David Perlmutter and the Powerpuff Girls

Re-Creative Spotlight: David Perlmutter

In episode 17 of Re-Creative from our first season, Mark A. Rayner and I talk to writer, encyclopedist, and cartoon expert David Perlmutter. David, a freelance writer based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, takes us on a deep dive into the history of cartoons.

We posted that episode on July 5th, 2023. And I have noticed in the years since that David has been an unflagging supporter of both our Re-Creative podcast and Donovan Street Press. Thanks David!

Mark and I both really enjoyed this conversation. I’ve always loved cartoons, and this episode gave us an opportunity to talk about the cartoons we loved growing up. For David, it was the Smurfs and G.I. For Mark and I, Bugs Bunny and The Flintstones. Every Saturday night I would park myself in front of the television with my sisters and watch Bugs Bunny, often while eating supper. It was just about the only time my parents would let us eat in front of the television.

David walks us through how developments in each decade contributed to the next generation of animation. One of David’s greatest inspirations was the late-90s breakthrough show Powerpuff Girls, created by Craig McCracken, which David explained was heavily influenced by the Batman television series from the 60s. Craig McCracken, David told us, was “like the Kurosawa of television animation.”

If you like cartoons, we think you’ll really appreciate this episode of Re-Creative.

David Perlmutter’s published works include the non-fiction books America ‘Toons In: A History Of Television Animation (McFarland and Co.) and The Encyclopedia Of American Animated Television Shows (Rowman and Littlefield); as well as a number of speculative fiction collections and novellas, including Orthicon (2020).

You can purchase David’s books via the Independent Author Network or on Amazon.

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Re-Creative is a co-production of Donovan Street Press Inc. in association with MonkeyJoy Press.

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