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{{Short description|Animated children's television series}}
[[Image:Pingu.png|thumb|200px|Pingu logo]]
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
'''''Pingu''''' is a [[Switzerland|Swiss]] [[animation|animated]] children's television series about a family of [[penguin]]s who live at the [[South Pole]]. The main character is the son, Pingu, though some episodes feature Pingu's parents and (after her hatching) his baby sister Pinga, his friend Robby the Seal, and other minor characters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/about_cbeebies/shows/pingu.shtml |title=BBC CBeebies Grownups - About CBeebies - Pingu |accessdate=2007-07-21 }}</ref>
{{Infobox television
| image = Pingu Logo.png
| alt_name =
| genre = {{ubl
| [[Animated sitcom]]
| [[Children's television series]]
| [[Clay animation]]
| [[Stop motion]]
| [[Television comedy|Comedy]]
}}
| creator = {{ubl
| [[Otmar Gutmann]]
| Erika Brueggemann<ref name="Creator-credits" />
}}
| writer = {{ubl
| Erika Brueggemann
| Silvio Mazzola
}}
| voices = {{ubl
| [[Carlo Bonomi]]
| [[David Sant]]
| Marcello Magni
}}
| composer = {{ubl
| Antonio Conde (1990–1994)
| Andy Benedict (1995–2000)
| Keith Hopwood (2003–2006)
}}
| country = {{ubl
| Switzerland (original)
| United Kingdom (revival)
}}
| language = [[Grammelot]]
| num_series = 6
| num_episodes = 156 (+1 special)
| list_episodes = List of Pingu episodes
| executive_producer = {{ubl
| Theresa Plummer-Andrews (2003–2006)
| Jocelyn Stevenson (2003–2006)
| Christopher Skala (2005–2006)
}}
| producer = {{ubl
| Otmar Gutmann (1990–1993)
| Seishi Katto (1993–2000)
| Javier Garcia (1993–2000)
| Jackie Cockle (2003–2006)
| Bella Reekie (2003–2006)
}}
| runtime = {{ubl
| 5 minutes
| 25 minutes (special)
}}
| company = {{ubl
| Pingu Filmstudio{{efn|Formerly known as Trickfilmstudio Otmar Gutmann for series 1–2.}} (original)
| [[Hot Animation]] (revival)|[[HIT Entertainment]] (revival)<!--
| {{hlist|[[Mattel Television]]|[[Aardman Animations]]}} (second revival) — it’s unknown if it will be a full revival of the original or a separate show like "In the City". -->
}}
| network = {{ubl
| [[Schweizer Fernsehen|SF DRS]] (Switzerland, series 1–4)
| [[ZDF]] (Germany, series 1–4)
| [[CBeebies]] (UK, series 5–6)
}}
| first_aired = {{Start date|df=y|1990|03|07}}
| last_aired = present
| related = {{ubl|''[[Pingu in the City]]''}}
}}


'''''Pingu''''' is an animated children's television series originally produced in [[Switzerland]]. It was co-created by [[Otmar Gutmann]] and Erika Brueggemann<ref name="Creator-credits">{{Cite AV media |url=https://youtube.com/watch?v=tdGdwLlovc4&t=1 |title=Pingu ''season 5 end credits'' |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/tdGdwLlovc4 |archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live |quote=Originated by: Otmar Gutmann and Erika Brueggemann}}{{cbignore}}</ref> that centres on the titular anthropomorphic [[emperor penguin]] and his family, who live in the [[South Pole]]. The series aired on [[SF DRS]] for four series from 7 March 1990 to 9 April 2000, and was produced by the Swiss animation studio Pingu Filmstudio; with Swiss toy company Editoy AG, and later on, Pingu BV handling IP ownership of the series.
== History ==
104 five-minute episodes were originally made, from [[1986]] onwards. The episodes were written by [[Silvio Mazzola]], and directed and animated by [[Otmar Gutmann]] using [[claymation]] techniques, at Trickfilmstudio in [[Switzerland]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/5681/pinguFAQ.html |title=Frequently Asked Questions about Pingu |accessdate=2007-07-21}}</ref>


The series has been popular outside of Switzerland, particularly in the United Kingdom and Japan, in part due to its lack of a real spoken language. Nearly all dialogue is in an invented [[grammelot]] "penguin language" referred to as 'Penguinese' or 'Pinguish',<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stevens |first=Dana |date=1 February 2008 |title=The March of the Pingu |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2008/02/the_march_of_the_pingu.html |journal=Slate |access-date=22 May 2017}}</ref> consisting of babbling, muttering, and the titular character's characteristic sporadic honking sound, which can be popularly recognized as "Noot noot!" or other variants<!-- (stated to be "Noo, noo!" by the defunct Pingu website's trivia page)-->,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pingu Fact #5 (viewable in webpage source code) |url=http://www.pingu.net/uk/pingu-facts.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202203656/http://www.pingu.net/uk/pingu-facts.htm |archive-date=2 February 2007}}</ref> accompanied by turning his beak into a megaphone-like shape.<ref name="guardian_interview">{{Cite web |last1=Dickson |first1=Andrew |last2=Beaumont-Thomas |first2=Ben |date=11 January 2016 |title=How we made Pingu |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/jan/11/how-we-made-pingu-childrens-tv-animation |access-date=27 June 2018 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> In the first four series, all the characters were performed by Italian voice actor [[Carlo Bonomi]], using a language of sounds he had already developed and used earlier for [[Osvaldo Cavandoli]]'s ''[[La Linea (TV series)|La Linea]]''.
A special twenty-minute episode ("Pingu at the Wedding Party") was also produced, in [[1997]], which introduced a family of green penguins and a killer vacuum cleaner.


