The Most Popular Girls in School (abbreviated MPGIS) is an American adult stop-motion animated comedy web series that debuted on YouTube on May 1, 2012. Created by Mark Cope and Carlo Moss, the series animates Barbie, Ken and other fashion dolls, 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 and their friends, family and enemies. Variety described the series as "Mean Girls meets South Park". The first episode has been viewed over 11 million times, and many 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 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 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
The first season begins with the arrival of new student Deandra at Overland Park High School. Deandra is sought as an ally on both sides of a long-simmering feud between head cheerleader Mackenzie Zales and socialite Shay van Buren, which comes to a head as both are nominated for prom queen. Mainly concerned with bathroom privileges, Deandra plays both sides until she is literally torn apart. Other storylines this season include Mackenzie's second-in-command Brittnay Matthews breaking up with her boyfriend Blaine only for him to begin dating her rival, foreign exchange student Saison Marguerite; lonely lurker Jonathan "Than" Getslinhaumer attempting to ingratiate himself with the football team; and unpopular student Rachel Tice's sinister plan to win the title of prom queen for herself.
In the second season, the cheer squad must defend their turf when the cheer squad from Atchison begins hanging out at their mall after their own mall burned down. They agree to give the mall to whoever wins the upcoming Nationals competition, but they don't realize one of their own squad members is a double agent. Meanwhile, Saison and Blaine prepare for the birth of their baby, while Brittnay pretends to be friends with Saison in order to get on a reality TV show about teen mothers, and later is forced to let her join the squad when they are a member short. Than, deeply in denial about his sexuality, begins a relationship with Brittnay, and later kisses openly gay football player Tanner Christiansen to prove he wouldn't enjoy it; he does, and immediately comes out. Other storylines include the budding friendship between Overland Park's Trisha Cappelletti and a cheerleader at Atchison also named Trisha, Mackenzie's battle with stress-induced female pattern baldness, and Deandra's attempts to defuse the situation between Overland Park and Atchison, the school from which she transferred after an embarrassing incident.
In the third season, former squad member Jenna Darabond returns to Overland Park to enact revenge on Mackenzie, revealing that she orchestrated the events of the previous two seasons, including burning down the Atchison mall. Her newest scheme is to upset the school's social order by turning the student body into conformity-hating hipsters, which she successfully does with Rachel, Than and former cheerleaders Ashley Katchadourian and Jenna Dapananian. Having lost half the squad, Mackenzie and Brittany reluctantly team up with Shay van Buren and Saison Marguerite, while Trisha invites the other Trisha to join the squad. The cheerleaders and hipsters wage a culture war, the situation escalating when Brittnay's car is set on fire. Meanwhile, Deandra, who received bionic implants after losing her arms, joins the football team and leads them to the state championships. Than also joins the football team, but is torn between his friendship with the guys and his relationship with Jenna when she asks him to throw the game. In the end, the students renounce hipsterism and Mackenzie has Jenna arrested for the arson of the Atchison mall. Mackenzie also reveals that she was the one who destroyed Brittnay's car to manipulate Jenna's downfall. Brittnay quits the squad and renounces Mackenzie, and, in prison, Jenna is stabbed by Atchison's head cheerleader Tanya.