'The Most Popular Girls in School' season 1 still holds up

This might be a throwback for some, but season one of "The Most Popular Girls in School" (MPGiS) is still hilarious 11 years later.

For those who don't know, MPGiS is a stop-motion YouTube series that acts out high school drama with dolls, most of which are Barbies. The series has been accurately described by Variety as "'Mean Girls' meets 'South Park.'"

Right from the first episode, new girl Deandra has an argument with head cheerleader Mackenzie Zales over bathroom privileges; meanwhile, fellow cheerleader Trisha Cappelletti goes on a tangent about why Ashley Katchadourian is watching the door instead of Jenna Darabond.

The battle for bathroom privileges becomes a running theme in the feud between the cheerleaders and the Van Buren family, all of which connects back to Mackenzie's rivalry with Shay Van Buren. Likewise, Trisha's tangent about Ashley Katchadourian comes to a satisfying head in episode 11.

There's also a subplot about the least popular girls in school, Judith Dinsmore and Rachel Tice, that pays off in the 13th and final episode of the season.

My personal favorite episodes are one, three, five, and 11, but all the episodes build toward a larger story. Every episode includes at least one quotable line, usually of gut-busting comedic quality. Each of the 13 episodes also only lasts between roughly three and nine minutes each.

I only discovered the series in 2017 and recently rewatched the entire first season, and I can say with confidence that the jokes still hold up from a satirical comedy perspective. Even the offensive jokes are on point because they're intended to play into vicious high school stereotypes.

And boy do they dive into the vicious side of these characters. Characters find new and interesting ways to verbally eviscerate each other in every single episode. Sometimes with every single line. That earlier Variety quote about the show being "'Mean Girls' meets 'South Park'" is accurate, but the series especially leans into its "Mean Girls" side.

If you've never watched the series before, I'd suggest giving it a go to see what you think.