"The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!" is a TV special, produced in 2008 for the tenth anniversary of The Powerpuff Girls. It aired on November 29, 2008 in Asia and Europe, and January 19, 2009 in the United States.
Plot[]
The key to the world is sent to Townsville, and The Mayor has the responsibility of keeping watch of it. However, he misplaces it, and all the villains of Townsville break free from prison to search for the key, each one of them wanting to obtain it and rule the world, especially Mojo Jojo. The Powerpuff Girls must find the key and return it to The Mayor, before the villains get to it.
Synopsis[]
Five months after the original series, the girls find out that the key to the world is coming to Townsville. The girls have hoped that the key will never come to Townsville because it gives the person who has it the right to rule the world. Almost all of the villains (with a few exceptions such as the Officer Mike Brikowski, Rowdyruff Boys, the Nanobots, the Smiths, Dick Hardly, the Alien Leader, and The Fluffy Bunch) searches for the key in the town. The girls decide that they can't beat all the villains at once, so they look for the key themselves to prevent it from ending up in a villain's hands. They search all over the city, but with no such luck. Bubbles then realizes that the mayor is a complete idiot and most likely left the key in his desk drawer all this time; though most of the main villains overhear this and race (in a Wacky Races / Mario Kart Parody) to the Mayor's office. (The Amoeba Boys couldn’t afford a car so they called a taxi.)
Puppy eyes on the Girls.
The Girls fighting over the Keys to the World.
Mojo Jojo is moments away from finding the key. When he reaches the mayor's office, he opens the wrong drawer, only to find the girls standing beside him and open the correct drawer with the key inside. Taunting him at his loss once again, Mojo rages briefly, but then suddenly gives up on ruling the world and decides to become a normal citizen. The girls are ecstatic over their victory of keeping the key away from the hands of the villains, but then start to lose sight of what's important. At first, they suggest to give up fighting, but then they decide that they want to rule the world with different ideas each, which no one can agree on. They start to fight over the key and all the villains show up and a big fight breaks out. During this fight, Mojo abandons his plans for world domination, and is left with the option of leaving Townsville. As the fight comes to an end, all other villains have been defeated, but the girls are still fighting each other for the key, until they see all the townspeople looking down upon their behavior with shame. The girls apologize and the Mayor takes the key and stating to them that with great power comes great responsibility. Mojo Jojo, seeing his chance, asks the Mayor for the key and the Mayor, not paying attention, gives it to him. At long last, Mojo Jojo has found his opportunity to rule the world, and begins his plan for world domination by putting the key into the machine. While the town is scared of what is about to happen Mojo turns the world into a surprisingly happy place free of suffering.
Everyone is surprised at what Mojo Jojo wanted to do the whole time, including the Girls. The Girls apologized to Mojo for not realizing his plan, and Mojo forgave them. However, after the Girls left, Mojo started to get bored because there was nothing wrong with the world and started to hate it. He starts to terrorize the city, but the Girls go back to defeat Mojo and save the day.
Appearances[]
Major[]
- The Powerpuff Girls
- Professor Utonium
- The Mayor
- Mojo Jojo
- Fuzzy Lumpkins
- HIM
- Princess Morbucks
- Sedusa
- The Gangreen Gang
- The Amoeba Boys
- Giant Fishballoon
- Rowdyruff Boys (dropped)
Minor[]
- Narrator
- Ms. Bellum
- Talking Dog (Cameo)
- Ms. Keane (Non-Speaking Cameo)
- Mitch Mitchelson (Non-Speaking Cameo)
- The Powerbluffs (Non-Speaking Cameo)
- Abracadaver (Non-Speaking Cameo)
- Femme Fatale (Non-Speaking Cameo)
- Lenny Baxter (Non-Speaking Cameo)
- White Kitty (Non-Speaking Cameo)
- Roach Coach (Non-Speaking Cameo)
- The Boogie Man (Non-Speaking Cameo)
- The Sandman (Non-Speaking Cameo)
- Eye Monster (Non-Speaking Cameo)
- Broccoloids (Non-Speaking Cameo)
- Daddy Morbucks (Mentioned)
- Rainbow the Clown (Non-Speaking Cameo)
- Fake Powerpuff Girls
Trivia[]
- Mojo Jojo also quotes "Go Monkey Go! Mojo Jojo!", which is the name of a song about him, featured on The Powerpuff Girls' Heroes & Villains soundtrack.
