Movies - TV
The Other Cartoon Network Series That Saved The Powerpuff Girls
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
Although Craig McCracken’s “The Powerpuff Girls” would go on to be one of the most popular shows on Cartoon Network, its original 1995 pitch tested incredibly badly.
According to a Los Angeles Times, the pilot was shown to a panel of 11-year-old boys, who rejected it immediately, calling it the worst cartoon they had ever seen.
McCracken felt that his career was over. Luckily, he could return to storyboarding episodes of Genndy Tartakovsky's "Dexter's Laboratory."
While working on “Dexter’s Laboratory” and continuing to pitch his own show, McCracken would eventually meet Linda Simensky, Cartoon Network’s Senior Vice President of Animation.
Simensky saw a lot of promise in McCracken. She encouraged him to keep the Powerpuff Girls alive despite his failed pitches.
The VP contacted Mike Lazzo, then the Executive in Charge of Programming. Lazzo responded well to "The Powerpuff Girls," and the show was put into production.
The new series was an instant hit when it debuted, ran for six seasons, and won three Emmys. "The Powerpuff Girls" would even get a theatrical feature film in 2002.