Dear Powerpuff Girls,

I grew up watching you and looked up to you as if you were my own relatable, cartoon, crime fighting sisters. Even though all three of you – Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup – were only at the young, raw age of around 7 for the duration of the show, you already took on huge, world changing responsibilities. Not only did all three of you have to fight your own daily battles of growing up as a female in the early 2000s, you also took on the real monsters of the world. You were all thrown into real world crime-fighting mode, straight out of the test tube. The television show could only sugar coat your reality for a short while before the writer was forced to show that living life as young, crime fighting, school-attending triplets was not as easy as they made it look.

It wasn't until later in life that I realized the real life parallels within the show; the real world has its own monsters and villains that try very hard to beat you down.

Through all the external stresses and internal struggles, you girls managed to keep a positive attitude. When Blossom went through a bodily change and all of a sudden had the superpower to blow ice, you all banned together and supported each other, even when others were afraid and didn't understand. When Rainbow took all the colors out of Townsville, Bubbles was left alone and had almost given up all hope, but was able to triumph because of her amazing troubleshooting skills.

I also learned the power of patience. You Powerpuff Girls are smart; not every villain should be completely destroyed and many of the most highly intelligent villains of the show that could have been easily destroyed were saved for later to tactfully use their intelligence to their (and the law enforcement of Townsville's) advantage. Mojo Jojo was one of the most visible villains in the show because he lived in a very noticeable "secret" lair on the top of a mountain with a huge telescope protruding out from its dome. Mojo was always easily detected and could have been stopped and probably tried by the court for all sorts of reasons, but Mojo, although mostly a nuisance, became an informational asset in several episode and those who collaborated with him ran an extra high risk of visibility making detective work easier. The girls dealt with tantrums from Princess and Him, both very realistic archetypes that anyone would have to endure throughout their life.

Most of all, you girls taught me how to fight like a proud girl. Thank you for not being damsels in distress that relied on other genders to do dirty work. There were many times where you had to get down and dirty in order to fight for what you all believed in. I learned to be independent and to show my enemies no mercy. Female strength is real and not just a factor of wishful thinking.

Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were some of the best fictional role models that I could have asked for as a young kid. Even now, I still have a Powerpuff Girls mural on the walls of my childhood bedroom; they are a symbol of the power that I have come to possess as an adult and the personal growth that I have made throughout my 19 years of life thus far. I thank the Powerpuff Girls for hanging the game for strong female protagonists in future television shows and influencing my entire life.

An ever devoted fan of the Powerpuff Girls,

Cori Schimko