- The contract about The Key to the World reads as follows:
- Be it enacted in the year Two Thousand and Eight, by the parties representing the Key to the Word, henceforth referred to as "The Committee" that the Key to the World, henceforth be known as "The Key", will travel the world spending one full day in each city during which that city will rule the world. Unless otherwise specified or provided for in this decree, all cities will have "The Key" for a day and will rule the world for that day. Herein each city will comply to the schedules contained within and paragraphs respectively prescribed to follow exactly the rules set forth in this document.
- The purpose of this law is intended to present a detailed review of the provisions relating to all systems involved in or related to "The Key" and its mission. It is "The Committee's" desire to ascertain all laws put forth by "The Committee" in uniformity, discretionary, ordinances, that are therefore primarily set forth in the Law pertaining to "The Key to the World".
- Daddy Morbucks is mentioned in dialogue, but not seen. He is mentioned, when Princess Morbucks yells at a construction worker to "do what her daddy pays him to do."
- The Mayor picks up Ms. Bellum's bonus checks from November 18, 1998. This is a reference to the show premiering on that same date.
- This special marks the canon grand finale to the 1998 series, taking place five months after the events of the show. A majority of the show's villains (Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, HIM, Princess Morbucks, Sedusa, The Gangreen Gang, The Amoeba Boys, Abracadaver, the Fake Powerpuff Girls, and the Giant Fishballoon) return for the series finale.
- The series finale is revealed to be non-canon so it is unknown how Townsville is restored to its normal size, as it happened immediately after the last episode.
- Another special is released in 2014, taking place one year after the special's events and 17 months after the final episode. The special serves as an epilogue to the whole 1998 show.
- The Giant Fishballoon serves as a major character, along with all the other major villains, despite his being just a minor villain, whose only appearance prior was his starring role in "Uh-Oh, Dynamo" and a cameo in "City of Frownsville".
- List of vehicles used in the race:
- The Powerpuff Girls and Professor Utonium = Dune Buggy
- Mojo Jojo = Giant Racing Tank
- Fuzzy Lumpkins = Barrel Car
- HIM = Low-Riding Motorcycle
- Princess Morbucks = Fancy Limo, driven by a Car Michael
- The Gangreen Gang = Green Car
- The Amoeba Boys = Taxi
- Giant Fishballoon = Tiny Tricycle
- During the racing segment, HIM was shown, riding a low-riding motorcycle. This is the same vehicle he rode in Craig McCracken's early short, "Whoopass a Go-Go!" This short also shares more similarities to this episode in it's plot, where The Whoopass Girls (early renditions of The Powerpuff Girls) raced against The Devil, (an early rendition of HIM), for possession of the Key to the World.
- It is revealed that Blossom has an extremist-feminist side when in her dream she wants to rule the world with other women, while men do all of the dirty work (generally chores). This attitude was not shown at the end of "Equal Fights", so it's unknown why Blossom wanted to be that way.
- Until the entire show (along with all specials, including this one) was put up on Netflix in 2023, there was no way the episode could be viewed in its original HD quality. Even Max has this in letterboxed SD and not in HD.
- Miss Bellum shows her face for a brief second when she turns her head around to cry when she sees the Powerpuff Girls acting so inappropriately warring over the key to the world.
- Like in "See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey," The Rowdyruff Boys were the only major villains who didn't appear in this episode. However, reanimated version of The Boys do briefly appear in the episode's new intro.
