Whether you say "Moon Prism Power, Make-Up!" or "Atashi No Kokoro, Unlock!" All magical girls start somewhere. At this World Fair, we're going to learn a little about the magical girl genre, how it came to be, and about the multitude of series spanning several decades that have captured the hearts of fans both young and old. 

While many claim Sailor Moon to be the original Mahou Shoujo anime, it is far from the first. There are many, many other anime which precede it, dating way back to the 60's. 

The original inspiration for the Mahou Shoujo genre is actually that of an American cartoon, an animated sit-com titled Bewitched. 

So what is the first of the Mahou Shoujo genre? Enter MahouTsukai Sally. or as it's known to English-speaking viewers, Sally The Witch. 

Sally The Witch follows the escapades of the titular character Sally, who is a princess in the Magic Kingdom. Sally ended up on Earth one day by mistake, and befriended two young girls, Yoshiko and Sumire. Much like in Bewitched, Sally keeps her powers as a witch secret as best she can, living life as a normal girl. 

The first 17 episodes aired in black-and-white, while the remaining episodes aired in color, one of the first anime to do so. 

The next in the Mahou Shoujo lineup is titled Himitsu No Akko-Chan, or Akko-chan's Secret. 

Akko-Chan's secret actually predates Sally The Witch in terms of release, since the Akko-Chan manga was released first, in '62, whereas Sally The Witch was released in '66. However, since the anime of Sally The Witch released in '66 as well, it is considered the first Mahou Shoujo anime, as Akko-Chan was not released until '69. 

In Akko-Chan's secret, the main character, Atsuko Kagami, is a young schoolgirl who loves mirrors. (Kagami, her family name, is Japanese for mirror). One day her favorite mirror, given to her as a present by her family (in some versions her mother, some her father), is broken. Rather than simply throwing it away, she gives it a burial. 

That night her dreams are visited by a spirit, which was touched by Akko-Chan's treatment of the mirror. As a gift, Akko-Chan is given a new, enchanted mirror, and taught magical enchantments that allow her to transform into anything she desires. 

Three different anime adaptions have been released, as well as two animated movies, and one live-action movie. 

While Sally The Witch is considered the first of the Mahou Shoujo genre, this next anime is the first to introduce several elements that are well-known in the genre, such as a magical item. 

Animated by Toei studies, MahouTsukai Chappy, or Chappy The Witch, is the fifth in the Magical Girl lineup (or sixth, some may argue). 

With a similar name to Sally The Witch, and in some ways, a similar plot, Chappy The Witch was very largely overshadowed by its predecessor. 

Chappy The Witch stars the titular character Chappy, who ran away from her homeland to live with humans. She learns over time how to be a good witch, with the help of her family (who come to live with her after seeing how Chappy likes her new home), and with her magical wand in tow. 

Chappy is the first of the genre to introduce a magical item, and is also aimed at a younger age demographic than that of Sally and Akko-Chan. She introduces the idea of a younger, more inexperienced Magical Girl, in comparison to the two aforementioned. 

The next anime revolutionized the Mahou Shoujo genre in more ways than one. Once again from Toei Studios, Cutie Honey!

Cutie Honey is the story of super-heroine Honey Kisaragi, AKA Cutie Honey. A normal schoolgirl at first, she discovers one day that she is in actuality an android built by her scientist father, with magical transforming powers. 

As the superheroine Cutie Honey, she seeks revenge against the organization Panther Claw for killing her father, and to stop the furthering of their goals. 

Cutie Honey brought to the Mahou Shoujo genre a more mature setting, rather than the previous series more aimed towards kids. It also was the first of the genre to feature predominant violence, rather than the other main characters goals of bettering themselves, such as with Chappy or Sally. 

From witches to normal girls, and even an android in disguise, the Mahou Shoujo genre has seen several different types of girls through the decades. So what sort of girl has the honor of ushering in the 80's?

A princess of course! Mahou No Purinsesu Minky Momo! 

Mahou No Purinsesu Minky Momo (or Magical Princess Minky Momo for English-speaking viewers) follows a couple of troupes from the previous Mahou Shoujo series, such as being from a different land, or taking on a different appearance than her own when need be. But it brings much more to the table, with a different spin on things. 

 Momo is the princess of Fenarinasa, a fairy tale land that orbits Earth. The fairy tale land lives on the dreams of people on Earth, and if the people lose their dreams, Fenarinasa will disappear. In order to prevent that, Momo is sent to Earth to revive the dreams of the people. In order to do that, she transforms into an older version of herself, and with her older self transformation she adapts to different occupations (including a flight attendant, a policewoman, and more), in order to inspire people to realize their dreams. 

The first portion of the series ended tragically, as Momo dies before completing her mission. However this tragic ending is credited as an inspiration for several other magical girl anime with similar dark themes. 

While initially intended for girls, it gained a large male fanbase, much like several more modern series, including Sailor Moon and Madoka Magica. 

Next in the Mahou Shoujo lineup, yet another young-girl-turned-older-self, Creamy Mami!

Mahou No Tenshi Creamy Mami, or Magical Angel Creamy Mami, follows the story of ten-year-old Yuu Morisawa, who found a spaceship one day in the sky. The owner of the dpaceship, in return for a favor from Yuu, grants her a magic wand and the ability to grow up to 16 years old, but with the limit being one year of doing so. 

While in her teenaged state, Yuu finds herself on live television as a singer, which is another talent she was granted along with her older body. She adopts the stage name "Creamy Mami", and beings to work for a production company as a vocal star, all the while using her magic powers to fight supernatural beings. 

Creamy Mami also garnered a large male fanbase much like Minky Momo, and the two series even had a crossover episode titled Creamy Mami VS Minky Momo. 

The voice actress for Mami, Takako Ohta, is the singer of the main theme of the show, and a popular vocal star. Creamy Mami was her first work as a vocal artist, both for voice acting and singing. 

Creamy Mami also utilizes a now-common troupe of a love story between characters with alter-egos, in this case Yuu has a crush on her childhood friend Toshio, but he loves Mami- her secret identity. A troupe which was similarly used in the 1985 American cartoon JEM, which many consider an "American Magical Girl".