Powerpuff Girls Wiki
Register
Advertisement


"Twas the Fight Before Christmas" is a 45-minute Powerpuff Girls holiday special.

Produced as the fourth episode of season 5 and the 88th episode overall, the special episode was released on VHS and DVD on October 7, 2003 in the United States and Canada, and premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on December 12, 2003.

Summary

There's a new Powerpuff Girl in town...or so she would have you think! Her fiendishly foul plot: to trick Santa into turning her into the fourth Powerpuff Girl! (And, in the process, make him believe the other Powerpuffs have been very, very naughty!) Now, Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup must explode into a Yuletide tornado of bad-girl-thwarting action to put Princess in her place—and keep Christmas from disappearing forever!

Plot

Bubbles sings her christmas song

It is the day before Christmas Eve in Townsville, and the students at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten, including the Powerpuff Girls, are all anxiously awaiting Santa Claus's annual journey. When the Powerpuff Girls discuss their requests to Santa, Princess comes upon them and declares that, since her father is rich and can buy her any material goods, her desire to be a Powerpuff Girl is what she has requested from Santa. However, the Girls tell Princess she will not be getting her wish from Santa and will instead only be getting coal since she is most definitely naughty, citing her actions in previous episodes and her overall personality as proof. The Powerpuff Girls gave Princess proof like when Princess bought the city and legalize crime, hired Mojo Jojo to try to destroy Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup, gave them a bomb for their birthday, teamed up with Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, and HIM and went on a crime spree, and tricked their friend Robin Snyder into stealing and then tattled on her. To this point, Princess furiously refuses to believe them, but when her servants become afraid to answer when she asks them if it is true, she decides to investigate. While everyone else in Townsville (even Mojo Jojo) gets their houses prepared for Santa's arrival, Princess flies her private jet to the North Pole and sneaks into Santa's workshop. When she finds his documents, to her dismay, she finds out she is the only child in the world who is on the naughty list (which is a Post-It note). In response, she erases the headlines of the lists and switches them around, making it now look like she is the world's only nice child and that everyone else is naughty.

During Christmas Eve, Bubbles wakes up after hearing Santa come and goes downstairs to get an early look at the presents, but is devastated when she not only finds no presents under the tree and the milk and cookies untouched, but also lumps of coal in her stocking. She then gets suspicious when she finds coal in Blossom and Buttercup's stockings as well and then, using her x-ray vision, sees all the other children in Townsville have no presents and untouched milk and cookies and have also received coal as well. She wakes up her sisters and tells them of this strange occurrence. The Girls decide to confront Santa, thinking he must have made a mistake. However, as soon as they get outside, they are suddenly attacked by a now-superpowered Princess, who gloats over the fact she has now gotten what she wanted. She then says she knew they wouldn't accept that and is going to go tell Santa that the Girls are coming to destroy his workshop and ruin Christmas forever for branding them naughty.

PPG and Princess at North Pole

The Girls chase Princess all the way to the North Pole, trying to deter her progress on the way until the four of them eventually crash through the roof of Santa's workshop, their battle wrecking the place. Santa, who is exhausted and disheartened by a night of delivering coal to everyone and the delusion of all the children in the world being naughty, comes in on their battle and Princess tries to convince him not to listen to the Girls. However, he has a hard time feeling he should not since he already knows the Powerpuff Girls are really good people and always save the day from danger, to which the Powerpuff Girls happily confirm. Frustrated, Princess throws a tantrum in front of Santa, insulting him and threatening to have her father build a parking lot over the workshop unless she is given what she wants, even at the cost of making all the other children in the world so miserable and going as far as to cap off her tantrum with the insult of calling him "Santa Clod", which shocks Santa and the Powerpuff Girls.

