The first name used for the superhero trio in Craig McCracken’s original student film was Whoopass Girls.
McCracken developed the concept while studying at the California Institute of the Arts. His student short, Whoopass Stew!, introduced the basic idea of three small girls with extraordinary powers. The project later evolved into The Powerpuff Girls after its title and some elements were changed for broadcast television.
The original title used “Whoopass” as part of the project’s deliberately irreverent tone. Cartoon Network later commissioned the concept for its What a Cartoon! anthology, where the characters appeared under the Powerpuff Girls name.
This origin is distinct from the series’ fictional creation story involving Professor Utonium and Chemical X. One describes the real-world development of the cartoon; the other belongs to the show’s internal mythology.