After British children's company [[HIT Entertainment]] purchased Pingu from Pingu BV in 2001, they produced a revival run of two additional series in the [[United Kingdom]] through their in-house studio [[Hot Animation]], which aired on [[CBeebies]] from 1{{nbsp}}August 2003 to 3{{nbsp}}March 2006. It was nominated for a [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA award]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=2005 Children's Pre-School Animation |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2005/childrens/pre-school-animation |access-date=2022-08-13 |website=awards.bafta.org}}</ref> in 2005. The characters were jointly voiced by [[David Sant]] and Marcello Magni.<ref name="guardian_interview" /> A computer-animated revival series produced in Japan, entitled ''[[Pingu in the City]]'', ran for two seasons on [[NHK]] from 7{{nbsp}}October 2017 until 30{{nbsp}}March 2019. A third revival series, being animated in stop-motion like the original, is currently under development at [[Mattel Television]] and [[Aardman Animations]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Aardman and Mattel to co-develop Pingu animated TV series |url=https://www.aardman.com/latest-news/2024/october/aardman-and-mattel-to-co-develop-pingu-animated-tv-series/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=app-aardman-cms-prod.azurewebsites.net |language=en}}</ref><ref name="revival">{{Cite news |title=Mattel and Aardman bring back Pingu |url=https://kidscreen.com/2024/10/22/mattel-and-aardman-bring-back-pingu/ |access-date=2024-11-11}}</ref>
In [[2001]], [[HIT Entertainment]] bought the [[United Kingdom|UK]] rights to the series (including the original 105 episodes) for £15.9 million<ref>{{cite news |title=Pingu sold for £16m |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1626014.stm |work=Business |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=[[2001-10-29]] |accessdate=2007-07-21 }}</ref> and produced a further 52 episodes, created at [[Hot Animation]] and first broadcast in 2004. These feature new voice actors [[Marcello Magni]] and [[David Sant]], as Bonomi, now in his sixties, was considered too old.


The IP rights to Pingu are currently held by an entity owned by HIT/Mattel named Joker, Inc., which is usually called through its trade name "The Pygos Group" on copyright and trademark notices related to the ''Pingu'' property.
One reason for ''Pingu'''s international success was its lack of dialogue per se. All dialogue was in a honking "penguin language" ("[[Pinguish]]" or "Penguinese"), performed (without script) by [[Carlo Bonomi]] similarly to [[La Linea]] (also dubbed by Bonomi).


== Episode Lists ==
==Storyline==
::*[[List of Pingu episodes|Alphabetic list of Pingu episode titles]] (includes alternative titles)
{{main|List of Pingu episodes}}
{{:List of Pingu episodes}}
::*Lists of Pingu episodes with synopses - series [[Pingu episodes series 1|1]] • [[Pingu episodes series 2|2]] • [[Pingu episodes series 3|3]] • [[Pingu episodes series 4|4]] • [[Pingu episodes series 5|5]] • [[Pingu episodes series 6|6]] • [[Pingu episodes special|special]]<br>


The program is set in [[Antarctica]] and focuses around penguin families living and working in [[igloo]]s. The main character, Pingu, belongs to one such family. He frequently goes on adventures with his little sister, Pinga, and often gets into mischief with his best friend Robby and his love interest, Pingi.
'''Notes'''<br>
*''Derivation of episode titles'' <br>
:No official episode title appears on screen, so the lists were initially created from the titles used on various official DVD releases. The main episode titles for Series 1 to 4 were taken from the official Japanese DVD releases, and the alternative titles from the official European DVD releases. Episode titles for Series 5 and 6 were taken from the European DVD releases.
:Changes have subsequently been made to these titles to bring them more into line with English usage and practice (e.g. to correct spelling and grammar) and to relate them to the titles used on UK DVDs produced by HIT Entertainment. Alternative titles have also been appropriately added, amended, etc. Title data has also been supplemented with information from other sources, such as the titles used by the BBC for television broadcasts and on video tapes.
*''BBC broadcasts''<br>
:In the UK, the BBC appear never to have broadcast any of the normal 5 minute episodes from the latter half of series 3 (3.13 – 3.26) or from series 4 (4.1 – 4.26).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://catalogue.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/series/PINGU| title=BBC Programme Catalogue - (infax beta) |accessdate=2007-07-26 }}</ref> Of the episodes that have been broadcast, all have been broadcast since 4 September 2006 inclusive except for episodes
::• 1.1 (“Hello Pingu”, last broadcast 2 May 2003),
::• 1.14 (“Pingu Runs Away”, last broadcast 18 February 2005)
::• 1.26 (“Pingu’s Dream”, last broadcast 15 May 2003)


==Production history==
== Commercial VHS and DVD releases ==
In 1984, Erika Brueggemann was working at [[Schweizer Fernsehen]] (the German-speaking division of [[SRG SSR]]) when she was introduced to animator [[Otmar Gutmann]]. Gutmann pitched a [[clay animation]] show starring [[sea lion]]s who crawled around in a funny way. Erika Brueggemann liked the idea of a clay cartoon character, but she preferred the clay penguins that Gutmann had made. She suggested that the main character should walk upright like a human and asked, "Why not a penguin?"<ref name="Brueggemann-interview">{{Cite web |date=April 2004 |title=Erika Brüggemann, langjährige Redaktorin im Kinder- und Jugendprogramm, über "Pingu" |url=https://medien.srf.ch/documents/20142/3708308/Jubi_LIVE_B4.pdf#page=12 |language=German}}</ref>
{{main|List of Pingu DVD and VHS releases}}