Permanent Naughty Plaque

Realizing the deception that Princess deliberately tampered with his lists, Santa furiously rips up the Post-It note and declares he doesn't need some list to know who is truly naughty and nice because he knows better. Declaring this to be the last straw, Santa angrily puts Princess's name on the Permanent Naughty Plaque (a plaque for children who are so naughty that they have no hope for redemption and which, unlike the lists, they can't tamper with) as eternal punishment, meaning she'll never get any presents from him for the rest of her life. Horrified by this, Princess angrily flies off to tell her father on Santa, only for the latter to strip her of her superpowers. He then says he shall rectify his mistake of giving all the children coal, but upon seeing his reindeer running around scared and his sleigh's destroyed as a result of the battle, realizing he'll not be able to do so. Fortunately, since the Girls can fly so quickly, he asks them to deliver the presents. The Girls happily agree to do so, dropping Princess off in jail on the way. After finishing the job, the Girls return home to bed, but they do not stay asleep for long because it is now Christmas morning and open presents with the Professor. As the narrator says at the end, Christmas is saved, thanks to the Powerpuff Girls.

Characters

Locations

Songs

Quotes

Blossom: [To Princess] Don't hold your breath, Princess.
Princess Morbucks: (screaming) What? Why?!
Bubbles: Because Santa has his own list. And he checks it twice. It says who's naughty and who's nice.
Princess Morbucks: So?
Bubbles: Duh! You're naughty!
Princess Morbucks: [gasps] Nuh-uh!
Blossom: Yeah-huh!
Princess Morbucks: Nuh-uh!
Buttercup: Yeah-huh!
Princess Morbucks: NUH-UH!!
Bubbles: YEAH-HUH!
Princess Morbucks: Prove it!
Blossom: You bought the city and legalized crime!
Buttercup: You hired Mojo to try and destroy us!
Bubbles: You gave us a bomb for our birthday!
Buttercup: You teamed up with three villains and went on a crime spree!
Bubbles: You tricked our friend Robin into stealing, and then you tattled on her!
Blossom: You’re a spoiled brat who’s greedy and jealous, and you don’t care who you step on to get what you want!
Princess Morbucks: (looking bored) And your point is? [The Girls sit back down and sigh in frustration; then the bell rings]
Blossom: The point, Princess, is that you better change your ways or all you're ever gonna get from Santa is a big, fat lump of coal in your stocking! [Princess starts shaking angrily]