- Moral: Great power comes great responsibility.
Continuity[]
- Several minor and one-time villains make brief return appearances in this episode.
- The Fake Powerpuff Girls from "Powerpuff Bluff" appear in prison, while Mojo Jojo is being walked to his cell.
- Tons of villains are shown in the establishing shot of The City of Townsville, including The U.F.O. of The Broccoloids from "Beat Your Greens", The Eyeball Monster from "The Mane Event", a few generic monsters from the simulation in "Bubblevicious", the stupid octopus from "Octi Gone", the three headed dragon from "Octi Evil" and "Oops, I Did It Again", The Sandman from "Dream Scheme", The Boogie Man from "Boogie Frights", Femme Fatale from "Equal Fights", Roach Coach from "Insect Inside", and White Kitty from "Cat Man Do".
- The Giant Fishballoon from "Uh-Oh, Dynamo" serves a major role, throughout the episode.
- Lenny Baxter from "Collect Her" is one of the villains to turn his head in shock, when hearing all the keys land on the ground.
- The Mayor finds his Priceless Porcelain Poodle, from the episode "Powerpuff Bluff" again. The poodle has strangely been reassembled, despite its having broken at the end of its debut episode.
- Part of the dialogue that Mojo Jojo used in the beginning was also used in in the episode "Los Dos Mojos". When he built the machine activated with the key to ruling the world, sequences from the episode "Mr. Mojo's Rising" were used.
- The scene where Mojo Jojo finally gets the Key to the World uses an animation that is identical to the animation used when Mojo Jojo gets the Anubis Head in "Monkey See, Doggie Do" (and its sequel "Monkey See, Doggy Two".).
- Several of Mojo's evil inventions and plans are shown in one shot during the song, including Robo Mojo from earlier in the episode, the monkey transformation domes from The Powerpuff Girls Movie, various missiles from "Forced Kin", the capsule suit with a propeller on top from "Daylight Savings", the Super Fire Hydrant from "Monkey See, Doggie Do" and "Monkey See, Doggy Two", a bomb from "Save Mojo", and a cannon from "Bang For Your Buck".
Cultural References[]
- This episode includes several references to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. This was because both shows were created by Craig McCracken. Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends also had Powerpuff Girls references throughout its run, but this is the only episode of The Powerpuff Girls to reference to Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, as it's the only episode to be produced and aired after Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends was first released.
- A toy, resembling Bloo is shown as one of the many things falling from the building that The Giant Fishballoon shakes things out of.
- Frankie Foster appears as one of the radical feminists in Blossom's fantasy of turning the world into a matriarchy.
- Mac and Bloo are seen standing behind Mitch Mitchelson, Harry Pitt, and Elmer Skloo, in the scene, where the students of Pokey Oaks Kindergarten express shame over The Powerpuff Girls getting into a petty fight over the Key to the World.
- Mojo Jojo's first appearance in this episode is a direct homage to the famous internet meme "Dramatic Look Gopher," accompanied by the same musical score as in the gopher video.
- This is the second Cartoon Network show to do this, the first time was the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends episode Bloo Tube.
- The fanfare for the "Dramatic Look Gopher" is from the Mel Brooks / Gene Wilder comedy movie, "Young Frakenstein".
- Mojo Jojo sings a parody of "Part of Your World" from Disney's The Little Mermaid while going to jail.
- The Professor's hitting his face with a newspaper and saying, 'Bad dad!, bad dad!' may possibly be a reference to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when Dobby hits his head on a bedpost and says, "Bad Dobby, Bad Dobby!"
- Mojo Jojo holds up a sign with words on it, in reference to Wile E. Coyote from Looney Tunes.
- The whole racing sequence was a reference to "Wacky Races".
- Mojo Jojo makes a reference to The Flintstones, running in a way which is typical for The Flintstones along with the same sound effects used for it.
- When the villains fall in love with the pile of keys, the instrumental piece, Fantasy Overture, plays.
