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The Powerpuff Girls is an American animated television series franchise that takes place in the fictional city of Townsville and stars the titular Powerpuff Girls — Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup — who appear in the original TV series, as well as the anime adaptation, the 2016 reboot series and the upcoming second reboot series.
Secondary characters include Professor Utonium, the girls' father, who created them in his lab; The Mayor, the goodhearted, but dimwitted mayor of Townsville, who frequently calls the girls via a hotline to ask for help to protect the city; Ms. Bellum, the mayor's secretary, who acts as the voice of reason when he makes decisions; and Ms. Keane, the girls' kindergarten teacher at Pokey Oaks school. The primary villains include Mojo Jojo, a hyper-intelligent, megalomaniacal ape; HIM, a mysterious demonic being; Fuzzy Lumpkins, a Bigfoot-like hillbilly; Princess Morbucks, a wealthy, spoiled girl; the Gangreen Gang, five green-skinned hoodlums; Sedusa, a Gorgon-like seductress; the Amoeba Boys, three dimwitted amoebas, and the Rowdyruff Boys, three male evil versions of the Powerpuff Girls.
Series creator Craig McCracken originally conceived the characters while attending the California Institute of the Arts in 1991. McCracken fleshed-out the premise as a short pilot called The Whoopass Girls in Whoopass Stew. After a name change and character redesigns, a new pilot, called "The Powerpuff Girls: Meat Fuzzy Lumkins", aired on Cartoon Network's World Premiere Toons animation showcase in 1995. High viewer approval ratings convinced the network to approve a full series, which premiered in 1998 and ended in 2005.
In June 1991, Craig McCracken, a student of the animation program of CalArts,[1] initially created a drawing of three girls on a small sheet of orange construction paper as a birthday card design for his brother.[2][1][3] The following year he included the three girls as the main characters of his short film Whoopass Stew! The Whoopass Girls in: A Sticky Situation.[4] This was intended to be part one of four Whoopass Girls shorts, but only one was produced.[1][4][5] McCracken felt that he wanted to make a superhero student film but felt that the muscular guy standard was already played out. Then after drawing the three little girls he started imagining them in superhero situations.[2] McCracken's Whoopass Girls short was picked up for a series by Cartoon Network in 1993. After the name Whoopass was dropped for Powerpuff to include it in the What a Cartoon! showcase, the Powerpuff Girls then appeared in two What a Cartoon! shorts before receiving their own series.[1][6]
The Powerpuff Girls | |
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The Powerpuff Girls characters | |
First appearance |
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Last appearance |
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Created by | Craig McCracken |
Voiced by |
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In-universe information | |
Species | Artificial humans |
Gender | Female |
Occupation | Students Superheroines |
Family |
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Nationality | American |
As depicted in the opening sequence of each episode, the Powerpuff Girls, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, were created by Professor Utonium in an attempt to create the "perfect little girl" using a mixture of "sugar, spice and everything nice" (shown in respective fields of sky blue, lime green and bright pink). However, he accidentally spilled a mysterious substance called "Chemical X" into the mixture, creating, instead of the "perfect little girl", three girls (each possessing one of the above elements dominating her personality), and granting all three superpowers including flight, superhuman strength, super speed, limited invulnerability, x-ray vision, super senses, heat vision and energy projection. In the original pilot, the accidental substance was a can of "Whoopass", which was replaced by "Chemical X" in the aired version.[7]
The three girls all have abnormally large eyes (inspired by Margaret Keane's art[8]) and stubby arms and legs, and lack of noses, ears, fingers, necks, and flat feet with toes (McCracken preferred them to look more symbolic of actual girls rather than going for a "realistic" look, meaning fewer body parts were needed[9]). They wear dresses that match the colors of their eyes with black stripes, as well as white tights and black Mary Janes.
