'Powerpuff Girls' Reboot Releases First Picture

Somebody up there loves me. That's the only explanation I can think of for why The Powerpuff Girls are returning to TV in 2016, for a Cartoon Network reboot that will bring new episodes of the hit cartoon series back into my life. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup taught me almost everything I know about feminism and kicking butt before bedtime, and now they'll get to pass those same lessons on to the next generation. Thank you, TV gods. While we're still a pretty long way from the premiere, that doesn't mean we can't prepare. Especially when the first image from the Powerpuff Girls reboot has been released onto the Internet, giving us a glimpse of what we can expect from the new series. While this glimpse might be a little different than what we're used to, different doesn't necessarily mean bad.

It's obvious from the start that efforts have been taken to redesign Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup. Blossom looks the closest to her original incarnation, with the only real difference between the two being that her head and bow are much larger than they were before. Bubbles now has visible blue clips holding her pigtails in place on either side of her head, and Buttercup now has a cowlick, possibly because someone along the way realized that the same girl who had a whole episode devoted to how she refuses to shower probably wouldn't keep her hair quite as neat as her sisters do.

However, those small differences are so insignificant that they aren't really a cause for alarm, even from the most diehard Powerpuff Girls fans who are prepared to take to the streets if the reboot isn't exactly the same level of charming as the early episodes. The girls are still together. They are still flying with their familiar colorful trails behind them. They are still smiling as they launch themselves into the air to fight crime before bedtime. And they'll still be doing so with the Mayor to point them at the latest Townsville problem, and the Narrator to tell their story. While we're still waiting to hear if their rogues gallery of villains will remain the same in the reboot, that's more than enough to make the Powerpuff Girls fan within me excited.

This cartoon is an iconic series. It makes up part of the tapestry of many people's childhoods, and it's one of those shows that still withstands the test of time when you try to watch it as an adult vs. watching it as a kid. While the Powerpuff Girl you claim as your favorite may have changed over time, your love for the show never has — and its return to cartoon network is something that seems almost too good to be true. Any lingering doubters who were worried that the remake couldn't come close to the quality of the original should find their concerns assuaged by this image. The Powerpuff Girls are back, baby, and, hopefully, they're here to stay.

Image: Cartoon Network