The 90s cartoon series "Powerpuff Girls" has been rebooted on television and the show introduced a transgender character in its debut this April. It's a pony named Donny, who wants to be a unicorn. The show believes Donny's addition would help kids understand gender identity issues better.
The episode entitled "Horn, Sweet Horn" aired last April 7 on Cartoon Network and featured Donny as a pony with a fake horn. "Powerpuff Girls" main character, Bubbles, tried to de-horn him, but then Donny insisted he is a unicorn.
The girls sought the help of Professor Utonium for his transition. But the procedure went wrong and Donny ended up as a monster. The girls then tapped the Unicorn Coalition Alliance Brigade Headquarters for more help.
Later, they found out that the pony was always a unicorn regardless of his appearance. The episode closed with a message of acceptance. The "Powerpuff Girls" also had a cartoon symbol bearing transgender pride, per Pink News.
Newly revived "Powerpuff Girls" features a trans twist: Bubbles meets Donny, a horse transitioning to unicorn. pic.twitter.com/dbVTpVGRAB
— Metrosource Magazine (@MetrosourceMag) April 12, 2016
"Powerpuff Girls" executive producer Nick Jennings said that it's good to talk about gender identity issues with kids. "I don't think you can be too young to start talking about those issues and thinking about those things and just presenting an attitude, and a voice that is going to resonate with people," he told Los Angeles Times.
The producers purposely developed the episode with Donny using subtexts. The story didn't concretely say that it was about a transgender character.
But this isn't the first time the show tackled issues reflecting real life. Mic reports that in an episode aired in 2000, "Powerpuff Girls" also had a character, Bunny, who had mental disability. She was the fourth Powerpuff who had difficulty using her powers to fight crime.
"Powerpuff Girls" first aired in 1998 and was cancelled in 2005 on the Cartoon Network. Development for the reboot started in 2014 and new voice actors were enlisted to play Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup. The reboot is set for 13 episodes.