Blossom (voiced by Cathy Cavadini in the What a Cartoon! episodes and the series) is one of the three main protagonists, the tactician and the self-proclaimed leader of the Powerpuff Girls. Her personality ingredient is "everything nice", her signature color is pink, and she has long red-orange waist-length hair worn in a ponytail with a red bow and a pink hair clip with a red heart. She was named for having spoken freely and honestly to the Professor shortly after her creation as shown in The Powerpuff Girls Movie. She is often seen as the most level-headed, intelligent, and composed member of the group and also strong and determined. She is also a master strategist and apt planner.[10] Her unique power is freezing objects with her breath as seen in the episode "Ice Sore".
In the reboot and Lego Dimensions, voiced by Amanda Leighton, the 2016 version of Blossom is once again depicted as the leader of the team. Her 2016 counterpart is identical to her 1998 counterpart, but there is one difference: her bow is rounder and light red rather than pointy and dark red. She loves organization and hates when things are messy and out of order. She has a perfect attendance record and is an overachiever. She can be stubborn at times, but still comes through. She also has ice breath like her 1998 counterpart. Her trail is bright pink with little squares. Her unique abilities are: Ice breath, genius-level intelligence, microscopic vision, natural leadership skills, and intuitive aptitude. She also can project bright pink energy and manipulate it into various household and office items; an ability her 1998 counterpart in the original show does not possess.
Bubbles (voiced by Tara Strong in the series, and by Kath Soucie in the What a Cartoon! episodes) is one of the three main protagonists and the "softest and sweetest" of the three.[10] Her signature color is sky blue, her personality ingredient is "sugar", and she has blonde hair in pigtails. Bubbles is seen as kind and very sweet but she is also capable of being angered and can fight monsters just as well as her sisters can. Her best friend is a stuffed octopus doll she calls "Octi", and she also loves animals. She exhibits the ability to both understand multiple languages (mostly Spanish) and communicate with various animals; her unique powers are projecting powerful sonic blasts, and creating a shockwave of thunder with a single clap from her hands.[10] She starts crying due to something worse happens.
In the reboot voiced by Kristen Li, the 2016 version of Bubbles has shoulder-length blonde hair in pigtails, just like her original counterpart, except with new blue hair ties and the pigtails being set slightly higher-up than previously. Bubbles is an animal lover like her 1998 counterpart and usually tries to save the day in the nice way. Like her 1998 counterpart, she can be a bit naive but can also get angered very easily. When in bed she has Octi by her side. Her trail is blue with little circles. Unlike her original counterpart, she is shown to have talent with computers and can even create and program her own video games which have become extremely popular among the children in Townsville, including her sisters. Her special abilities include: Animal telepathy, animal empathy, zoolingulism, sound manipulation, sonic waves, sonic blasts, vocal mimicry, hypnotic singing, and multilingualism. She also can project bright blue energy and manipulate it into various animals due to her love for them; an ability her 1998 counterpart in the original show does not possess.
Buttercup (voiced by E. G. Daily in the What a Cartoon! episodes and the series) is one of the three main protagonists and she is described as a "tough hotheaded tomboy".[10] Her personality ingredient is "spice", her signature color is lime green, and she has short black hair in a flip. She loves to get dirty, fights hard and plays rough; she does not plan and is all action.[10] Her unique power is curling her tongue. McCracken originally wanted to name the character "Bud" until a friend suggested the name Buttercup.[1] According to The Powerpuff Girls Movie, Buttercup really disliked the name she was given.
In the reboot voiced by Natalie Palamides, the 2016 version of Buttercup's appearance is almost exactly like her original counterpart except she has a cowlick on the back of her head. She is depicted as a tomboy who loves to get into action and likes to play sports, hanging out with boys and having fun like her 1998 counterpart, She has a fear of spiders like her 1998 counterpart as well. She has a temper that can usually get out of control. She is also the main archenemy of Manboy, who called her "princess", which she hates the most, Blossom and Bubbles attempt to stop her. Her trail is green with little triangles. Unlike her two sisters, she does not possess any special abilities of her own. However, she, like her sisters, can project bright green energy and manipulate it into various weaponry; an ability her 1998 counterpart and her sisters in the original show do not possess.