Brueggemann's colleague, Guido Steiger, agreed with her idea. Gutmann was not immediately convinced, since he had already created many sea lion characters out of [[plasticine]], but he eventually pushed forward with the penguin idea too. According to Erika Brueggemann, she gave "countless demonstrations on my part about how 'my' penguin had to move and act".<ref name="Brueggemann-interview" /> From this framework, Brueggemann, Gutmann and their team created a seven-minute pilot, "Pingu: Eine Geschichte Für Kinder Im Vorschulalter", which was finished in 1986.
== Characters==
These are some of the main characters appearing in "''Pingu''".


The pilot was screened at the 1987 [[Berlin Film Festival]], where it won the Kleiner Baer award.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 October 1993 |title=Obituary: Otmar Gutmann |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-otmar-gutmann-1512111.html |website=[[Independent.co.uk]]}}</ref> Its positive reception persuaded the director of Schweizer Fernsehen, {{ill|Ulrich Kündig|de}}, to commission an entire series of ''Pingu'' cartoons.
*'''Pingu''' is the main character of the series. His age is 5. He is considered mischievous and a [[runaway]] in the episode "''Pingu Runs Away''". He commonly uses the "megaphone-like beak" gesture and "NUG, NUG!"<ref>[http://www.pingu.net/uk/index.htm Welcome to the official Pingu web site!]</ref> sound to indicate anger, frustration or to get attention.


The series began production in 1988 and started airing on [[SF DRS]] from 1990–2000, originally consisting of 104 five-minute episodes and [[Pingu at the Wedding Party|one special 25-minute episode]]. The original stories were written by Brueggemann and Guido Steiger,<ref name="Brueggemann-interview" /> and some of the later stories were written by [[Silvio Mazzola]]. These episodes were animated at [[Otmar Gutmann|Trickfilmstudio]] in [[Russikon]], Switzerland.<ref name="FAQ">{{Cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions about Pingu |url=http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/5681/pinguFAQ.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310140008/http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/5681/pinguFAQ.html |archive-date=10 March 2008 |access-date=21 July 2007}}</ref> In the styling of voices, a [[Retroscripting|retroscript]] was chosen, and all voices were performed by Italian voice actor [[Carlo Bonomi]] without a script, using a language of noises he had already developed and used for [[Osvaldo Cavandoli]]'s ''[[La Linea (TV series)|La Linea]]''.<ref name="heart">{{Cite web |title=The Man Who Voiced Pingu Looks COMPLETELY Different to How We Imagined - Entertainment - Heart Radio |url=http://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/where-are-they-now/man-who-voiced-pingu/#JMdvHRElB0oOMck5.97 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202053052/http://www.heart.co.uk/showbiz/where-are-they-now/man-who-voiced-pingu/#JMdvHRElB0oOMck5.97 |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |access-date=December 31, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=14 September 2016 |title=The man who voiced Pingu is NOT what we expected |url=https://www.her.ie/amp/entertainment/the-man-who-voiced-pingu-is-not-what-we-expected-311321 |website=Her.ie}}</ref><ref name="History Press" /><ref name="carlobonomi" /> This feature enabled people of diverse linguistic backgrounds to follow the story.<ref name="History Press">{{Cite book |last=Wahlgren |first=Yens |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OXkLEAAAQBAJ&dq=Carlo+Bonomi+pingu+linea&pg=PT23 |title=The Universal Translator |date=2 February 2021 |publisher=[[The History Press]] |isbn=978-0-7509-9592-4 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="carlobonomi">{{Cite web |last=Thorne |first=Tony |title=Pingu's Lingo, or How to Get By in Penguinese |url=https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/assets/word/english-language-centre/tony-thorne/pinguslingo.doc}}</ref>
*'''Pinga''' is Pingu's little sister. She first appeared in the episode "''Pinga is Born''" and surprised Pingu when she had a pee! In most of the episodes she appears to be about 18 months old, though she is seen attending [[kindergarten]] in one episode. Pingu gets jealous when she gets to stay home while he has to go to school.


In 1993, [[David Hasselhoff]] released a single titled "Pingu Dance", a [[hip hop music|rap]] song (in Switzerland only) based on the ''Pingu'' shorts and featuring samples of Penguinese. A portion of the song is used as the theme to ''Pingu'' in the third and fourth series, as well as the re-dubs of the first two series. It was also heard in the re-dubbed version of the episode "Pingu Looks After the Egg" (retitled "Pingu Helps with Incubating"), replacing the "[[Woodpeckers from Space]]" song from the original version.
*'''Mother''' and '''Father'''<br> Pingu's father is a postman, who smokes a pipe. He has a motorised sledge to deliver the post. Pingu's mother spends most of her time at home in the igloo. Mother and Father share a lot of the work in the home e.g. knitting, cooking and ironing.


A special 25-minute episode, ''[[Pingu at the Wedding Party]]'', was also produced in 1997, and introduced a family of green penguins.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pingu Family at the Wedding Party |url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/pingu-family-at-the-wedding-party/ |website=ABC Television}}</ref>
*'''Grandpa''' is Pingu's grandfather. He's a whizz at playing the accordion.


