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Last updated on November 26th, 2022
The original run of Cartoon Network’s “The Powerpuff Girls” had its own Christmas special, “Twas the Fight Before Christmas.” The special was released as a direct-to-video movie (and also aired on TV) in 2003.
Background
The plot: Princess Morbucks, the spoiled rich girl who wishes to be a Powerpuff Girl (despite lacking superpowers or altruistic traits), has figured out a way of achieving her goal. She secretly heads to the North Pole, and switches the names on Santa Claus’ “naughty” and “nice” lists. (It turns out she’s the only name on Santa’s “naughty” list; I suppose that means even villains like Mojo Jojo were on the “nice” list?) She then asks Santa for Powerpuff Girl-style superpowers. The girls, of course, catch on to what happened and set out to the North Pole (in an extended fight scene with Princess) to set things right.
This was an entertaining special, even if the fight-to-reach-the-North Pole portion was a bit long. My favorite parts:
- The opening in the girls’ classroom:
- The wind-up toy Santa.
- Bubbles telling Buttercup she mailed Santa her list “December 26 last year!”
- Princess telling Buttercup (who wants a BB gun for Christmas) that “you’ll shoot your eye out.”
- Finally, the rundown of Princess’ crimes, all a list of things she did in previous episodes.
- Princess asking her various servants if she was “naughty” (and discovering where “all [those] years of coal in her stocking” came from).
- A group of carolers singing the lyrics “public domain Christmas songs” (to the tune of “Deck the Halls”).
- Princess reading over the “naughty” and “nice” lists.
- Princess’ rant toward St. Nick at the North Pole.
- The Girls’ reactions (both times) to waking up on Christmas morning. (Buttercup: “Yay, presents! Let’s go, baby!”)
On TV/home video
The special often airs on Boomerang and/or Cartoon Network during December.
“‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas” is available on its own (now out-of-print) DVD. It’s also available on the Powerpuff Girls’ complete series DVD box set.
The episode’s also available to watch on HBO Max.
Image by Satheesh Sankaran from Pixabay