Professor Utonium | |
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The Powerpuff Girls character | |
First appearance |
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Last appearance |
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Created by | Craig McCracken |
Voiced by | Tom Kane |
In-universe information | |
Species | Human |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Scientist |
Family | Eugene Utonium (brother) |
Children | |
Home | Townsville, U.S.A. |
Nationality | American |
Professor Utonium (voiced by Tom Kane) is a scientist who works in his home in the suburbs of the City of Townsville, and the Powerpuff Girls' loving creator and father. A stereotypical scientist, his general attire is a white lab coat and black pants. The Professor once housed Jojo (later to become Mojo Jojo) as a lab assistant who proved to be reckless and destructive. While the Professor was stirring his perfect girl concoction, Jojo shoved him, causing him to accidentally break a flask containing the mysterious "Chemical X" which spilled into the formula, thus creating the Powerpuff Girls. The Professor is a genius in many fields of science, and has shown knowledge in fields such as physics, chemistry, and biology, as well as being a skilled inventor. Aside from his role as a scientist, he acts as a parent to the Powerpuff Girls. Although he apparently did not legally "adopt" the girls, everyone who addresses him calls him "their father" and they as "his daughters". The Professor can be strict, easily manipulated, and defensive at times, but still retains his caring fatherly image.
The Mayor of Townsville (voiced by Tom Kenny in the series and by Jim Cummings in the What a Cartoon! episodes) is generally referred throughout only as "Mayor", although he is referred to as "Barney" by his wife in the episode "Boogie Frights". He is short and elderly with a fringe of white hair around a bald scalp and a thick white mustache. He wears a monocle over his left eye and a small top hat that "floats" just above his head. The Mayor is quite dimwitted and cowardly, but cares deeply about his city. He has a love for pickles and is very childish at times. He sometimes calls the girls for very silly reasons, as seen in the episode "Bubblevicious" because of a traffic jam. The What a Cartoon! episode "Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins" featured a different Mayor who was younger, taller and more competent than the Mayor of the series.
Ms. Sara Bellum (voiced by Jennifer Martin) is the Mayor's secretary whose face is always obscured, and often handles issues that her inept boss cannot. Her name is a pun on the word cerebellum, presumably due to her intelligent and wise nature. She has also proved to be a capable fighter, battling the villainess Sedusa by herself when the girls were disabled, as shown in the episode "Something's a Ms.". Ms. Bellum only appears in one episode of the 2016 television series The Powerpuff Girls, where she takes a 1,000-day-long vacation break from all her hard work.
Ms. Keane (voiced by Jennifer Hale and by Kath Soucie in the What-a-Cartoon! episodes) is the kindergarten teacher of Pokey Oaks Kindergarten. She wears an orange shirt, a red vest, brown pants, and has short black hair and light blue eyes. She is patient, wise, understanding, and protective of her students, making her a well-liked, motherly figure. She is also an animal lover, owning a tabby cat named Valentino, and the class pet hamster, Twiggy. Ms. Keane forbids any fighting in school, even if there is a crisis taking place within it; she convinces the girls that there are other ways to solve problems other than fighting as demonstrated in the episodes "Schoolhouse Rocked" and "Imaginary Fiend". She is named after Margaret Keane who was the main influence behind the design of the Powerpuff Girls.
Narrator (voiced by Tom Kenny in the series and Craig McCracken in Whoopass Stew and by Ernie Anderson in the What a Cartoon! episodes) is the enthusiastic unseen voiceover narrator of the show. As the primary comic relief character in the program, during an episode he will often comment on the story, drop hints about the plot, and break the fourth wall. He directly connects the audience with the girls by talking to both, and he can even become involved in the action, such as in one episode when Mojo Jojo transformed Narrator into a dog. In the episode "Simian Says", he is kidnapped by Mojo Jojo, who takes Narrator's place as the episode begins.
Talking Dog (voiced by Tom Kane in the series and by Paul Mercier in the What a Cartoon! episodes) is a small white dog with black ears and nose and a black spot on his back, wearing a red collar with a yellow dog tag. He is often depicted as arrogant and rude, though also straightforward and earnest. He is frequently abused in almost every appearance he makes; as a running gag, no one ever seems to regard his pain and simply ignores him.