Princess: But I should be a Powerpuff Girl! Me! Not them! Me! My daddy says I'm better! My daddy says I'm the best! And if you're too much of a fatheaded fathead to see that, I'll tell my daddy! (She flies around a corner and out of sight. Cut to inside this area as the girls and Santa cautiously peek in. Pull back to the sound of items being knocked around; silhouettes of various toys are in the foreground, as is that of Princess.) And he'll come and build a parking lot over this cheap little arts-and-crafts Popsicle stand of yours! (During this, cut to her; she kicks and throws several toys all over the place as she speaks, then finishes by grabbing a hobby horse and breaking it over her knee. Close-up of the pieces as they are thrown onto the floor) Got it?! (Turn up from the debris to Santa and the girls, who look down at the scene with some consternation; Princess rises to face them and slowly backs him up across the room.) So, you better give me whatever I want for Christmas... (He hits the tree in the corner, knocking off the ornaments) ...'cause my daddy says I get whatever I want, whenever I want it! And if that means all of those lousy, worthless, second-rate, bargain-basement brats in the world don’t get anything for Christmas, then that's just the way it's gonna have to be! (Near the end of this line, cut from her to Santa; back to her after "have to be") 'Cause I am better than them! (getting in his face, grabbing the Post-It from his hand) And it says so right here! (On this last word, close-up of him; she reaches into view and shoves the yellow square in his face — giving a clear view of the fraudulent "NICE" heading. That view gets even clearer when the camera shifts to an extreme close-up of the note; she yanks it away after a long pause) So put that in your pipe and smoke it, Santa Clod! (His mouth hangs full open at this display of unbridled avarice, combined with a total lack of emotional control; the Girls are similarly dumbstruck. As the seconds tick by silently and tensely, Princess floats between him and the girls; close-up of her, smirking at them with a confidence born grin from her belief that she has beaten the system once and for all. Santa gapes up at her, but that smirk never wavers; after nearly fifteen seconds of stillness, his eyebrows lower in determination and he grits his teeth, having made up his mind at last)
Santa: LIST, SCHMIST! (grabbing Post-It from Princess, tearing it up) I don't need no stinkin' list tellin' me who's naughty and who's nice! (On the end of this, cut to Princess, who watches the shreds float down around her with complete shock as she now realizes she’s pushed Santa too far and has to face the consequences; back to Santa) You know why? 'Cause I'm Santa Claus! (throwing down arms) Check it! Princess... (He grabs her ear, then hauls her across the office as he continues; she yelps in pain under his words) ...you have gone and worked my last nerve! (He releases his grip and leaves her floating in midair. Close-up of her; she cries out a bit more and rubs her ear. Pull back to show him looking up at her with no sympathy whatsoever; crossing room) I have no other choice. (Close-up of his back; zoom in on his head) You are so rotten, so despicable, so naughty... (turning around) ...I'm putting you on the... (Pull back to show him standing by a large red-framed sheet of bronze on the wall — so tall that its upper portion is out of view) ...Permanent Naughty Plaque! (Turn up to the top as he speaks. The word "NAUGHTY" is inscribed in enormous red letters, with four names below it: Bill McCracken, Ryan Faust, Adolph Schicklgruber, Stephen Fonti. The upper edge of the frame is carved in the shape of a devil's head. Back to Santa.) [Note: The first and second names refer to Craig McCracken and Lauren Faust, while the last is that of the storyboard artist for "Catastrophe," who is also a writer for SpongeBob SquarePants. The third is what Adolf Hitler’s name would have been if his father had not changed his own several years before the infamous Austrian-German dictator was born.] (omitating dramatic horns) Bum-bum-bummm! (Princess gasps in unmitigated fear, knowing that justice is about to be served. Extreme close-up of Santa’s lifted right index finger and follow it slowly through the air as he brings it to his nose. He touches the tip; a flash of snowflakes appear on the screen and Princess' name is now cut into the metal as well, signifying her permanent naughty status for the rest of her life. She screams in horror at the sight; back to Santa, his arms folded in finality)
Princess: (from o.c.) You can't do that! (Cut to her, the girls at a distance.) I'm telling my daddy! (She takes off and smashes an exit for herself through the office wall. Visible only as a bright speck, she makes a beeline for the distant mountains. Santa and the girls move closer to the hole to watch her go. He turns to them, grinning confidently, holds up his finger without a word, and touches it to his nose. Cut to the fleeing Princess who, in a flash, suddenly finds herself back in her street clothes. She soars along a few hundred yards more before realizing that she has been stripped of her powers, then loses her forward momentum and drops from sight with a sharp gasp. Screaming, she plummets toward the snowy expanse and plows deep into it. A second later, she slowly emerges from the hole, with snow covering her from head to toe, and forces her eyes open through the covering. Pull back into the office; she cannot be seen from this far away.) (in distance) NO FAIR!!! (Satisfied, Santa turns toward the girls and blows a little dust from his finger; they giggle at the demonstration.)
Buttercup: Wow, Santa! We didn't know you could give kids superpowers for Christmas.
Santa: (shrugging) Eh. No one's ever asked.
Blossom: Santa! It’s almost morning what about all the nice children who get coal?
Santa: Don’t worry girls, I pulled my jobs before all it takes is (then Santa realizes that his workshop was destroyed by Princess and the girls who got into a fight causing Santa’s elves and his reindeer to panic, then Santa sits down on his love seat on how Christmas is ruined.)
Bubbles: All those poor boys and girls! (Bubbles sobs)

