Craig McCracken
Craig McCracken is an American animator, responsible for the Cartoon Network cartoons, The Powerpuff Girls, as well as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Born in 1971 in Chareloi, Pennsylvania his family moved to Whitter, California after McCracken's father died when he was seven. He went to the California Institute of Arts, where he formed a strong friendship with Genndy Tartakovsky and Rob Renzetti (My Life as a Teenage Robot). The friendship is evident in the cooperation between series. After graduating he got his start on Two Stupid Dogs. He created a cartoon called "Whoopass Stew," and the idea eventually became The Powerpuff Girls.
He met and eventually married Lauren Faust, who worked as producer and writer for Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home. There was also a short lived project on Cartoon Network he and Rob Renzetti created called Cartoonstitute, which was supposed to be a Spiritual Successor to the What a Cartoon Show on TV, but it got put quietly on CN's video service instead. He left Cartoon Network in 2009, and is currently working independently on an idea called Wander Over Yonder, which recently got picked up by the Disney Channel.
Notable works include:
- Two Stupid Dogs
- Dexter's Laboratory
- The Powerpuff Girls
- Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
- Wander Over Yonder
Tropes used by this artist:
- Animesque: The Powerpuff Girls was basically this mixed with heavy UPA/Hanna-Barbera influence.
- Author Avatar: Mac from Foster's is based on his appearance as a kid.
- Getting Crap Past the Radar: Like fellow Hanna-Barbera producer Genndy Tartakovsky, he enjoys this trope. The Radar entry of the Powerpuff Girls page is an excellent example.
- Thick Line Animation: The Powerpuff Girls used this.
- Wild Hair: Most often portrayed with very curly hair.