Mitch Mitchelson (voiced by Tom Kenny) is the bully at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten. Mitch has brownish hair, and wears a black T-shirt with the words "MITCH ROCKS" on the front. He sometimes torments other kids at Pokey Oaks, though he is not a major threat. He is also a close friend of Buttercup. For a brief time Mitch hosted a short segment on Cartoon Network called "Mitch Rocks", where he looked at various things and said whether they "rock" or not.[11]
Stanley Whitfield (voiced by Tom Kane) is a Townsville anchorman. He communicates on television what happens every time there is important news in the city. Something that stands out about his appearance is that he always has one eye closed.
List of The Powerpuff Girls characters | |
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The Powerpuff Girls character | |
First appearance |
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Last appearance | |
Created by | Craig McCracken |
Voiced by | Roger L. Jackson |
In-universe information | |
Species | Chimpanzee |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Mad scientist |
Family | Professor Utonium (owner, formerly) Unnamed mother (only in the 2016 reboot) |
Children | The Rowdyruff Boys (created sons) (only in 1999) |
Home | Townsville, U.S.A. |
The Rowdyruff Boys are the evil male versions of the Powerpuff Girls, created by Mojo Jojo using a mixture of "snips, snails, a puppy dog tail", and radioactive toilet water in his cell in Townsville Prison. They are essentially violent bullies who have the same powers as the Powerpuff Girls, with their own techniques as well. They were ultimately destroyed when the girls kissed them, but were later resurrected by HIM.
Mojo Jojo (voiced by Roger L. Jackson) is a mad scientist, anthropomorphic green-skinned chimpanzee with great intelligence and a protruding, mutated brain who speaks with a Japanese accent in an overly exaggerated and repetitive manner. As the main antagonist of the series and the Powerpuff Girls' archenemy, Mojo Jojo was Professor Utonium's reckless laboratory chimpanzee, Jojo, before Professor Utonium created the Powerpuff Girls; the same accident that created the Girls gave Jojo his super-intelligence.[10] Despite his high intelligence, his plans often contain flaws that he overlooks, and he rarely has much success against the Girls, as their superpowers are too much for his inventions. However, he is a master at manipulation and trickery, often fooling the Girls into thinking he has changed despite their constant encounters. Mojo lives in an observatory atop a dormant volcano located in the middle of Townsville's municipal park. In the 2016 television series The Powerpuff Girls, Mojo has a mother who also appears to be evil.
Fuzzy Lumpkins[12] (voiced by Jim Cummings) is a hillbilly monster often seen playing his banjo which he calls "Jo". He was the first villain introduced in the series, since he first appears in one of the two prototype episodes "Meat Fuzzy Lumpkins" from the short series What a Cartoon!. He speaks in a southern accent, and lives in the woods next to Townsville. Fuzzy has a limited intellectual capacity, and is not nearly so active and ambitious as most of the villains in the series. He usually limits himself to shooting anyone whom he finds trespassing on his property, though he is also prone to destructive fits of rage; Fuzzy (according to Professor Utonium's research) belongs to a race of "Lumpkins"; he has three siblings (Furry, Fluffy, and Hairy), three nephews (Buzzy, Wuzzy, and Scuzzy), and several dozen cousins who closely resemble him.
HIM (voiced by Tom Kane) is a sinister, manipulative, and effeminate demon. His plans are usually psychological in nature, and often consist of manipulating events to either drive the Powerpuff Girls insane or drive wedges between them. HIM possesses various supernatural and demonic abilities such as shapeshifting, mind control, reality warping, various kinds of energy manipulation, and more. Craig McCracken has stated that "HIM" was inspired by the mannerisms of the Chief Blue Meanie in the 1968 film Yellow Submarine.[13]
Princess Morbucks (voiced by Jennifer Hale) is a spoiled, rich, and bratty little girl, whose partially unseen and mostly mute father allows her to finance various evil plots to destroy the Powerpuff Girls. Her hatred of the girls stems from her rebuffed attempt to become one of them. Her father is "Daddy" Morbucks, a large man whose face is always hidden. He dotes on his daughter and usually indulges in her whims, but it is hinted that his patience is limited and Princess fears truly angering him. Thanks to him, Morbucks has access to virtually unlimited financial resources. In the 2016 television series The Powerpuff Girls where she is voiced by Haley Mancini and Kelsy Abbott, Morbucks seeks to kill and replace the Powerpuff Girls rather than simply join them.
