# The Mighty B!
**The Mighty B!** is an American animated television series created by [Amy Poehler](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-poehler), Erik Wiese, and Cynthia True for Nickelodeon, following an ambitious Honeybee Scout named Bessie Higgenbottom who believes that earning every scout badge will transform her into a superhero.[1](https://www.nickanimation.com/content/the-mighty-b/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_mighty_b_) The series premiered on April 26, 2008, ran for two seasons through 2011, and carried a TV-Y7 rating.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_mighty_b_)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creators | Amy Poehler, Erik Wiese, and Cynthia True[1](https://www.nickanimation.com/content/the-mighty-b/) |
| Network and run | Nickelodeon, April 26, 2008 to 2011, two seasons[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_mighty_b_) |
| Main character | Bessie Higgenbottom, a 9 3/4-year-old Honeybee Scout voiced by Amy Poehler[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html) |
| Premise | Bessie aims to earn every Honeybee Scout badge, believing this will turn her into the superhero Mighty B[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_mighty_b_) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html) |
| Setting | San Francisco, with hand-painted backgrounds[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html) |
| Initial order | 20 episodes, launched Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. between *Back at the Barnyard* and *SpongeBob SquarePants*[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html) |
| Critical score | 89% average Tomatometer from 9 reviews; 70% Popcornmeter from fewer than 50 audience ratings[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_mighty_b_) |
## Premise and characters
Bessie Higgenbottom is a gap-toothed, bespectacled 9 3/4-year-old Honeybee Scout, an age the studio itself describes as "oddly specific."[1](https://www.nickanimation.com/content/the-mighty-b/) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html) She and her best friend, a dog named Happy Walter, go on quests to earn every Honeybee Scout badge, and she sometimes imagines herself as a superhero called Mighty B, often with her 7-year-old younger brother Ben as her sidekick.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_mighty_b_) Ben was voiced by [Andy Richter](https://www.edgepedia.org/andy-richter).[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html)
The character's defining trait is enthusiasm. Poehler described Bessie as "kind of like an open-faced sandwich" who is "not very tricky," and said the creators deliberately avoided an ironic or sarcastic tone.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html) The show treats children's situations with the seriousness of adult ones; in the fourth episode, "Toot Toot," Bessie goes on trial after passing gas at a Honeybee meeting.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html)
## Creation
The series grew out of a collaboration among three people with comedy and animation backgrounds. Amy Poehler was a *Saturday Night Live* cast member known for *Parks and Recreation* and *Inside Out*; Erik Wiese was a storyboard director who had worked on *SpongeBob SquarePants* for four seasons; and Cynthia True was a writer who had penned scripts for *The Fairly OddParents*, among other children's shows.[1](https://www.nickanimation.com/content/the-mighty-b/) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html)
The idea took root when True's mother sent her childhood photos, including one of True in her Brownie uniform, which Wiese recalled as a source of laughter. Wiese and True, a married couple, had been talking with Poehler, a longtime friend, about working together, and they remembered the characters she had played on *Upright Citizens Brigade*, the [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central) sketch show that ran for three years. The question they settled on was what a cartoon about an eager scout would look like.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html)
Poehler voiced Bessie herself and served as an executive producer. She said she was excited to reach an audience beyond late-night television, noting that *SNL* material "comes and goes" while she hoped Bessie would "resonate and stick around."[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html)
## Animation and style
The series uses simple lines and googly-circle eyes, with characters that pop like balloons, stretch like taffy, and move across hand-painted scenes of San Francisco, a look the *Los Angeles Times* compared to classic cartoons such as *Bugs Bunny* and *The Flintstones*.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html) Wiese described the show's sunny point of view as a deliberate counterpoint to television that he felt had to be "sarcastic, verbose and loud," positioning Bessie as a scout who loves being a kid.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html)
## Broadcast and availability
Nickelodeon ordered 20 episodes at launch and placed the show in the middle of its Saturday morning lineup.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html) The network also offered short-form videos, Bessie-themed playlists, and instant replays of episodes on TurboNick, its broadband video service.[4](https://www.nexttv.com/news/mighty-b-buzzes-its-way-nick-lineup-366106) After the run ended in 2011, both seasons became available for streaming on [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) and for purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_mighty_b_)
## Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an 89% average Tomatometer based on 9 reviews, with a 70% average Popcornmeter from fewer than 50 audience ratings; season 1 carries an 89% score.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_mighty_b_) Brown Johnson, Nickelodeon's president of animation at launch, said she had "huge hopes" for the show and pointed to Bessie's optimism as important for kids and families.[3](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html)
## References
1. [The Mighty B, Nickelodeon Animation](https://www.nickanimation.com/content/the-mighty-b/)
2. [The Mighty B!, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_mighty_b_)
3. [Early shift for Amy Poehler, Los Angeles Times (April 25, 2008)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-apr-25-et-mighty25-story.html)
4. ['The Mighty B!' Buzzes Its Way Into Nick Lineup, Multichannel News](https://www.nexttv.com/news/mighty-b-buzzes-its-way-nick-lineup-366106)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Animated television series (individual series) › Children's animated adventure and fantasy series › Comedy and slice-of-life series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license