Nano of the North

Nano of the North
General Information
Original broadcast	October 12, 2001 (Australia) November 16, 2001 (Canada) January 13, 2002 (UK) March 27, 2002 (Mexico) June 22, 2002 (US, Kids' WB!) August 9, 2002 (US, Cartoon Network)
Details
Season	4
Episode	8
Pun	The film "Nanook of the North".
Credits
Written by	Rob Renzetti Mark Andrews
Storyboarded by	Mark Andrews
Directed by	Rob Renzetti Craig McCracken
Episode Guide
Previous episode	Superfriends
Next episode	Stray Bullet
Links
Gallery
Transcript

"Nano of the North" is the eighth episode of Season 4, and the 82nd episode overall.

The episode was completed on March 6, 2001 but didn't premiere on Cartoon Network in the United States until August 9, 2002.

Plot

An acidic rain cloud blankets Townsville and melts all of the buildings, cars, and clothing items in range.

Synopsis

The Narrator unveils the city of Townsville as a wonderful city full of productive people, explaining that with every new day comes the hope for opportunity for everyone and everything. When a massive storm cloud descends over Townsville, the narrator monologues and rambles in a hopeless panic over what anybody could’ve done to upset such a higher power to the point where irreparable evil is about to descend on the city - only for him to calm down when he realizes it’s just rain, and a little rain never hurt anyone (at least none who come prepared with umbrellas). However, the strange thing is that the storm cloud hangs over nowhere except the downtown area while the suburbs where the Powerpuff Girls live is still totally dry and sunny. There, the girls are watching a TV show about a pink pony that does nothing but hop around a field (Blossom and Bubbles are loving it while Buttercup finds it insufferable) when Professor Utonium comes home with groceries. When he’s putting them away, he notices a raindrop on his sleeve and all his clothes suddenly start disintegrating.

The citizens of Townsville panic over the appearance of black clouds over Townsville. The rain itself, however, is a problem, as it causes cities, objects, and clothing to erode into mush. The Professor explains to the Girls that this is because the rain consists of tiny robots called nanobots which steal carbon from the environment. To make matters worse, the nanobots are eating everyone's clothes! After a failed attempt to stop the nanobots, the Girls use one of the Professor's inventions - the Micro-Stabilizer - to shrink down to the nanobots' size.

As the Girls take on the nanobots, the Professor attempts to direct the townspeople away from flattening them. The nanobots step up on their resistance, focusing their attacks on the girls and combining into a 6-inch tall monobot. Though it overwhelms the Girls, the Professor is able to squash it flat, ending the invasion. The girls are credited for saving the day even though it was the Professor that squished the monobot.

Characters

Major Roles

• The Powerpuff Girls
  • Blossom
  • Bubbles
  • Buttercup
• Professor Utonium
• Nanobots
• Monobot
• Gabby Baloni
• Narrator

Trivia

• This episode premiered in some countries before the United States.
  • This episode premiered in Australia on October 12, 2001.
  • This episode premiered in Canada on November 16, 2001.
  • This episode premiered in the United Kingdom on January 13, 2002.
  • This episode premiered in Mexico on March 27, 2002.
• This episode served as the basis for the Sugababes music video of "Angels With Dirty Faces."
  • At the time, the line-up had consisted of Heidi Range, Keisha Buchanan, and Mutya Buena.
    • They were dressed as Bubbles, Buttercup, & Blossom, respectively in the video.
  • The single was a Double A-Side with "Stronger" and became a #7 hit in the UK Singles Chart in November 2002. Both of these songs are taken from the album of the same name, "Angels with Dirty Faces."
• During the "Day is Saved" outro, the Powerpuff Girls (along with 'The End' sign) are still tiny, and the narrator speaks in a high-pitched voice to match.
• This episode was directed and storyboarded by Rob Renzetti, who went on to create the Nickelodeon cartoon My Life as a Teenage Robot (2002-2006) shortly after this episode.
• This is the second and last time in the classic series the Girls have been naked onscreen, the first time being in Down 'n' Dirty.
  • The Girls are not seen naked again until the 2016 reboot's episode Princess Buttercup, However, it was only Blossom and Bubbles in that episode.
  • Strangely, Blossom's hair bow and hair clip and Bubbles' pigtails do not melt.
• The Powerpuff Girls were watching "The Pretty Puff Ponies" the show Dee Dee and her friends like from Dexter's Lab. This is another example of The Powerpuff Girls and Dexter's Laboratory having the same universe.
• It's unknown how the Powerpuff Girls got big again. It's likely that the effects of the Micro-Stabilizer were temporary and that they got big again after a few hours.
• When the Professor is explaining the "transport device", Blossom's hair turns the same color as her bow.
• This episode first aired in the United States on Kids' WB! on June 22, 2002. It later properly aired on Cartoon Network on August 9, 2002.
• It's never explained where the nanobots came from.
• This is the episode where the narrator has the longest opening speech.
• The girls are shown fighting much less nanobots than there should be, considering the amount of rain drops and the rate of the nanobots' multiplication.
• The Professor's license plate reads "pwrprof," referencing the episode Powerprof..
• Most people don't lose their clothes in the rain.
• At a certain point during the Narrator's opening speech, there is a man holding a sign reading "dark days ahead". When the dark clouds are formed above Townsville, the man is shown again, this time with a sign saying "told you so".
• While the Powerpuff Girls needed a machine to get small in this episode, in Nuthin' Special it's revealed that they can do that by themselves as well. They may have discovered this power later though, or only be able to use it when they don't use their other powers while being shrunk.
• While watching the shrunken girls fight the nanobots, The Professor halts emergency vehicles such as a police car, an ambulance, and a fire engine. Normally, this would be illegal, but since the girls are emergency responders themselves as well as an integral part of Townsville's Emergency Response apparatus, it's reasonable to assume they would be given priority over other emergency responders. In Cop Out, the Townsville Police Department was ordered to stand by over the radio when the Powerpuff Girls were on the way.
• Even though the narrator said that the girls saved the day in the ending, it would've been logical to say that the Professor also saved the day as well since he shrunk the girls and stepped on the gigabot.
• It's unknown where the Professor got his Magnivison Helmet.
• This episode shows the Narrator crying for a second time after "Twisted Sister".
• The episode title is similar to the Johnny Bravo episode "Schnook of the North".

Production Notes

• Although this episode premiered in the United States in 2002, it was actually produced in 2001 according to the credits.
  • This episode was completed on March 6, 2001.