The Gangreen Gang (sometimes referred as The Ganggreen Gang)[a] are a gang of deformed green-skinned teenage punks. Not possessing any powers or exceptional abilities, the Gang is normally not too much of a threat to the girls, but have shown themselves to be very dangerous when motivated. They also delight in tormenting those weaker than themselves, especially children and the elderly. The Gangreen Gang lives in an old shack located in Townsville's junkyard.
The Amoeba Boys (voiced by Chuck McCann in the series and the What a Cartoon! episodes and by Lou Romano in Whoopass Stew) are a trio of mutant amoebas. With their mobster affectations, these aspiring criminals would love nothing more than to be regarded as serious villains worthy of fighting, and even getting beaten up and sent to jail by the Powerpuff Girls. Unfortunately, their brains are too primitive to devise a crime above the level of littering or jaywalking. Indeed, they considered stealing an orange to be their greatest crime ever in the episode "Divide and Conquer". They are Townsville's least malicious villains, even having a friendship-of-sorts with the Girls. They are generally harmless, but their actions have on occasion endangered both the girls and the town by accident.
Sedusa (voiced by Jennifer Hale) is a young, beautiful Gorgon-like mistress of disguise and seductress who uses her feminine wiles to influence men to do her bidding, such as Professor Utonium, the Mayor, and the Gangreen Gang. When her identity is revealed, she typically doffs down to her leotard battle suit and fights with her prehensile hair. Similar to Ms. Bellum, Sedusa is withdrawn from the reboot due to female modifications regarding her appearance to be inappropriate.[17]
Blisstina "Bliss" (voiced by Olivia Olson, Toya Delazy, Wengie, and Alesha Dixon) is the original Powerpuff Girl in the 2016 series, and is referred to as the fourth one because she is the fourth Powerpuff Girl to be shown in the reboot. She first appears in the five-part special, "The Power of Four". Her hair color is electric blue, and she often wears a pastel blue hairband with a pink heart adorned upon it. In two flashbacks depicting events that occur ten years prior to the main events of the series, Professor Utonium attempts to create the perfect little girl in response to his rival Newtronium creating the perfect little boy; Utonium uses sugar, spice, and everything nice. However, he accidentally adds Chemical W to the concoction, thus creating Bliss. Mojo Jojo also considered himself Bliss' childhood friend when he was the Professor's lab assistant. Bliss possesses superhuman strength, supersonic flight, superhuman hearing, laser vision, and limited invulnerability. However, unlike Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup and their original 1998 counterparts, Bliss also possesses psionic abilities, but her powers are uncontrollable due to her emotions. As such, in a flashback scene, Bliss' powers caused the destruction of the Professor's residence after she throws a temper tantrum, and the Professor ends up unconscious. Bliss then flies off to Bird Poop Island to keep everyone safe from her superpowers (Mojo himself was saddened to see Bliss run away) and meets her pet elephant, Mee. After spending several years on Bird Poop Island, Bliss moves back to Townsville; after saving the girls from being beaten by the Gnat, she is considered a hero and gets some training to control her powers. But the Professor dismisses her from ever using her powers again, as he insists that she is not ready yet. However, Mee convinces Bliss to prove him wrong as the girls invite her to defeat Chipmunk Commando. Her anger gets the best of her, as she almost hurts the girls, and Mee reveals that he is in fact Him in disguise. He manipulates her into fusing with him, and causes mayhem in Townsville within Bliss's body. But she then breaks free from Him's body thanks to Mojo Jojo, who tries to get her to notice him but fails. Bliss, Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup then combine together by the power of sisterhood to defeat Him.