===HIT Entertainment buyout===
*'''Robby''' the seal is Pingu's best friend. His name is a pun; 'Robbe' is German for 'seal'.
On 29{{nbsp}}October 2001, [[HIT Entertainment]] bought the rights to the series, including the original 104 episodes and the wedding special, for £15.9 million.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 October 2001 |title=Pingu sold for £16m |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1626014.stm |access-date=21 July 2007 |work=Business |publisher=BBC News}}</ref> HIT later revived the show and produced a further 52 episodes from 2003–2006. These episodes were animated through stop motion like the original, but used resin casts of the original clay puppets, which had deteriorated by this time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=HIT Entertainment PLC |date=14 October 2002 |title=HIT Entertainment PLC Announces Record Year End 2002 Results |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hit-entertainment-plc-announces-record-year-end-2002-results-76228802.html |website=prnewswire.com}}</ref>


The HIT Entertainment episodes were made by a completely new team at [[HOT Animation]], but co-creator Erika Brueggemann still traveled to the company's headquarters in the United Kingdom to check on production. At the time, she said, "Last year a production company from England bought everything... I traveled to Manchester last summer and met their highly motivated team who worked with great commitment, humor and responsibility towards children. I think Pingu is in good hands now."<ref name="Brueggemann-interview" />
*'''Pingi''' is Pingu's girlfriend.
*'''Pingo''' is a friend of Pingu. He has a long beak, basically flat at the bottom but slightly rounded on the top, which is slightly shorter than that of ''Pingg''. He usually tries to get Pingu to do wild and silly things.


Contrary to some sources, there was never any CGI used in these later episodes. When HIT Entertainment bought the rights, [[Carlo Bonomi]] was replaced with new voice actors Marcello Magni and [[David Sant]].<ref name="Irish Examiner">{{Cite web |date=August 17, 2003 |title=Pingu gets new voice |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30109988.html |website=Irish Examiner}}</ref><ref name="guardian_interview" /> Magni and Sant, Italian and Spanish actors based in London, both had mime and clowning backgrounds and were already aware of the clown language [[grammelot]], on which the penguin language was based.<ref name="guardian_interview" />
*'''Pingg''' is a friend of Pingu. He's rather shorter than ''Pingo'', and his beak is slightly longer and more pointed than that of ''Pingo''.


In February 2012, [[Mattel]] acquired Pingu through its purchase of HIT Entertainment which was rebranded to [[Mattel Television]] shortly after.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adler |first=Tim |date=24 October 2011 |title=Mattel Buys A $680M Ticket For Thomas The Tank Engine With HIT Entertainment Deal |url=https://deadline.com/2011/10/mattel-buys-a-680m-ticket-for-thomas-186064/ |access-date=21 October 2024 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]}}</ref>
*'''Pongi''' is a friend of Pingu. He wears glasses.


===Japanese popularity and ''Pingu in the City''===
*'''Punki''' is another of Pingu's friends. He has tufts on the top of his head and wears stripy trousers.
{{Main|Pingu in the City}}


From its debut in the country in 1992, ''Pingu'' became well known in Japan. According to writer Silvio Mazzola in 1996, ''Pingu'' was most popular with high-school girls, with over 90% of Japanese girls aged 13–17 knowing about it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions about Pingu |url=http://www.geocities.ws/enchantedforest/5681/pinguFAQ.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810211044/http://www.geocities.ws/enchantedforest/5681/pinguFAQ.html |archive-date=10 August 2020}}</ref> In 2020, an exhibition event commemorating the 40th anniversary of the original "Hugo" animation was held in Tokyo.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 June 2020 |title=日本初公開の貴重な資料や当時のクレイ人形も展示！ピングーの魅力が詰まった「ピングー展」詳細決定！2020年8月12日(水)～8月24日(月) |url=https://www.atpress.ne.jp/news/216472}}</ref> ''Pingu'' currently airs as part of NHK's children's program ''Nyanchu's World'', and also on [[Cartoon Network (Japanese TV channel)|Cartoon Network Japan]]. Various merchandise exclusive to the country has been created, including tie-in toys with [[KFC]] and [[Mister Donut]], as well as various video games.
== Trivia ==
{{Trivia|date=June 2007}}
* Although the programme is set in [[Antarctica]], Pingu and his family live in an [[igloo]], which are found only in the [[Arctic]] as the traditional dwellings of the native [[Inuit]] people.


A Japanese-produced reboot of the series, titled {{Nihongo foot|''Pingu in the City''|ピングー in ザ・シティ|Pingū in za Shiti|post=,}} was announced in 2017. It premiered on [[NHK-E]] on 7{{nbsp}}October 2017. Unlike its previous series, it is [[computer-animated]], and features Pingu and his family moving to a big city. Each episode involves Pingu attempting to help out anyone there with their jobs, although he usually messes it up. The series was produced by [[Polygon Pictures]] in the same style of the original stop motion series through [[computer animation]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 September 2017 |title=ピングー：新作テレビアニメは初のオールCg ポリゴン・ピクチュアズ制作 |url=https://mantan-web.jp/article/20170904dog00m200016000c.html}}</ref> It was directed by Naomi Iwata and written by both Kimiko Ueno and Shigenori Tanabe, with music done by Ken Arai.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polygon Pictures Makes New Anime for Swiss Character Pingu |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-09-04/polygon-pictures-makes-new-anime-for-swiss-character-pingu/.120931 |access-date=7 October 2017 |website=Anime News Network |language=en}}</ref> It features voices by [[Ryota Iwasaki]] and Fumiya Tanaka, in a similar style to Carlo Bonomi, David Sant, and Marcello Magni.
* In [[1989]], [[David Hasselhoff]] released (in Switzerland only) the single "Pingu Dance"[http://www.david-hasselhoff.com/multimedia.html], a [[hip hop music|rap]] song based on the Pingu shorts and featuring samples of Pinguish. A portion of this song is used as the theme to Pingu on the [[PBS Kids Sprout]] channel in the [[United States]].


