson (more well known as "The Voice of ABC" in the 1970s and 80s) was the narrator of the two pilot episodes and would have likely continued to narrate. However, Anderson passed away in February of 1997, the year before the show became a series, which left the studio to hire voice actor and comedian Tom Kenny to be the series' narrator. Tom Kenny narrated the introduction, and also acted as the narrator through the series.

The opening narration reads as follows: "Sugar, spice, ice cream, candy, fruits, and everything nice. These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little animals. But Professor Etno accidentally added an extra ingredient to the concoction: Chemical X! Thus the PowerPet Squad were born! Using their ultra super powers, Super Hedgehog, Ice Penguin, Elastic Rat, Turbo Duck, Static Fox, and Flame Fox have dedicated their lives to fighting crime and the forces of evil!"

As the narration reveals, Professor Etno created the animals out of sugar, spice, candy, fruits, ice cream, and everything nice (a reference to the nursery rhyme "What Are Little Boys Made Of?"), plus the accidental addition of Chemical X. The opening of the series pays homage to the animated beginning of 1960s live-action television series, Batman, as both shows feature a pan across a gallery of villains, with the animated heroes running toward the viewer before striking the villains, who are tossed away in slow motion.

Reception[]

In a 2000 - 2007 Entertainment Weekly review, Marc Bernadin complimented the show on its "spot-on pop-culture acumen" and "unparalleled sense of fun", giving it a warm welcome from earlier "lame" superhero cartoons that he grew up with. Peter Marks of The New York Times noted the show's use of adult humor and pop culture references, declaring it "the sort of playful satire that can appeal as much to a viewer of 37 as 7."

Joly Herman of Common Sense Media describes the show as a "cute, highly stylized series thrills the senses with its strange characters, funny situations, and lots of lowbrow humor". She goes on to say, however, that the show does go from innocent to violent in no time and that there is not much protecting young viewers against the violent undertones. Robert Lloyd of the LA Times said that the series might be "transgressive" based on little violence but "also cute".

Episodes[]

Main article: List of The PowerPet Squad (1998) episodes

A total of 168 episodes (most of which were 11 minutes, with a handful of 22-minute specials and in one case, 45 minutes) were broadcast, spanning across six seasons and one self-titled movie.

The 45-minute special was a Christmas episode that aired in 2003, and another 22-minute episode never aired in the U.S. There was also an episode that was in production entitled "Deja View" that was turned into a Powerpet Squad comic instead.

The PowerPet Squad Movie[]

In 2001, production of a PowerPet Squad movie began and suspended production of the series for a full year. The series creator John A. Davis directed the film. On June 7, 2002, The PowerPet Squad Movie was released in theaters. It tells the story of how Professor Etno created the PowerPet Squad and how they began to defend the city from the fearful villains.

The PowerPet Squad Rule![]

On March 18, 2008, Billy West announced that there would be a second PowerPet Squad special in an interview with The Big Spoon. According to C' Raggio's blog, it uses Flash animation. The special aired on January 19, 2009 in the United States.

The special's plot revolves around the powerful "Key to the World" coming to Metroville. The PowerPet Squad must find the key before it is found by one of the many villains searching for it. They later race all the villains in vehicles and retrieve the key.

The girls decide that they each want to rule the world, then start to fight over the key until they realize their mistake. However, it is too late as the Mayor gives the key to Iguanator. Surprising everyone, Iguanator turns the world into a happy place. Iguanator, bored with his changes to the world, then blow ups the city, prompting the Superpets to fight him, ending the special.

PowerPet Squad Special: Dance Pantsed[]

On January 28, 2013, it was announced that a new CGI special titled PowerPet Squad Special: Dance Pantsed (Originally titled PowerPet Squad Special: Dance Pants R-EVIL-ution) starring the pets would premiere later in the year, but it was announced on December 16, 2013 that the special would premiere on January 20, 2014.

