The RowdyRuff Boys: Jar Jar Binks in Reverse

by Sean Phillips (sphill01@pnc.edu)

     The City of Townsville…has a skeleton in its closet.  Actually three.  Their names are Butch, Brick and Boomer.

     It might surprise you somewhat that I have yet to see the actual Rowdyruff episode.  I've only seen the commercial for that episode.  But I've read much about the RRBs, first in a magazine, then extensively on the Internet, so I think I know what I'm talking about.  The first thoughts to occur to me after viewing that commercial were (and I believe countless others must have the same feelings, judging from some of fanart and writing I've seen) : What a cool new idea!  But what if they made this new trio of super- powered kids really evil?  They'd spoil it if they did that.  I didn't see the RowdyRuff Boys again on any of the episodes I did watch, so I forgot about them until I happened to pick up a copy of the Powerpuff Girls Powerzine over the holidays.  There wasn't much RRB material in it (a fact I'll get to later), but it did tell their names in one section, and a synopsis of their episode in another.  Not too long afterward, I got the idea for a PPG/RRB story (unknowing that so many other fans had also written just such stories), though I realized I'd perhaps have to view the episode first, in order to really know them.  In it, I didn't plan to have the RRBs switch sides, but I did want them in a situation that made them more sympathetic.  But since the magazine didn't tell if the RowdyRuff Boys were destroyed, or merely defeated, I went to the Web to find out more about them.

     I was astonished at the wealth of info the word "RowdyRuff" called up.  I had expected to only find short entries in lists of villains on Powerpuff Girl websites.  Instead, I was inundated with RRB sites, character descriptions, webrings, fanart, pics, and much more.  Among this plethora of RRB material, I skimmed over three fanfic stories (The two better ones being yours), which did have the RRBs switching sides!  And, of course, there was an actual writing guide to RRB fanfic on your site.  I also found out that the RRBs were blown to bits on the show, which disappointed me some, as I had to rework my story somewhat.  But after I worked that part out later on in my head, I found I liked the story even better.

     However, as I probed ever deeper into RowdyRuff territory on the Web, certain questions formed in my mind.  On one webpage there was a poll over which villains should be featured in the upcoming Powerpuff movie, and the RowdyRuffs were far, far ahead of everyone else.  Another person had posted a comment that said, to paraphrase: The RRBs are dead, so how could they be in the movie? They'd have to get recreated.

     Well, duh.  But that comment got me thinking about all the other questions that I was increasingly unable to ignore.  And shortly afterward, everything clicked.  And I've come up with a theory that I believe explains why there are no apparent plans for a RowdyRuff series, why they probably won't return in the PPG movie, or even on the show.  And this also made me decide to scrap my fanfic idea, at least for the foreseeable future.  If you've been wondering about these things yourself, then consider the following:

1.     Just why are the RowdyRuff Boys dead, when most other Townsville villains are alive, well, and plotting mayhem?
   
2.     The Web yields extensive RRB material, including pics, character info, fanfic, art galleries, and slick computer graphics of the RRBs sporting ultra-cool matrix-style shades over their enormous eyes.  But take a look at any official material, especially the numerous Powerpuff Girls mercendise available in retail outlets, and try to find them.  By all rights, especially the right of profit, they should be all over the place, but they are notoriously absent.  Why?
   
3.     On the original episode, Mojo creates the RowdyRuff Boys by adding a gross, disgusting substitute for Chemical  X.  I've read this is toilet water; your site indicates that it's literally "crap!"  You wonder why he does this.  Why indeed?  The RRBs apparently use flatulence as a weapon-funny, yes, but another "gross" factor.  They also temporarily destroy the Powerpuff Girls, thus "killing" characters the audience likes and cares about.  As I skimmed over your fanfic, I noticed (correct me if I'm wrong) that you mentioned a scene from the original in which one of the RowdyRuffs (I forget which) tosses a bus full of kids.  If you were that writer, would you want to include a scene in which the RRBs endanger children?  I doubt it, but the official people had no problem at all in doing so.
   
4.     If this episode was so popular with fans, then why hasn't it been released on video yet?  Could it be that the "official" people are just a bit uneasy about the fandom the RRBs have gained, and fear they will gain more?
   
