Posted on 5th February, 2023

In this Powerpuff caper, the girls have their sleep interrupted by the funky “Boogie Man”, who has blocked out the sun with a giant disco ball to create an eternal night for nocturnal monsters.

The premise for this episode alone is pretty great. I mean, it took some inspiration to twist Boogie Man folklore into something more akin to it’s namesake (You could argue that Oogie Boogie came close, but he was more jazzy than funky). The episode really commits to this idea all the way too, by giving the Boogie Man a full-on 70’s makeover that’s reminiscent of a Blaxploitation antagonist; which is unsurprising when this show’s rogues gallery is one of it’s biggest strengths.

The Boogie Man himself walks with a confident swagger, rides a luxury limo, dons hip fashion, and has the mighty pipes of Kevin Michael Richardson. It’s his charisma and style that has helped him earn a celebrity status in the monster world, hence why monsters love him.

While the Boogie Man doesn’t get much screen-time with the Powerpuff Girls, the girls do make things VERY personal once they threaten to destroy his beloved disco ball; the one time where the usually cocky Boogie goes into panic mode. What follows is a brilliantly funky spoof of Star Wars, with Boogie’s limo turning into Vader’s ship, while the girls pose as Starfighters, and the disco ball serves as a shiny Death Star. It’s so genius how the cartoon carries on it’s Disco-theming right into a Star Wars parody.

At the same time though, there’s a subplot about Bubbles becoming self-conscious about her fear of the dark. Luckily, the professor teaches her the effective lesson of knowing that even the brave can be scared. This sentiment is then cleverly weaved into the previously described finale, in which Bubbles overcomes her timid nature to defeat Boogie Man ALL ON HER OWN! Not only did she conquer her fear, but she did it without any coddling or assistance too.

Boogie Frights is a classic Powerpuff Girls episode that has a lot of fun with it’s groovy concept, all while teaching kids about how bravery isn’t THAT black & white. If you’re after a more interesting tweak on the Boogie Man lore, then give this cartoon a watch, because you’ll definitely come out dancing after.