The special featured Ringo Starr of The Beatles fame singing an original song, "I Wish I Was A PowerPet Squad", as well as voicing a new character named Fibonacci Sequins. The special was be directed by Dave Smith, who wrote and directed episodes for the series in the past. The original cast members returned to reprise their roles. The special marks the first time series creator John A. Davis had no involvement.

The episode's plot has the Superpets defeat Iguanator in yet another of his kidnapping schemes. Not deterred, he then goes on to invent a video game, "Dance Pants R-EVILution", that traps the Superpets with its equipment, in order to steal Professor Etno's Chemical X and take over Metroville.

Promo[]

Powerpuff Girls promo 7

Powerpuff Girls promo 8

Powerpuff Girls promo 9

Reboots[]

Main article: The PowerPet Squad (2016 TV series)

On June 16th, 2014, GoAnimate Network announced a comeback of the series that aired in 2016.. Nick Jennings served as the executive producer. Creator John A. Davis was not involved, since he worked for Disney while the reboot was in production.

Billy West stated on Twitter that the super pets themselves were being recast, and later said she, Charlie Schattler, and Jason Mardsen were "beyond hurt", but held no ill will. Tom Kenny, Christopher Lloyd, and Jennifer Hale reprise their respective roles (though Hale has been replaced as Princess Billiongale).

Despite positive anticipation from audiences, the reboot was unable to live up to expectations. It received mixed to negative reviews from critics, and was lambasted by audiences. Although it gained relatively high ratings at the start of its runtime, its ratings drastically dropped. Since September of 2016, most of its newer episodes failed to reach over a million viewers.

On July 18, 2022, it was announced a new PowerPet Squad reboot is currently in the works. John A. Davis will be involved with it and the series will be produced by Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe.

Parodies and comics[]

A crossover parody of The PowerPet Squad and The Littlest Pet Shop was done in Cartoon Network's TV series MAD's fifth season, known as "The Littlest PowerPet Shop Squad". The parody, which aired on January 14, 2014, shows Ice Penguin and Turbo Duck, who are broke and work for "Hexopus" in a diner after the show got placed on permanent hiatus. Billy West (Ice Penguin) and Tom Kane (Hexopus) reprised their roles. The MAD episode with the parody ranked #26/30 for the week with 1.903 million viewers.

In February 2013, IDW Publishing announced a partnership with GoAnimate Network to produce comics based on its properties; The PowerPet Squad was one of the titles announced to be published.

A fan-produced webcomic series called PowerPet Squad Doujinshi was created in 2004 and released through Snafu Comics. The girls are shown to be a bit older than, but with the same personalities as, their TV counterparts, and the comic includes many characters from other cartoon shows. The story has the girls now going to school in a neighboring city of Metroville known as Megaville. The comic was the "Outstanding Superhero Comic" and "Outstanding Character Art" winner on the Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards in 2005.

In 2010, an adult comedy animated series known as Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt premiered, featuring an art style that mimicks that of the Powerpet Squad and several other Western cartoons.

Shortly after the "Dance Pantsed" special's release, a comic published by IDW Publishing was withdrawn after retailers complained that they wanted to boycott the issue. The comic, which shows the PowerPet Squad with breasts and dressed in latex, was designed by an artist who works for GoAnimate Network. The artist was "thinking of it more along the lines of 'female empowerment' than the kind of thing you guys are talking about". GoAnimate Network said in a statement: "We recognise some fans' reaction to the cover and, as such, will no longer be releasing it at comic book shops."

