"Girl Power" is the 3rd episode of the third season of Pepper Ann. It aired on September 18, 1999.
Synopsis
Moose's favorite comic book Tundra Woman is adapted into a Saturday morning cartoon, but Moose and Janie protest when Tundra Woman is turned into a shallow, shopaholic girlie-girl.
Plot
Moose loves the fictional character Tundra Woman, a heroic character who defends the tundra from evildoers. She learns, to her excitement, that a cartoon series is premiering on Saturday and awaits it. However, the cartoon takes the character and turns her into a shopaholic type with a penguin sidekick who rather than fighting villains, dates them instead. Moose is shocked by the sexist changes to the character and mopes about it. When Lydia hears about it, she contacts Janie and brings Moose and Pepper Ann to the outside of the studio to complain to the network executives.
Larry and Davis inform the Pearsons that the reason for the changes is due to marketing and research among young girls and that they will only change it if they hear otherwise. Moose finds the explanation ridiculous, but manages to round up the people in Hazelnut who agree with Moose's stance and demand that the show change to be more suitable. Moose wins out and the show is changed. Unfortunately, the show is now a gritty reboot with Tundra Woman as a Neanderthal type who kills the creatures she is supposed to protect.
Still upset that they went too far, the Pearsons return to the studio with Lydia and Janie making suggestions of their own on how to make her a more productive woman in society. Moose is not happy about this either and tells the adults that the reason for why she loves Tundra Woman is not because she is a woman, it is because she is a heroic character and that her gender does not matter. Taking her words to heart, the network decides to change the show. Unfortunately, they opt to cancel it and replace it with another show. Nevertheless, Moose is glad that she was at least heard out.
Cast
- Kathleen Wilhoite as Pepper Ann Pearson
- Jeff Bennett as Avery Blake, Additional voices
- Danny Cooksey as Milo Kamalani
- Clea Lewis as Nicky Little
- Pamela Adlon as Moose Pearson
- April Winchell as Lydia Pearson, Millicent The Militant, Additional voices
- Jim Cummings as Roland Carter, Narrator, Announcer
- Rob Paulsen as Davis, Ice, Thoron, Pengy
- Alex Rocco as Larry
- Nicole Sullivan as Tundra Woman
- Susan Tolsky as Janie Diggety
Trivia
- The show unrealistically depicts cartoons being created overnight, when in actuality it takes almost a whole year to produce a single episode.
- Pepper Ann takes a more supporting role in this episode.