===2025 revival===
* In [[2006]], Pingu was featured in a music video for [[Eskimo Disco]]'s first single, ''7-11''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouea5A7CFaQ].
On 21{{nbsp}}October 2024, it was announced that a remake of the series was being co-developed by [[Aardman Animations]] and [[Mattel Television]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ford |first=Lily |date=2024-10-21 |title=Mattel and 'Chicken Run' Studio Aardman Team Up on Stop-Motion, Animated 'Pingu' Series |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/mattel-aardman-chicken-run-pingu-show-tv-animation-1236040137/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-22 |title=Wallace and Gromit makers to create new Pingu series |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/clylyrppp80o |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=BBC Newsround |language=en-GB}}</ref>


==Reception==
*In a Swedish talk show, interviewee [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] criticised Pingu as a bad influence on talk show host [[Kristian Luuk]]'s daughter, because she considers TV dangerous to children's health.
''Pingu'' has received mostly positive reviews. [[Common Sense Media]] have it 4 out of 5 stars, stating: "Parents need to know that this claymation series is funny, endearing, and entertaining. Although [it] is appropriate for all ages, the plots might be difficult for the youngest viewers to follow".<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 May 2006 |title=Pingu – TV Review |url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/pingu |access-date=22 May 2017}}</ref> According to a 2008 ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' article, the series is "an international sensation", but still remains obscure among American audiences.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stevens |first=Dana |date=February 2008 |title=When will America embrace Pingu? |url=https://slate.com/culture/2008/02/when-will-america-embrace-pingu.html |journal=Slate}}</ref>


===Internet popularity===
*In the episode ''Pingu is jealous'' (Episode 6, Series 1), a flag atop Pingu's house nearly resembles the [[flag of Dominican Republic]] except for the [[penguin]] in the center of the flag.
''Pingu'' has been the subject of various internet memes online. In 2012, a [[fan film]] called ''Pingu's The Thing'', a crossover with [[John Carpenter]]'s ''[[The Thing (1982 film)|The Thing]]'' by animator [[Lee Hardcastle]], [[went viral]] on release and again over the following years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Media Monkey |date=2012-01-04 |title=''Pingu's The Thing'': definitely not kids' stuff |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/mediamonkeyblog/2012/jan/04/pingus-the-thing |access-date=2012-01-04 |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Watercutter |first=Angela |date=2012-01-04 |title=Video: Claymation Penguins Face Alien Horror in ''Pingu's The Thing'' |url=https://www.wired.com/2012/01/the-thing-claymation-penguins |access-date=2012-01-04 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bedard |first=Mike |date=2021-03-28 |title=The Bizarre Mashup Of ''Pingu'' And ''The Thing'' That Had Horror Fans Buzzing |url=https://www.looper.com/367664/the-bizarre-mashup-of-pingu-and-the-thing-that-had-horror-fans-buzzing |access-date=2021-03-28 |website=[[Looper (website)|Looper]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Poke Staff |date=2022-08-16 |title=''Pingu's 'The Thing{{’}}'' has gone viral again – and it's a fitting salute to Carlo Bonomi |url=https://www.thepoke.com/2022/08/16/pingu-the-thing-claymation |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=[[The Poke]] |language=en}}</ref>


In 2022, a viral animation involving Pingu doing his trademark "Noot noot!" before staring off into the distance as ''[[Lacrimosa]]'' plays in the background gained popularity, using the choir symphony to depict feelings of terror and dread.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Billingsley |first=Kristen |date=2022-08-12 |title=Pingu Is Trending On TikTok Again: How To Use The 'Noot Noot' Filter |url=https://screenrant.com/tiktok-use-pingu-nootnoot-filter-how/ |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=[[Screen Rant]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=The SportsGrail |date=2022-07-06 |title=Terrfied Pingu Penguin Noot Noot Viral Meme And Tiktok Trend Meaning Explained |url=https://thesportsgrail.com/terrfied-pingu-penguin-noot-noot-viral-meme-and-tiktok-trend-meaning-explained/ |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=The SportsGrail |language=en}}</ref>
*In the episode ''Pingu's admirer'', a signpost gives directions to [[Perestroika]] and [[Glasnost]].