Trivia

  • In this one-hour episode, five episodes were mentioned in this episode by The Powerpuff Girls of the reason why Princess Morbucks is naughty:
  • Three names on Santa’s Permanent Naughty Plaque have the last names "McCracken", "Faust" and "Fonti". This is a reference to three of the series' creators, Craig McCracken, Lauren Faust, & Steven Fonti.
    • The third-to-last name of “Adolph Shickelgruber” is what Adolf Hitler’s name would have been if his father had not changed his own several years before the infamous Austrian-German dictator was born.
    • Since none of the other villains' names were on neither the regular or the permanent naughty lists before the regular naughty list was swapped with the nice list by Princess, they seemed to be on the nice list at least this year.
  • The name of the episode is a pun on "'Twas the Night Before Christmas", and the narrator's dialogue rhymes likewise.
  • There is a reference to A Christmas Story, as Buttercup wishes for an Official Red Raider Carbine Action 200 Shot Range Model Air Rifle, and Princess eventually tells her she'll shoot her eye out.
  • There is also a reference to the song and the 1964 special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as Santa asks the Powerpuff Girls to deliver the presents that night.
  • This special aired during the 2003 holiday season. However, while this was released on home video 2 months before it aired on TV, on December 12, this is the only episode not to be available in any digital store (including iTunes and Google Play).
    • "A Lost Claus", the Christmas special for Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (another show by Craig McCracken), is also not available in any digital store, even though it can be found in the show's MOD Season 3 DVD.
  • This episode reveals three names of other students, which are Kristen, Clara, and Billy.
  • The SpongeBob SquarePants episode "It's a SpongeBob Christmas!" is noted for having a similar storyline.
  • This is the first episode / special to have a different ending theme.
  • In this special, Princess Morbucks is the main antagonist.
  • This is the second time Princess Morbucks got superpowers like the Powerpuff Girls. The first time was in "Mo Job" when she paid Mojo Jojo to give her superpowers by creating his own batch of Chemical X and a batch of Antidote X to remove the Powerpuff Girls' powers, but that plan completely backfired. This time, she got her Powerpuff Girl powers because of a Christmas wish by secretly switching the naughty and the nice lists until Santa found out the truth about Princess. When she got on his last nerve, he put her on the Permanent Naughty Plaque. As a result, her wish is now considered to be officially null and void and Santa makes it so that her superpowers are completely and permanently removed.
  • Princess Morbucks' superpowers in the Christmas special would be immune to Antidote X or a suitable substitute to Antidote X because Chemical X or a suitable substitute to Chemical X wasn't involved this time, they were given to her by magic from Santa Claus and only Santa can removes them from her.
  • The full special was included in Cartoon Network’s Happy Holidays from Cartoon Network YouTube live stream in 2022.
    • This was the first episode to be shown in the live stream.
  • This is the first time Bubbles and Buttercup are on the wrong side of the bed. The second being Sun Scream and the third being the 2016 reboot's short Run, Blossom, Run!.
    • However, this may be due to the girls being tired, or the girls getting sunburned in Sun Scream.

Goofs

  • When Blossom was about to fly through a pile of snow, her legs were bare.
  • Just as the girls flew up the chimney, they were in their nightgowns, but when they got out, they are in their regular clothes.
  • When Santa backs up and hits the tree, all the balls fall down except two, but every time the scene flashes back to Santa, you see a lot more than two balls. However, there could have been more balls inside the tree not shown in the previous shot.
  • When the Girls go back to bed after delivering all the presents, Bubbles and Buttercup are on the wrong sides of the bed, with Bubbles under the green sheet and Buttercup under the blue sheet. However, this may have been intentional because of how tired they were.
  • When Princess is talking to the Powerpuff Girls after they came out of the chimney, her mouth is closed, but you can hear her voice.
  • When Blossom uses her laser vision to cook the cookies, her eyes are not closed like she should have while melting the snow at Pokey Oaks. However, this may have been intentional because Blossom can shoot lasers either way.
  • When Bubbles looks at the North Pole sign, the "X" in the back of her hair is missing.
  • Closed captions transcribe some of the dialogue erroneously - Princess calling Buttercup "Einstein" is wrongly written as "I'm fine" and Buttercup calling Princess "the naughtiest" is wrongly written as "the nuttiest" and also, "plaque" is transcribed as "block".
PPGs should not have apostrophe
  • In the end when the Powerpuff Girls leave Princess tied up, they sign the letter "PPG's" however an apostrophe only goes before the S in case of contraction or possession, not plurality

Production Notes

  • This special was finished in April of 2003.[1]
    • This means it was the first episode completed in 2003. It's likely that this episode entered production in 2002 and was meant to air during the 2002 holiday season, but wasn't completed in time for Christmas 2002.

References

Advertisement