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Cape Town – South African artist Toya Delazy will be the voice of the 4th Powerpuff Girl in Cartoon Network's reboot of the animation show – but only for South Africa and Africa
Toya Delazy won't be the "global" voice of the character but one of a whopping 15 people who will voice the very same new character in various different and regionalised parts of the world.
Last week Channel24 reported that Toya Delazy will be the voice of the new, 4th Powerpuff Girl in the new upcoming 5-episode story, The Powerpuff Girls: Power of Four.
Further examination however reveals that several countries across the Middle East, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and the Americas will all hear the 4th's puff in different voices.
What it means is that the United States, South American countries, and all the other Cartoon Network regionalised feeds in the world – except the channel feed for Africa – will not actually hear Toya's voice.
In response to a media enquiry asking whether Toya will be the voice of the new character globally or specifically for South Africa and Africa only, Cartoon Network said that Toya will actually be starring as the voice for Africa only.
"Cartoon Network has joined forces with 15 super-powered celebrities across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australia who will each lend their voice to the newly revealed 4th Powerpuff Girl," the kids channel says.
"The first local celebrities to be named as the voice of this mysterious fourth Powerpuff Girl are South Africa's hip-hop sensation Toya Delazy, who will star as the character across Africa, and Australian YouTuber Wengie, who has voiced the character for Australia and New Zealand."
"This activation is the perfect way to continue building brand awareness and affinity, not only with girls and kids, but with millennial women and mums too," says Lesley Bailey, the vice president for channel marketing and brand management at Turner's kids division for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
"We're excited to be revealing the first in a long list of amazing and inspiring women to be taking on this kick-ass new role".
In 2016 Turner Africa's Cartoon Network collaborated with Toya to do a localised South African version of The Powerpuff Girls theme song for the launch of the reimagined new series.
In The Powerpuff Girls: Power of Four, the Powerpuffs' lives as superheroes are turned upside down and all 4 have to band together and use their strengths and smarts to save their city of Townsville from forces of evil.
How the new character looks will be revealed in the first episode of the 5-part special that will be starting this coming Sunday, 17 September, in America. South African and African viewers will have to wait a bit longer.
This type of voice-over regionalisation for kids animation content for Africa isn't new.
In 2002 The Walt Disney Company roped in Idols winner and singer Heinz Winckler's Chasing Shadows song as the theme song for the South African cinema release of the Disney film Treasure Planet.
Disney similarly used the voice of the Idols judge Unathi Msengana in June 2014 for an episode of Rita the Cheetah in the second season of Doc McStuffins on Disney Junior (DStv 309) for its South African and Africa broadcast.