==Notes==
*Some episodes of Pingu were released as bonus features on [[Fraggle Rock]] DVDs.
{{Notelist}}


==References==
*Some episodes feature primitive electronic devices, such as a 1980s-era record player in "Pingu helps with Incubating", or a simplistic radio as seen in "Pingu's parents go to a concert".
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
* In "Pingu and Pinga don't want to go to bed" (Episode 12, Series 1), Pinga's [[chamberpot]] is clearly visible.
* {{IMDb title}}


{{Pingu}}
*On the episode ''Pingu helps with Incubating'' (Episode 2, Series 1) Pingu is listening to ''[[Woodpeckers From Space]]'' by the band [[VideoKids]] in the early version of this episode and in the current version, the song is replaced with an extended version of the current Pingu intro theme.
{{Mattel}}


[[Category:Pingu| ]]

[[Category:1980s Swiss television series]]

[[Category:1986 Swiss television series debuts]]
* In [[North America]], many Pingu videos were sold under CFP Video. In the [[United Kingdom]], they were sold under [[BBC Video]].
[[Category:1990 animated television series debuts]]

[[Category:1990s preschool education television series]]
==See also==
[[Category:1990s Swiss television series]]
* {{audio|TV_Theme_-_Pingu.ogg|Pingu theme tune}}
[[Category:2000s British animated television series]]
* {{audio|TV_Theme_-_Pingu_(dance_version).ogg|Pingu theme tune - Pingu Dance version}}
[[Category:2000s British children's television series]]
* [[Claymation]]
[[Category:2000s preschool education television series]]

[[Category:2000s Swiss television series]]
== References ==
[[Category:2003 British television series debuts]]
<references/>
[[Category:Animated television series about families]]

[[Category:Animated television series about penguins]]
==External links==
[[Category:Animated television series set in Antarctica]]
*[http://www.pingu.net Official Site]
[[Category:Animated television series without speech]]
*[http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/MoreInfo/Chekila/Pingu/ Official Japanese Site]
[[Category:Anthropomorphic penguins]]
*{{imdb title|id=0366069|title=Pingu}}
[[Category:BBC children's television shows]]
*[http://www.youtube.com/pingu Official YouTube channel]
[[Category:Animated television series]]
[[Category:British animated television series]]
[[Category:British stop-motion animated television series]]
[[Category:British television series revived after cancellation]]
[[Category:Censored television series]]
[[Category:Child characters in animation]]
[[Category:Child characters in television]]
[[Category:Children's animated comedy television series]]
[[Category:Claymation television series]]
[[Category:Culture of Switzerland]]
[[Category:Fictional penguins]]
[[Category:Fictional penguins]]
[[Category:Swiss television series]]
[[Category:Macaronic language]]
[[Category:Stop motion]]
[[Category:Male characters in animation]]
[[Category:Male characters in television]]

[[Category:Swiss animated television series]]
[[de:Pingu]]
[[Category:Swiss children's television series]]
[[es:Pingu]]
[[Category:Television series by Mattel Television]]
[[it:Pingu]]
[[ms:Pingu]]
[[nl:Pingu]]
[[ja:ピングー]]
[[pl:Pingu]]
[[pt:Pingu]]
[[fi:Pingu]]
[[sv:Pingu]]
[[zh:企鵝家族]]

Latest revision as of 01:55, 7 January 2025

Pingu
Genre
Created by
Written by
  • Erika Brueggemann
  • Silvio Mazzola
Voices of
Composers
  • Antonio Conde (1990–1994)
  • Andy Benedict (1995–2000)
  • Keith Hopwood (2003–2006)
Country of origin
  • Switzerland (original)
  • United Kingdom (revival)
Original languageGrammelot
No. of series6
No. of episodes156 (+1 special) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Theresa Plummer-Andrews (2003–2006)
  • Jocelyn Stevenson (2003–2006)
  • Christopher Skala (2005–2006)
Producers
  • Otmar Gutmann (1990–1993)
  • Seishi Katto (1993–2000)
  • Javier Garcia (1993–2000)
  • Jackie Cockle (2003–2006)
  • Bella Reekie (2003–2006)
Running time
  • 5 minutes
  • 25 minutes (special)
Production companies
Original release
Network
  • SF DRS (Switzerland, series 1–4)
  • ZDF (Germany, series 1–4)
  • CBeebies (UK, series 5–6)
Release7 March 1990 (1990-03-07) –
present
Related

Pingu is an animated children's television series originally produced in Switzerland. It was co-created by Otmar Gutmann and Erika Brueggemann[1] that centres on the titular anthropomorphic emperor penguin and his family, who live in the South Pole. The series aired on SF DRS for four series from 7 March 1990 to 9 April 2000, and was produced by the Swiss animation studio Pingu Filmstudio; with Swiss toy company Editoy AG, and later on, Pingu BV handling IP ownership of the series.

The series has been popular outside of Switzerland, particularly in the United Kingdom and Japan, in part due to its lack of a real spoken language. Nearly all dialogue is in an invented grammelot "penguin language" referred to as 'Penguinese' or 'Pinguish',[2] consisting of babbling, muttering, and the titular character's characteristic sporadic honking sound, which can be popularly recognized as "Noot noot!" or other variants,[3] accompanied by turning his beak into a megaphone-like shape.[4] In the first four series, all the characters were performed by Italian voice actor Carlo Bonomi, using a language of sounds he had already developed and used earlier for Osvaldo Cavandoli's La Linea.

After British children's company HIT Entertainment purchased Pingu from Pingu BV in 2001, they produced a revival run of two additional series in the United Kingdom through their in-house studio Hot Animation, which aired on CBeebies from 1 August 2003 to 3 March 2006. It was nominated for a BAFTA award[5] in 2005. The characters were jointly voiced by David Sant and Marcello Magni.[4] A computer-animated revival series produced in Japan, entitled Pingu in the City, ran for two seasons on NHK from 7 October 2017 until 30 March 2019. A third revival series, being animated in stop-motion like the original, is currently under development at Mattel Television and Aardman Animations.[6][7]

The IP rights to Pingu are currently held by an entity owned by HIT/Mattel named Joker, Inc., which is usually called through its trade name "The Pygos Group" on copyright and trademark notices related to the Pingu property.