5.     Why are the RRBs evil in the first place, especially since they seem to lack any motive to be evil?  I had an idea (as I believe you have as well), that it was the "gross Chemical  X substitute" which made them so, but is this ever explained on the episode?  The implication seems to be that little super-powered boys will just naturally be evil, just as the Powerpuff Girls were naturally good.  And why do they follow Mojo at all?  I actually thought it might be clever to have a Doctor Doom talking villain with hip-talking sidekicks, a thing I wanted to explore in my own fanfic.  But seriously, why don't the rad-talking, hi-fiving boys label the self-repeating Mojo a square and tell him to take a hike?  Why don't they try to "defeat" the Powerpuffs by beating them at their own game, rather than by offing them?  Boys in real life want to identify with Batman more than they do the Joker.
   
6.     And finally, why was "The RowdyRuff Boys" episode written?  What was the point in it?  To create a new trio of super-powered kids, and perhaps another hit series to rake in more cash?  Perhaps.  But the above observations just don't bear this assumption out.

     Remember the incident when that group of eleven-year-old boys said that McCracken should be fired for thinking up such a show?  Well, I believe McCracken and his pals thought they had found a way to retaliate.

     In other words, (and here's my theory) the RowdyRuff Boys are an angry, satirical response to the reactions of young male viewers.  On the storyboard, someone probably said something to the effect of: "This time we've created some bad guys our viewers can really love to hate, villains so vile we can off them early, and everyone will cheer!"  And what better villains for an audience of young children (though I believe many age groups watch this) than ones of the opposite sex?

     One small problem, though.

     You just can't create equally cool duplicates of the Powerpuff Girls, and expect your audience to abhor them utterly.  The RRB fansites that have sprung up on the Web are likely a source of embarrassment to them, in particular some of the fanart I've seen.  Blossom and Brick watching the sunset?  Blossom weeping over Brick's death?  I'd wager McCracken is weeping harder still.  I believe that they never intend to have the RowdyRuffs in the new movie, let alone give them their own series!  And why should they?  They already have one hit series, and since it's always difficult to predict how much a spinoff will make, they can afford to swallow their pride, look in the other direction, and ignore the fans who enjoyed the RRB episode for all the wrong reasons.

     And if you're still wondering about this essay's title, you may be familiar with a character in the latest Star Wars movie known as JarJar Binks.  JarJar was a character obviously intended as kind of "bumbling but lovable" version of Chewbacca from the first film, and Chewbacca was very well received.  The writers were shocked and dismayed by the general reaction of SW fans to poor JarJar, as was the actor who played him. Websites dedicated to the character sprung up almost immediately following the release of The Phantom Menace.  Only these weren't fansites; they were sites dedicating to offing the character in innumerable gory ways. Yet, last I heard, JarJar was still slated for the next film.  The situation of the RRBs is, of course, the very opposite.  It's their creators who want to keep them dead, and it's the fans who want them revived.

     Jar Jar Binks in reverse. 

     And why has all of this made me decide to scrap my fanfic idea?  You will certainly disagree with me in this, but in my way of thinking, because a fanfic isn't "real", then it doesn't really change anything.  If I were the only one writing RRB fanfic, then I might yet consider it.  But with the Powerpuff Girls show many other fanfics exist, and thus conflicts arise.  Consider this: The RowdyRuffs are dead, and need to be revived.  In your fanfic, I believe Mojo himself revives them. In my own projected story, Princess Morbucks brings them back.  In yet another story I ran across on another site, Professor Utonium does it.  And there are doubtless many more such recreations, some employing Chemical X, some not.  Obviously, all these can't be correct, so the only "real" story is the official one, in which the RRBs are still evil, and still dead.  We're back where we started.  Nothing's changed.

