''The Most Popular Girls in School'' (abbreviated ''MPGIS'') is an American adult stop-motion

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

comedy

web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single in ...

that debuted on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

on May 1, 2012. Created by Mark Cope and Carlo Moss, the series animates

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration. ...

Ken Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in ...

and other

fashion doll Fashion dolls are dolls primarily designed to be dressed to reflect fashion trends. They are manufactured both as toys for children to play with and as collectibles for adults. The dolls are usually modeled after teen girls or adult women, thou ...

s, usually with customized costumes and hairstyles, as various characters. ''MPGIS'' follows the exploits of a fictional high school cheer leading team in

Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the most populous suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As ...

and their friends, family and enemies. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' described the series as "''

Mean Girls ''Mean Girls'' is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. The film stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried (in her film debut), Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler a ...

'' meets '' South Park''". The first episode has been viewed over ten million times, and many episodes have received views in the millions. In April 2013, ''MPGIS'' parodied the

viral email A viral email (also known as a "pass-along email") is an email which rapidly propagates from person to person, generally in a word-of-mouth manner. It is an example of a viral phenomenon, which is used for profit in viral marketing, but can also c ...

rant of

Delta Gamma Delta Gamma (), commonly known as DG, is a women's fraternity in the United States and Canada with over 250,000 initiated members. It has 150 collegiate chapters and more than 200 alumnae groups. The organization's executive office is in Columbus ...

sorority Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...

member Rebecca Martinson by having the character Brittnay Matthews (voiced by Lily Vonnegut) reenact the so-called "Deranged Sorority Girl Email". The ''MPGIS'' video went viral itself. On May 1, 2018, Extra Credit Studios announced a sixth season to be in development, as well as a

Patreon Patreon (, ) is a membership platform that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service. It helps creators and artists earn a monthly income by providing rewards and perks to their subscribers. Patreon charges a com ...

to crowdfund ''MPGIS'' in addition to new spin-off shows ''The Most Popular Girls in Quarantine'', ''Keeping Up With The Van Burens'', and ''Models''.

Storyline

Domineering Head Cheerleader, Mackenzie Zales, and her absent-minded, fellow cheerleader, Trisha Cappelletti confront new Overland Park High School student Deandra when she attempts to use their restricted restroom. They broker an alliance just as Shay van Buren - the most popular girl in school outside of the cheer squad - and her sisters drag the cheerleaders into a bitter feud, hoping to finally crush Mackenzie's cheerleading reign. Outside of this drama, Brittnay Matthews, another Overland Park cheerleader, breaks up with her dimwitted, second-string, quarterback boyfriend, Blaine, who immediately begins dating her nemesis, the annoyingly French exchange student, Saison Marguerite. Brittnay is further infuriated by the Cheer Squad/Van Buren feud and the acceptance of new girl, Deandra, into the confidence of the squad. Meanwhile, lonely lurker, Jonathan Getslinhaumer, tries to get the attention of the football team with his strange slang and empty threats, which mostly leaves them repulsed by his subconscious sexual innuendos. Finally, the unpopular and unattractive Rachel Tice, a childhood friend of Brittnay and Mackenzie who has since fallen out of favor, plots with her friend Judith to try to improve their social status. Rachel's moody sister, Bridget, occasionally makes an appearance to offer disdainful ridicule, and Lunch Lady Belinda cannot quite hide her crush on the dazzling Overland Park alumna Cameron Van Buren. Later plot lines include the rivalry with cheerleaders from

Atchison Atchison may refer to: Places In the United States: *Atchison, California, a former settlement *Atchison, Kansas, a city *Atchison County, Kansas *Atchison County, Missouri People with the surname * Bob Atchison (born 1941), Canadian drag race ...

High School, a sabotaged prom, and a carefully planned revenge plot against Mackenzie. The first four seasons take place in the girls' junior year at Overland Park High School, while the fifth season takes place during the summer between their junior and senior years of high school, with France being the primary location. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, ''The Most Popular Girls in Quarantine'' is taking place over video calls while Overland Park is closed and Mackenzie attempts to get the school re-opened.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

Production and broadcast

''The Most Popular Girls in School'' animates

and related

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

s, generic fashion dolls and various branded dolls, usually with customized costumes and hairstyles, as various characters. Other dolls used include

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

's,

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

, Belle, Merida and

Mother Gothel Mother Gothel is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' 50th animated feature film ''Tangled ''(2010). The character is voiced by actress and singer Donna Murphy in her voice acting debut; Murphy auditioned for the role spo ...

Finnick Odair The following is a list of characters in ''The Hunger Games'' novels, a series of young adult science fiction novels by Suzanne Collins whose original trilogy was later adapted into a series of four feature films. The actors who portray these c ...

from ''

The Hunger Games ''The Hunger Games'' is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by American author Suzanne Collins. The first three novels are part of a trilogy following teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and the fourth book is a prequel set 6 ...