Storyline

[edit]
Main article: List of Pingu episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
Original series
Test animations31980 (1980)26 May 1986 (1986-05-26)
1267 March 1990 (1990-03-07)27 October 1990 (1990-10-27)
2263 November 1991 (1991-11-03)20 December 1994 (1994-12-20)
32617 June 1995 (1995-06-17)5 September 1996 (1996-09-05)
4265 January 1998 (1998-01-05)9 April 2000 (2000-04-09)
First revival series
5261 August 2003 (2003-08-01)6 February 2004 (2004-02-06)
6263 January 2005 (2005-01-03)3 March 2006 (2006-03-03)
Second revival series
7262025 (2025)[7]TBA

The program is set in Antarctica and focuses around penguin families living and working in igloos. The main character, Pingu, belongs to one such family. He frequently goes on adventures with his little sister, Pinga, and often gets into mischief with his best friend Robby and his love interest, Pingi.

Production history

[edit]

In 1984, Erika Brueggemann was working at Schweizer Fernsehen (the German-speaking division of SRG SSR) when she was introduced to animator Otmar Gutmann. Gutmann pitched a clay animation show starring sea lions who crawled around in a funny way. Erika Brueggemann liked the idea of a clay cartoon character, but she preferred the clay penguins that Gutmann had made. She suggested that the main character should walk upright like a human and asked, "Why not a penguin?"[8]

Brueggemann's colleague, Guido Steiger, agreed with her idea. Gutmann was not immediately convinced, since he had already created many sea lion characters out of plasticine, but he eventually pushed forward with the penguin idea too. According to Erika Brueggemann, she gave "countless demonstrations on my part about how 'my' penguin had to move and act".[8] From this framework, Brueggemann, Gutmann and their team created a seven-minute pilot, "Pingu: Eine Geschichte Für Kinder Im Vorschulalter", which was finished in 1986.

The pilot was screened at the 1987 Berlin Film Festival, where it won the Kleiner Baer award.[9] Its positive reception persuaded the director of Schweizer Fernsehen, Ulrich Kündig [de], to commission an entire series of Pingu cartoons.

The series began production in 1988 and started airing on SF DRS from 1990–2000, originally consisting of 104 five-minute episodes and one special 25-minute episode. The original stories were written by Brueggemann and Guido Steiger,[8] and some of the later stories were written by Silvio Mazzola. These episodes were animated at Trickfilmstudio in Russikon, Switzerland.[10] In the styling of voices, a retroscript was chosen, and all voices were performed by Italian voice actor Carlo Bonomi without a script, using a language of noises he had already developed and used for Osvaldo Cavandoli's La Linea.[11][12][13][14] This feature enabled people of diverse linguistic backgrounds to follow the story.[13][14]

In 1993, David Hasselhoff released a single titled "Pingu Dance", a rap song (in Switzerland only) based on the Pingu shorts and featuring samples of Penguinese. A portion of the song is used as the theme to Pingu in the third and fourth series, as well as the re-dubs of the first two series. It was also heard in the re-dubbed version of the episode "Pingu Looks After the Egg" (retitled "Pingu Helps with Incubating"), replacing the "Woodpeckers from Space" song from the original version.

A special 25-minute episode, Pingu at the Wedding Party, was also produced in 1997, and introduced a family of green penguins.[15]

HIT Entertainment buyout

[edit]

On 29 October 2001, HIT Entertainment bought the rights to the series, including the original 104 episodes and the wedding special, for £15.9 million.[16] HIT later revived the show and produced a further 52 episodes from 2003–2006. These episodes were animated through stop motion like the original, but used resin casts of the original clay puppets, which had deteriorated by this time.[17]

The HIT Entertainment episodes were made by a completely new team at HOT Animation, but co-creator Erika Brueggemann still traveled to the company's headquarters in the United Kingdom to check on production. At the time, she said, "Last year a production company from England bought everything... I traveled to Manchester last summer and met their highly motivated team who worked with great commitment, humor and responsibility towards children. I think Pingu is in good hands now."[8]

Contrary to some sources, there was never any CGI used in these later episodes. When HIT Entertainment bought the rights, Carlo Bonomi was replaced with new voice actors Marcello Magni and David Sant.[18][4] Magni and Sant, Italian and Spanish actors based in London, both had mime and clowning backgrounds and were already aware of the clown language grammelot, on which the penguin language was based.[4]

In February 2012, Mattel acquired Pingu through its purchase of HIT Entertainment which was rebranded to Mattel Television shortly after.[19]

Japanese popularity and Pingu in the City

[edit]
Main article: Pingu in the City

From its debut in the country in 1992, Pingu became well known in Japan. According to writer Silvio Mazzola in 1996, Pingu was most popular with high-school girls, with over 90% of Japanese girls aged 13–17 knowing about it.[20] In 2020, an exhibition event commemorating the 40th anniversary of the original "Hugo" animation was held in Tokyo.[21] Pingu currently airs as part of NHK's children's program Nyanchu's World, and also on Cartoon Network Japan. Various merchandise exclusive to the country has been created, including tie-in toys with KFC and Mister Donut, as well as various video games.