Because of the planet Saturn being moved closer to Earth, Bliss leaves to bring it back to its rightful place in the Solar System. She also pledges to come back to see Utonium and the Powerpuff Girls again when she is done.
The Derbytantes (voiced by Kate Higgins) are a group of bad girl roller skaters who Buttercup usually likes hanging around with. Introduced in the 2016 series, they are never seen without their skates and enjoy playing "Deathball" (a sport resembling a cross between dodgeball and Rollerball). Notable members include: Maylyn (the leader, with pink hair and lightning bolts on her uniform), Jaylyn (blue hearts), Haylyn (yellow hearts) and Bobby Susan Ray-Lyn (who looks more like a grown man).
Donny (voiced by Josh Fadem) is a young unicorn who is best friends with Bubbles. Introduced in the 2016 series, Donny is originally unaware they are unicorns because of the thick hair on their heads, but still seeks to become one by having Professor Utonium transform him into one.
Packrat (voiced by Jason Spisak) is a scheming, oversized rat from the sewers. Introduced in the 2016 series, he loves stealing "shiny things" from stores and the people of Townsville, which he sees as gifts for various dolls he views as girlfriends. He broke Bubbles' arm in "Strong Armed". In "Little Octi Lost", he stole Octi from Buttercup.
Allegro (voiced by Eric Bauza) is a happy party-obsessed, panda-like being who is capable of causing people to go into a stupor of pure happiness. Introduced in the 2016 series and based on Panda from We Bare Bears, another Cartoon Network series, his true form is a smaller blue bear. He is actually one half of an entity called the Cosmic Bear.
Manboy (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is a short man with super strength and a magical beard (similar to Sedusa's hair) and has a tall wood figure that he uses in battle. Introduced in the 2016 series, he is an enemy to the Powerpuff Girls, mainly to Buttercup, because he is incredibly sexist and constantly declares men are superior to women. He is eventually revealed to be a child who gained an adult body when he got his powers.
Bianca and Barbarus Bikini (voiced by Lily Vonnegut (Bianca) and Natalie Palamides (Barbarus' vocal effects)) are a stylish pair respectively consisting of a human and gorilla. Bianca was initially chosen to be the new assistant of the Mayor, before being found out. They have an offshore hideout. Bianca replaces Sedusa as the main villainess in the reboot.[17]
Jemmica (voiced by Anais Fairweather) is a thief who presents herself as a treasure-hunting adventurer but had actually stolen artifacts from archeological digs. It is revealed in "Total Eclipse of the Kart" that she is actually ancient evil Jemoire, Queen of the Storms and she was ultimately stopped when she was frozen by a freeze ray.
The mysterious villain Silico (voiced by Jason Spisak) first appears in the episode "Viral Spiral", where he offers the Amoeba Boys a way to destroy the internet and finally become big-name villains. In "Halt and Catch Silico", he uses a social media news website Muck Bucket to post false news stories about the Powerpuff Girls. The Powerpuff Girls confront him in his lair and he reveals that he was originally a lonely kid who built toy robot friends to keep him company, however, they were accidentally destroyed when a monster the Powerpuff Girls defeated fell on his house, causing him to swear revenge against the Powerpuff Girls, whom he held responsible due to their carelessness. The Powerpuff Girls manage to defeat him when he unwisely calls Blossom "unorganized", but it turns out to be a hologram he created. In "Take Your Kids to Dooms Day", he steals a power suit to fight the Powerpuff Girls before being defeated by the Professor. In "The Trouble with Bubbles", he hacks a robotic clone of Bubbles to destroy the Powerpuff Girls, but Robo-Bubbles sacrifices herself to defeat him before she explodes. He survives an explosion and disguises himself as the Professor to replace him. In the Episode "Lights Out!", he disguises as Bliss and gave everyone in Townsville, the Butley. He shuts down the power, and mind-controlled everyone in Townsville to antagonize and destroy the Powerpuff Girls, even Bliss too. But was stopped by Bubbles by giving him a modified Butley, he appears to drop a bomb on the girls and leaves the library to explode. Later, he was escorted to jail for his crimes.
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