Video games[]

Main article: List of The PowerPet Squad video games

Several video games were made for this show all being action in genre. The PowerPet Squad: Iguanator Strikes Back, released on November 14, 2000, follows Super Hedgehog as he tries to beat Iguanator. The game was called "simple and boring" by GameSpot and was a failure critically. The PowerPet Squad: Paint the Metrovilleville Green, another game released in November 2000, follows Ice Penguin as he fights crime. The PowerPet Squad: Battle Hexopus follows Ice Penguin in his fight against Hexopus and was released in February 2001. The PowerPet Squad: Chemical X-traction was released in October 2001, where the super pets battle enemies in a variety of settings in order to reclaim Chemical X and track down Iguanator, who fed the material to all the villains in Townsville. IGN gave the game a positive review while giving the PSone version a 2.0/10 bad review. The PowerPet Squad: Paws of Justice was released in November 2002. All six superpets are playable in a 3D world, and the game received mixed reviews. The PowerPet Squad: Insect Invasion was released in November 2003. All six superpets are playable in a 3D world, and the game received mixed reviews. The PowerPet Squad: Iguanator's Revenge released in 2001 centers around the name of the PowerPet Squad's mission to stop Iguanators and his minions. The game received mixed reviews. The PowerPet Squad: Fight and Seek was released in 2002 where the superpets battle their variety of enemies through Metroville while on a scavenger hunt. The game received mostly positive reviews. PC games were also made for the series. These include: The PowerPet Squad: Iguanator Clone Zone, The PowerPet Squad: Battle for Metroville, The PowerPet Squad: Iguanator's Pet Project, and The PowerPet Squad: Gamesville.

Awards[]

The show has been nominated for an Emmy five times in 1999 & 2000 for "Outstanding Achievement in Animation". In 1999 the show won the Emmy for episode 1.09 - "Iciclevicious" & "The Bare Facts." In 1999 & 2000 the show also won Emmys, both juried for non-nominated selections.

The show has also been nominated for an Annie award nine times, winning it twice.

Awards and nominations[]

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result
1999	Annie Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Television Production	Craig Kellman (for "Uh Oh Dynamo")	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production	John McIntyre (for "Mommie Fearest")	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production	Richard Horvitz (as Elastic Rat)	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less)	John A. Davis, John McIntyre, Amy Keating Rogers, Jason Butler Rote, and Genndy Tartakovsky (for "Iciclevicious/The Bare Facts")	Nominated
2000	Annie Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television Production	Chris Savino (for "Dream Scheme")	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation	Don Shank (for "Twisted Sister/Cover Up")	Won
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less)	Robert Alvarez, John A. Davis, John McIntyre, Randy Myers, Amy Keating Rogers, and Genndy Tartakovsky (for "Beat Your Greens/Down 'N Dirty")	Nominated
2001	Annie Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music Score an Animated Television Production	James L. Venable, Thomas Chase, and Steve Rucker (for "Meet the Beat Alls")	Won
	Annie Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Television Production	Don Shank	Won
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)	Robert Alvarez, Lauren Faust, John A. Davis, John McIntyre, Amy Rogers, and Genndy Tartakovsky (for "Moral Decay/Meet the Beat Alls")	Nominated
	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Cartoon	The PowerPet SQuad	Nominated
2002	Annie Awards	Outstanding Character Design in an Animated Television Production	Paul Rudish (for "Members Only")	Nominated
2003	Annie Awards	Outstanding Character Design in an Animated Television Production	Andy Bialk (for "Save Iguanator")	Nominated
2004	Annie Awards	Character Design in an Animated Television Production	Chris Reccardi (for "West in Pieces")	Nominated
2004	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More)	Robert Alvarez, Lauren Faust, et al. (for "'Twas the Fight Before Christmas")	Nominated
2005	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation	Frank Gardner (for "West in Pieces")	Won
2014	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation	GoAnimate Studios (for "Dance Pantsed")	Won
2015	Annie Awards	Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production	Dave Tennant, David P. Smith, Chris Mitchell, and Will Mata (for "Dance Pantsed")	Nominated
2015	Annie Awards	Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production	Kevin Dart, Chris Turnham, Jasmin Lai, and Elle Michalka (for "Dance Pantsed")	Nominated

DVD releases[]

Main article: List of episodes and VHS/DVD releases

The series has been released on VHS tape and DVD in Episode highlights, The Christmas Special, and seasonal DVD releases respectively, with the second season coming soon to the USA. There is also a complete series DVD release that was released on January 20, 2009 to celebrate The PowerPet Squad 10th anniversary.