Pingu

{{Infobox television

| image = Pingu Logo.png

| alt_name =

| genre = {{ubl

| Animated sitcom

| Children's television series

| Clay animation

| Stop motion

| Comedy

}}

| creator = {{ubl

| Otmar Gutmann

| Erika Brueggemann

}}

| 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 =

German 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)

}}

| network = SF DRS (Switzerland)
ZDF (Germany)

| first_aired = {{Start date|df=y|1990|03|07}}

| last_aired = {{End date|df=y|2000|04|09}}

| network2 = CBeebies

| first_aired2 = {{Start date|df=y|2003|08|1}}

| last_aired2 = {{End date|df=y|2006|03|03}}

| related = {{ubl|Pingu in the City}}

}}

Pingu is a stop motion animated children's television series originally produced in Switzerland. It was co-created by Otmar Gutmann and Erika Brueggemann.{{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}} It 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',{{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}} consisting of babbling, muttering, and the titular character's characteristic sporadic honking sound, which can be popularly recognized as "Noot noot!" or other variants,{{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}} accompanied by turning his beak into a megaphone-like shape.{{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}} 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 BV in 2001, they produced a revival run of Pingu for 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 BAFTA award{{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}} in 2005. The characters were jointly voiced by David Sant and Marcello Magni. A computer-animated revival series with two seasons produced in Japan for NHK, entitled Pingu in the City, aired from 7{{nbsp}}October 2017 to 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.{{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}}{{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}}

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

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

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?"{{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}}

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". 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.{{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}} Its positive reception persuaded the director of Schweizer Fernsehen, {{ill|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, and some of the later stories were written by Silvio Mazzola. These episodes were animated at Trickfilmstudio in Russikon, Switzerland.{{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}} 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.{{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}}{{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}} This feature enabled people of diverse linguistic backgrounds to follow the story.{{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}}{{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}}

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.{{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}}

=HIT Entertainment buyout=

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.{{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}} 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.{{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}}

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."

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.{{Cite web |date=August 17, 2003 |title=Pingu gets new voice |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/arid-30109988.html |website=Irish Examiner}} 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.

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

=Japanese popularity and ''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.{{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}} In 2020, an exhibition event commemorating the 40th anniversary of the original "Hugo" animation was held in Tokyo.{{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}} 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 {{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.{{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}} It was directed by Naomi Iwata and written by both Kimiko Ueno and Shigenori Tanabe, with music done by Ken Arai.{{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}} It features voices by Ryota Iwasaki and Fumiya Tanaka, in a similar style to Carlo Bonomi, David Sant, and Marcello Magni.

=Second revival=

On 21{{nbsp}}October 2024, it was announced that a remake of the series was being co-developed by Aardman Animations and Mattel Television.{{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}}{{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}}

Reception

Pingu has received mostly positive reviews. Common Sense Media gave 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".{{Cite web |date=19 May 2006 |title=Pingu – TV Review |url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/pingu |access-date=22 May 2017}} According to a 2008 Slate article, the series is "an international sensation", but still remains obscure among American audiences.{{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}}