Whoopass Stew

Whoopass Stew - A Sticky Situation
General Information
Original broadcast	September 1, 1992
Series	Whoopass Stew
Details
Episode	1
Pun	The name, “A Sticky Situation”, is a pun on the phrase of the same name.
Episode Guide
Next episode	Whoopass a Go-Go!
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Transcript

"Whoopass Stew - A Sticky Situation" or "Whoopass Girls - A Sticky Situation" is a one-reel film and the first ever appearance of The Powerpuff Girls.

It was a project that Craig McCracken made while in CalArts animation college in 1992. He sent it off to Cartoon Network while working at Hanna-Barbera Studios. It had to be renamed to "Powerpuff Girls" as "Whoopass Girls" was an unacceptable name for the channel's target audience. McCracken had four shorts planned out, but only this one got finished due to Cartoon Network's lack of interest in the original concept

Plot

The opening title begins with an early version of Professor Utonium using the original recipe of sugar, spice, and everything nice to try and create the perfect little girl, but he accidentally adds a can of Whoopass and he creates The Whoopass Girls. In a similar way to the current series, the girls race towards an early Gangreen Gang and beat them up.

Main story

The Amoeba Boys have robbed the local bank and the girls attack them but end up getting stuck to them. Blossom comes up with a way to defeat them. They then fly with them to the sun and burn them alive, where they apparently evaporated and died from the heat, and the day is saved as the girls fly away.

Characters

• The Narrator (debut)
• Professor Utonium (debut)
• The Powerpuff Girls (as The Whoopass Girls) (debut)
  • Blossom (debut)
  • Bubbles (debut)
  • Buttercup (debut)
• The Gangreen Gang (debut)
  • Ace (debut)
  • Sanford Ingleberry (debut)
  • Grubber (debut)
  • William Williams (debut)
  • Arturo de la Guerra (debut)
• The Amoeba Boys (debut)
  • Bossman (debut)
  • Slim (debut)
  • Junior (debut)

Differences between the short and the finished series

• Professor Utonium looked older, with glasses and a bald scalp. He wore purple gloves and a head mirror, and was shaped differently.
• The girls did not have individual personalities at this point, and they were all voiced by Jennifer Fried instead of Cathy Cavadini, E.G. Daily, and Tara Strong, making this short the only piece of related media where all three girls are voiced by the same person. They were slightly taller and had blue instead of purple eyelids, but their overall designs otherwise remained the same.
• In this short, the Girls did not seem to have any superpowers except the ability to fly and breathe in space. Despite the lack of superpowers, they had a more brutal characterization, as shown by them purposefully killing the Amoeba Boys instead of merely beating them up.
• The Gangreen Gang looked older and more menacing. Ace had red sunglasses, a shorter-sleeved shirt and crooked teeth. Little Arturo had two zeroes on his shirt and a pink nose. Snake had visible ears, sharp teeth, and a red and yellow cap. Grubber had a pink nose. Big Billy's nose matched his skin color.
• In this short, the Amoeba Boys were capable of committing actual crimes and even knew how to use guns. Bossman had a cigar in his mouth, Slim had sharp teeth and Junior had freckles. They all had purple instead of blue spots on their bodies. Additionally, their voices were more garbled. In the final series, however, they are completely inept at crime and are more of a nuisance to the Girls than a real threat. Slim's body was a lighter shade of blue compared to Bossman and Junior.
• The short has a much smaller cast than the final series, as it was intended as merely a preview to the show that McCracken was pitching to Cartoon Network.

Trivia

• When Bossman says “It’s the Whoopass Girls; let’s get ’em, boys!”, the instrumental in the background is the theme from Peter Gunn performed by Duane Eddy & The Art of Noise, which was a UK #8 hit in March 1986.
• Craig McCracken did the narration for this short.
• Bossman was the only of his gang to have actual lines while the rest of them just screamed when the girls killed them in the sun.
• After the narrator tells that the Amoeba Boys were fried up from the sun you can hear the audience laugh used on all adult comedy shows.
• Although not acquired by Nickelodeon, this short was viewed and presented by an employee at Nickelodeon after the short was published.
• Bubbles and Buttercup spoke along with Blossom for only one line for the whole episode. After this they don’t ever speak again. Blossom speaks a second line when she directs the girls to take the Amoeba Boys to the sun.
• The girls being made from accidentally adding a can of Whoopass is a reference to the term "let's open a can of Whoopass", which basically means "let's kick some butt".
• The woman who shouts "The Amoeba Boys, they just robbed the bank!" has a similar character design to the School Counselor in the Dexter's Laboratory episode "Sister Mom" which was also storyboarded by Craig McCracken.