'', Tyr Anasazi from '' Andromeda'', and Oscar and Evanora from ''

Oz the Great and Powerful ''Oz the Great and Powerful'' is a 2013 American fantasy adventure film directed by Sam Raimi and written by David Lindsay-Abaire and Mitchell Kapner from a story by Kapner. Based on L. Frank Baum's early 20th century ''Oz'' novels and set 20 y ...

''. Guest voice talent has included

Grace Helbig Grace Anne Helbig is an American comedian, actress, and internet personality. She is the co-creator and co-host of the podcast ''This Might Get Weird'' (2018–present) alongside frequent collaborator Mamrie Hart and is the voice of Cindy Bear ...

Jason Earles Jason Daniel Earles (born April 26, 1977) is an American actor. Known for his role as Jackson Stewart in the Disney Channel sitcom '' Hannah Montana'' and his role as Rudy Gillespie in the Disney XD series '' Kickin' It''. Early life Earles wa ...

Lee Newton Ashley Rose Newton (born April 13, 1985), known professionally as Lee Newton, is an American actress, comedian and Web personality. She is a former co-host of the YouTube news channel ''SourceFed'', as well as a regular performer of The Gym Come ...

Tyler Oakley Mathew Tyler Oakley (born March 22, 1989) is an American YouTuber, actor, activist and author. Much of Oakley's activism has been dedicated to LGBT youth, LGBT rights, as well as social issues including health care, education, and the preventio ...

Michelle Visage Michelle Lynn Case (nee Shupack), better known as Michelle Visage (born September 20, 1968), is an American singer, television host, actress, radio DJ and producer. She first gained recognition as a member of the musical group Seduction which ...

, Kingsley,

EpicLLOYD Lloyd Leonard Ahlquist (born January 18, 1977), better known by his online alias EpicLLOYD, is an American internet personality best known for the YouTube video series ''Epic Rap Battles of History'', along with Peter Shukoff ("Nice Peter"). Ahlq ...

Hannah Hart Hannah Maud Hart (born November 2, 1986) is an American internet personality, comedian, author, and actress. She is known for starring in '' My Drunk Kitchen'', a weekly series on YouTube in which she cooks something while intoxicated. She als ...

, and

Mamrie Hart Mamrie Lillian Hart (; born September 22, 1983) is an American comedian, actress, writer, and performer. She gained popularity in 2011 through her YouTube show ''You Deserve A Drink,'' for which she has won two Streamy Awards: in 2014 for Actress ...

. A March 2013 Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign funded season 2 of the series, a November 2013 Indiegogo campaign funded season 3, and a November 2014 Indiegogo campaign funded season 4. ''MPGIS'' premiered on

on May 1, 2012. The fourth season concluded on May 31, 2015, and a fifth season was not announced until April 4, 2017. A sixth season was announced at the end of the fifth-season finale episode on August 29, 2017. , the series' YouTube channel has over 1 million subscribers and over 170 million views. ''MPGIS'' has also produced spin-off shows ''The Trisha Show'' and ''Judy and Red'', as well as bonus material like "Making of" and "Behind the Scenes" videos, viewer mail Q&A and "Extra Credit" (

outtake An outtake is a portion of a work (usually a film or music recording) that is removed in the editing process and not included in the work's final, publicly released version. In the digital era, significant outtakes have been appended to CD and D ...

s). On May 1, 2018, Extra Credit Studios opened a

to crowdfund ''MPGIS'' in addition to new spin-off shows ''Keeping Up With The Van Burens'' and ''Models''.

Reception

''Variety'' described the series as "''Mean Girls'' meets ''South Park'' in this trash-talking, boundary-busting high-school-set Web series, acted out by stop-motion Barbie dolls." The first episode has been viewed over 10 million times, and most episodes have received views in the millions. In April 2013, ''MPGIS'' parodied the viral email rant of Delta Gamma sorority member Rebecca Martinson by having the character Brittnay Matthews (voiced by Lily Vonnegut) reenact Martinson's so-called "Deranged Sorority Girl Email". The ''MPGIS'' video went viral itself. In January 2015, ''Variety'' reported that Charlize Theron's production company Denver and Delilah was developing a stop-motion animation series based on ''MPGIS'' with comic book writer Greg Rucka. In August 2015, ''MPGIS'' was nominated for a Streamy Award for Costume Design.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Most Popular Girls In School, The 2012 web series debuts American adult animated comedy television series American adult animated web series American comedy web series Kansas in fiction LGBT-related animated web series 2010s American adult animated television series 2010s American high school television series 2010s American LGBT-related comedy television series American LGBT-related web series American stop-motion adult animated television series YouTube channels launched in 2012 YouTube original programming Internet memes