Josie and the Pussycats is a long-standing Archie franchise starring three girls in a band.
The series began as the comic She's Josie in 1962. It was a Distaff Counterpart to Archie Comics starring a teenage girl named Josie, her Dude Magnet friend Melody, and their Soapbox Sadie buddy Pepper.
In the late 1960s, Hanna-Barbera wanted to make a cartoon based off of an Archie's property, similarly to Filmation's The Archie Show. They revamped She's Josie into Josie and the Pussycats. Pepper was dropped and replaced with Valerie, Josie and Melody were now in a band, and they were accompanied by four new characters: Alan, the Pussycats' roadie and Josie's love interest; Alexander, the Pussycats' manager; Alexandra, Alexander's twin who both wants Alan to herself and wants to replace Josie as leader of the band; and Sebastian, Alexandra's sneaky cat (who also acts as her familiar). Together, they travel around while coming across various mishaps. The 1970 cartoon is one of the better recalled Scooby-Doo clones.
In 1972, the show received a retool/sequel in Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space. As the name implies, it's a literal Recycled In Space version of the cartoon.
The popularity of the cartoon led to a similar retool in the comics. These comics lasted until 1982, when it was cancelled. For several decades the characters lived on through crossovers and cameos in Archie Comics and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. In 2016, it was revived to go along with the other Archie Comics (2015) reboots.
In 2001, the series received a Live-Action Adaptation in Josie and the Pussycats. It was poorly received upon release but later ended up a Cult Classic. The film also led to a short-lived comic revival.
Installments
- Josie and the Pussycats: The comic series.
- Josie and the Pussycats: The 1970 cartoon and its 1972 retool.
- Josie and the Pussycats (2001): A loosely-based 2001 Live-Action Adaptation film.
- Archie Comics (2015): A reboot of the comics.
Josie and the Pussycats have prominently appeared in:
- Archie Comics: Various cameos and crossovers in the main Archie series.
- Cartoon Network Groovies: Josie and the Pussycats in "Musical Evolution", a short featuring the trio singing their theme in various music and art styles.
- Riverdale: Josie, Melody, and Valeri are an all-black band that go to to Riverdale High. As a reference to the AU comic where they were married, Archie and Valerie briefly dated.