A Japanese-produced reboot of the series, titled Pingu in the City,[22] was announced in 2017. It premiered on NHK-E on 7 October 2017. Unlike its previous series, it is computer-animated, and features Pingu and his family moving to a big city. Each episode involves Pingu attempting to help out anyone there with their jobs, although he usually messes it up. The series was produced by Polygon Pictures in the same style of the original stop motion series through computer animation.[23] It was directed by Naomi Iwata and written by both Kimiko Ueno and Shigenori Tanabe, with music done by Ken Arai.[24] It features voices by Ryota Iwasaki and Fumiya Tanaka, in a similar style to Carlo Bonomi, David Sant, and Marcello Magni.

2025 revival

[edit]

On 21 October 2024, it was announced that a remake of the series was being co-developed by Aardman Animations and Mattel Television.[25][26]

Reception

[edit]

Pingu has received mostly positive reviews. Common Sense Media have it 4 out of 5 stars, stating: "Parents need to know that this claymation series is funny, endearing, and entertaining. Although [it] is appropriate for all ages, the plots might be difficult for the youngest viewers to follow".[27] According to a 2008 Slate article, the series is "an international sensation", but still remains obscure among American audiences.[28]

Internet popularity

[edit]

Pingu has been the subject of various internet memes online. In 2012, a fan film called Pingu's The Thing, a crossover with John Carpenter's The Thing by animator Lee Hardcastle, went viral on release and again over the following years.[29][30][31][32]

In 2022, a viral animation involving Pingu doing his trademark "Noot noot!" before staring off into the distance as Lacrimosa plays in the background gained popularity, using the choir symphony to depict feelings of terror and dread.[33][34]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Formerly known as Trickfilmstudio Otmar Gutmann for series 1–2.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Pingu season 5 end credits. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Originated by: Otmar Gutmann and Erika Brueggemann
  2. ^ Stevens, Dana (1 February 2008). "The March of the Pingu". Slate. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  3. ^ "Pingu Fact #5 (viewable in webpage source code)". Archived from the original on 2 February 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d Dickson, Andrew; Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (11 January 2016). "How we made Pingu". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  5. ^ "2005 Children's Pre-School Animation". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Aardman and Mattel to co-develop Pingu animated TV series". app-aardman-cms-prod.azurewebsites.net. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Mattel and Aardman bring back Pingu". Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "Erika Brüggemann, langjährige Redaktorin im Kinder- und Jugendprogramm, über "Pingu"" (PDF) (in German). April 2004.
  9. ^ "Obituary: Otmar Gutmann". Independent.co.uk. 20 October 1993.
  10. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions about Pingu". Archived from the original on 10 March 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
  11. ^ "The Man Who Voiced Pingu Looks COMPLETELY Different to How We Imagined - Entertainment - Heart Radio". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  12. ^ "The man who voiced Pingu is NOT what we expected". Her.ie. 14 September 2016.
  13. ^ a b Wahlgren, Yens (2 February 2021). The Universal Translator. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9592-4.
  14. ^ a b Thorne, Tony. "Pingu's Lingo, or How to Get By in Penguinese".
  15. ^ "Pingu Family at the Wedding Party". ABC Television.
  16. ^ "Pingu sold for £16m". Business. BBC News. 29 October 2001. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
  17. ^ HIT Entertainment PLC (14 October 2002). "HIT Entertainment PLC Announces Record Year End 2002 Results". prnewswire.com.
  18. ^ "Pingu gets new voice". Irish Examiner. 17 August 2003.
  19. ^ Adler, Tim (24 October 2011). "Mattel Buys A $680M Ticket For Thomas The Tank Engine With HIT Entertainment Deal". Deadline. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  20. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions about Pingu". Archived from the original on 10 August 2020.
  21. ^ "日本初公開の貴重な資料や当時のクレイ人形も展示！ピングーの魅力が詰まった「ピングー展」詳細決定！2020年8月12日(水)～8月24日(月)". 24 June 2020.
  22. ^ ピングー in ザ・シティ, Pingū in za Shiti
  23. ^ "ピングー：新作テレビアニメは初のオールCg ポリゴン・ピクチュアズ制作". 4 September 2017.
  24. ^ "Polygon Pictures Makes New Anime for Swiss Character Pingu". Anime News Network. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  25. ^ Ford, Lily (21 October 2024). "Mattel and 'Chicken Run' Studio Aardman Team Up on Stop-Motion, Animated 'Pingu' Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  26. ^ "Wallace and Gromit makers to create new Pingu series". BBC Newsround. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  27. ^ "Pingu – TV Review". 19 May 2006. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  28. ^ Stevens, Dana (February 2008). "When will America embrace Pingu?". Slate.
  29. ^ Media Monkey (4 January 2012). "Pingu's The Thing: definitely not kids' stuff". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  30. ^ Watercutter, Angela (4 January 2012). "Video: Claymation Penguins Face Alien Horror in Pingu's The Thing". Wired. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  31. ^ Bedard, Mike (28 March 2021). "The Bizarre Mashup Of Pingu And The Thing That Had Horror Fans Buzzing". Looper. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  32. ^ Poke Staff (16 August 2022). "Pingu's 'The Thing' has gone viral again – and it's a fitting salute to Carlo Bonomi". The Poke. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  33. ^ Billingsley, Kristen (12 August 2022). "Pingu Is Trending On TikTok Again: How To Use The 'Noot Noot' Filter". Screen Rant. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  34. ^ The SportsGrail (6 July 2022). "Terrfied Pingu Penguin Noot Noot Viral Meme And Tiktok Trend Meaning Explained". The SportsGrail. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
[edit]
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