- The racing sequence also included a reference to the "Mario Kart" games. Professor Utonium launches a turtle shell at Mojo Jojo's tank, knocking him off track.
- During Buttercup's dictatorship fantasy, she is a part of a screen that reads, "Big Butter is Watching." This is likely a reference to George Orwell's novel, 1984, with the famous slogan of the book, "Big Brother is Watching." Furthermore, her plans to rule the world are exactly how the Ingsoc Party rules over Oceania in the novel.
- The women in Blossom's matriarchal fantasy do Xena's war cry from Xena: Warrior Princess.
- Mojo Jojo sings a cover version of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" which was originally a UK #2 hit for 'Tears for Fears' in 1985.
- The Talking Dog says the line, 'I have nothing to say!' which was a line Oliver Hardy used in the Laurel & Hardy film Dirty Work (1933).
Production Notes[]
- Although this special premiered in the United States on January 19, 2009, it was actually produced in 2008 according to the credits. It also premiered in Asia and Europe on November 29, 2008.
- This special uses Flash animation.
- This special includes a reanimated, high-def version of the theme song.
- This special was produced in widescreen 16:9.
- The special was originally planned to be an hour long, but the network execs would only allow them a half hour, so the story was tweaked. This also explains why the characters keep talking so fast. It may also explain why the Narrator describes one of the scenes as a "fast time-saving action sequence."
- There are differences between the original episode and the final cut:
- The Rowdyruff Boys and Sedusa are going to be four of the main villains (along with Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, HIM, Princess Morbucks, The Gangreen Gang, and The Amoeba Boys) who will get the Key to the World, but the Rowdyruff Boys got dropped in the final cut and replaced by the Giant Fishballoon for unknown reasons and Sedusa has a non-speaking role in this special.
- They are originally planned to join the race: The Rowdyruff Boys in a three-man super speedy motorcycle-tricycle hybrid (with Brick driving, Butch on the backseat, and Boomer on the sidecar) and Sedusa on a jeep. But they were replaced in the final episode by the Giant Fishballoon in a single tiny tricycle.
- The Giant Fishballoon was originally going to have a non-speaking cameo in this special. But in the final cut, he has a bigger role and lots of lines.
- A scene at the end of the original cut features the Mayor of Townsville giving the key to the Powerpuff Girls in a ceremony, but it was cut from the final episode for unknown reasons.
- The Rowdyruff Boys and Sedusa are going to be four of the main villains (along with Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, HIM, Princess Morbucks, The Gangreen Gang, and The Amoeba Boys) who will get the Key to the World, but the Rowdyruff Boys got dropped in the final cut and replaced by the Giant Fishballoon for unknown reasons and Sedusa has a non-speaking role in this special.
- In this special, Mojo has his season 1-4 design.
- In addition, all the characters and backgrounds were reverted to their original designs from seasons 1-4.
- This episode was aired in Europe and Asia before the US.
- This is the final piece of Powerpuff Girls-related media that Craig McCracken worked on, as the special Dance Pantsed and the 2016 reboot, which premiered a few years after this special, do not have him involved at all. However, he came back in 2022 to work on another reboot for this show and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.
- This is the final time Princess Morbucks was voiced by her original actor Jennifer Hale as she was recast for the 2016 reboot.
Names in other languages[]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish (Latin America) | ¡Las Chicas Superpoderosas Reinan! | The Powerpuff Girls Reign! |
| Japanese | パワーパフガールズ:支配者はワタシ！ | Powerpuff Girls: I'm the Ruler! |
Errors[]
- When all of the villains' eyes turned to keys, Big Billy has two keys for eyes, but in "Schoolhouse Rocked", Billy has only one eye. However, his eye gets revealed later while he gets beat up by Bubbles, and he is still a cyclops.
- Sedusa randomly disappears from the episode, after the 10-minute mark.
- Sedusa is the only villain not to have a car in the race, as she mysteriously stopped, appearing at this point.