     So what can be done?  I'm not sure.  Unless fan pressure becomes literally overwhelming, I doubt McCracken and his creative team will give in.  It may sound cliché, but the best way to change things (if possible) would start with a change in attitudes.  Perhaps McCracken should lighten up in the case of very young viewers, but I can't blame him for his initial anger at that young gentleman's unthinking remark.  I would like to ask that group of viewers, who doubtless identify with the likes of Batman and Spawn (rather than their adversaries), do you really feel threatened by the fact that girls can have their own superhero show too, especially since there's still plenty of dark action series to go around, and always will be as long as they're profitable?  And do you really want to be represented-and on a "girlie" show-as evil villains who explode the first moment they're kissed?  I would think not.

     But even if that bunch of kids is still too young to stop and reconsider their attitudes, I would think there would be a fairly large number teens and perhaps even pre-teens out there who could admit that The Powerpuff Girls is really a very good show, and who even watch it regularly.  If there are, then McCracken needs to recognize them.  Then maybe his own attitude can change, and he will realize that the RRBs deserve better than to be one shot bad guys.

     My own gripe is not so much that we probably won't be seeing the RRBs "officially" anymore, but that their characters were spoiled from the start.

     Of course, it's all only a theory.

My Response:

Before I begin, I just want to say that your piece was one of the most refreshing and well thought out articles I've ever read on the subject.  You make some incredibly salient points about the episode and the motivation of the writers.  In short, I am very impressed!

I'll try to respond to your key points one by one:

Motivation:
I don't think the motivation of the writers for creating the RowdyRuff Boys was revenge.  Casting three little boys as foils for the PowerPuff Girls seems pretty logical to me.  The RRB characters are polar opposites (e.g., good and evil; male and female, yin and yang) of the three heroines.  I think the writers simply saw an opportunity to create villains that would finally be a challenge.  Just about all of the villains on the show are considerably weaker than the girls and are usually defeated swiftly.  This episode gave the writers an opportunity to delve into a side of the girls that had never been explored: defeat.  They finally went up against a foe that was stronger and found out that you can't always overcome your difficulties by force.  Sometimes, uh, finesse is required.

They were "killed" off:
One of the surprising plot points was that the RRBs were stronger than the PPGs.  Keeping them "alive" and active just isn't a possibility.  If so, they would constantly be coming back to keep thrashing the girls and end up destroying the entire town.  However, their apparent demise does not shut the door on their characters for good.  Let's remember that this is science fiction.  Anything is possible.  I mean think about it: what sense does any of it make?  Sugar, spice, and everything nice?  Snips, snails, and puppy dog tails?  Chemical X?  Let's face it; it's all nonsense.  So who's to say that the RRBs being recreated is any less absurd?

No RRB merchandise:
All of the PPG merchandise is geared toward girls.  Cartoon Network has given up on the idea that there are any male fans of the show.  Quite frankly, it seems they have given up on the idea that there are any fans over 12 years old as well.  Do I think RRBs merchandise would sell?  Absolutely.  So why aren't they doing it?  Well, the RRBs were featured in one story on a show made for girls and were killed off in the same episode.  Would you take a chance on selling young boys RRBs merchandise?  Probably not.

"Oh yeah.  There's those three guys.  What were their names?  They were on the stupid show my sister likes.  I think they blew up or something.  Duh!  What a dumb show.  Hey, shopkeeper-dude.  Where's the DragonBall Z stuff?"

The only way it's ever going to work out is if the RRB characters had a future.  Right now, they don't.  Hence, no merchandise.

Almost no mention of the RRBs ever again:
This is probably the toughest one to counter.  Yeah, there were the occasional mentions here and there.  But Sean is right.  Where the heck is the RRBs episode on DVD?  Why not at least one stinking piece of merchandise with the RRBs (even if it portrayed them getting their butts kicked by the girls)?  It almost seems as if the writers are going out of their way to be silent.  But why?

Perhaps the answer is that the writers really don't know exactly what to do with the boys.  They see the potential, but maybe they already have their hands full with the current line up of projects.  There's a PPGs movie in the works, a whole season of episodes to produce, yada, yada, yada.  In short, I think the simplest answers are that they: aren't ready yet, don't have the foresight, or are planning something and keeping their mouths shut.

In conclusion, I don't believe the RRBs were ruined by their untimely demise.  I believe there is hope of a return and a prosperous future.  But like Sean said in the article, "it's all only a theory."