Pingu ( TV Series 1986 - 2010)
Plot
Pingu is a Swiss stop-motion claymated television series created by Otmar Gutmann. The series was produced by The Pygos Group and Trickfilmstudio for Swiss television. The show is about a family of anthropomorphic penguins at the South Pole. The main character is the family's son & title character, Pingu.
The show ran originally for 4 seasons from 1986 to 1998 on SF DRS. In 1998, there were 2 Pingu episodes made (one of them being "Pingu & the Doll") that never aired due to schedule problems. In 1999, they showed the 2 episodes with a Pingu marathon between commercials. However, HiT Entertainment's request for more episodes convinced Pygos to bring back the show in 2004, with 2 more seasons. When the show's final episode aired, they stopped making Pingu due to low advertising & was canceled yet again in the beginning of 2011, so HiT decided to upload clips of Pingu to YouTube.
The program is set in Antarctica and centres around penguin families & businesses who live & work in igloos. The main character Pingu belongs to one such family. He frequently goes on adventures with his little sister Pinga & often gets into mischief with his best friend Robby the Seal.
One reason for Pingu's international success is the absence of human languages. All dialogue is in a honking "penguin language",[1] and was initially Retroscripted by Carlo Bonomi, as well as the sound effects were done by Carlo (except in the Wedding Party episode) (in a similar way to La Linea, which was also dubbed by Bonomi). This allows people of different linguistic backgrounds to still be able to follow the story.
A total of 157 5 minute episodes were originally made, from 1986 to 1998, 2004 to 2005. The episodes were written by Silvio Mazzola & directed & animated by Otmar Gutmann using clay animation, at Trickfilmstudio in Russikon, Switzerland.
A special 20-minute episode ("Pingu at the Wedding Party") was also produced, in 1997, which introduced a family of green penguins.
In 2001, HiT Entertainment bought the UK rights to the series (including the original 105 episodes) for £15.9 million[4] and remade all classic episodes in 2002. The original cartoon title card (Series 1-2) of the show was replaced with a claymated inspiration (Series 3-4) of the intro and the music is half of the Pingu Dance single. Carlo Bonomi reprises his roles and these versions are the only versions broadcasting today. Later, HiT decided to bring back the show and then produced a further 53 episodes, created at Hot Animation Studios in 2004, continuing in stop motion but using resin casts of the original clay puppets which had deteriorated by this time. Contrary to some sources, there was never any CGI used in these later episodes. When Bonomi's non-English language became a problem, he was replaced with new voice actors Marcello Magni and David Sant. Magni and Sant, Italian and Spanish actors based in London, both have a mime and clowning background and were already aware of the clown language of "Grammelot" on which the penguin language was based. In 2005, after the last episode aired, Pingu finally ended its 19-year run on TV.
Pingu first aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's Sunday morning omnibus program Small World, which featured various cartoon shorts produced internationally, from 1996 until that show's discontinuation in 2001. The show would return to America in 2005, when episodes began to air on PBS Kids Sprout. On April 11, 2010, HiT Entertainment removed Pingu from the Sprout schedule due to low ratings. There are no current plans for another station to run the episodes.
Characters
Pingu is the title character of the series. His age was 5 and later 7 & 8. His catchphrase is "Nug, Nug!?*" if he makes a megaphone shaped like beak sound to indicate anger, happiness, frustration or to get attention, even though at the end of the series 5-6 episodes he says it at the end thus probably indicating his happiness. Pingu can also change his shape (for instance, he can morph into a ball) and increase his length.
Pinga is Pingu's baby sister. She first appeared in the episode The New Arrival. In all of the series 1 and early 2 episodes she appears to be about 18 months old. In the series 3-4 episodes she is 3 years old & in the 5-6 episodes she is 4 years old.
Mother and Father are Pingu's and Pinga's parents. Father is a postman who smokes a pipe (he has quit in later episodes). He has a Snowcat to deliver the mail. Mother spends most of her time cooking and does all the work in the home. Mother sometimes gets help from Pingu & Pinga.
Grandfather is Pingu and Pinga's grandfather. He is Father's father. His age is about 90 years old. He's an expert accordionist, and as proven in "Pingu & the Braces", a former professional weight lifter from 1938. He first appeared in Music Lessons.
Grandmother is Pingu's and pinga's grandmother. She is Father's mother. She first appeared in Pingu and the Snowball.
Bruce is a homeless man who owns a barrel organ who is not usually helped, but is sometimes helped by neighbours at times. He first appeared in "Pingu and the Barel Organ", and "Pingu the Chef".
Robby 'Robert' The Seal (called Seymour the baby seal in the audiobooks) is Pingu's best friend. His name is a pun; 'Robbe' is German for 'Seal'. In the first 4 episodes, he is appeared in mixed blue and gray but in the last 2 he is light gray in color. He first appeared in Pingu Goes Fishing, in which Pingu and Robby fight but become friends at the end of the episode.
Pingo is a friend of Pingu. He has a long beak, essentially flat at the bottom but slightly rounded on the top; also his head is wider & taller. He is a bit of a daredevil and often persuades Pingu to do wild & silly things.
Pingg is a friend of Pingu.
Pongi is a friend of Pingu who wears glasses in Seasons 5 and 6. He first appeared in Ice Hockey.
Professor Punki Threehorn is also one of Pingu's friends. He first appeared in Pingu Delivers The Mail. He has a tuft on his head and wears striped trousers. He only appeared in a few cartoons.
Bajoo is also one of Pingu's friends. He is revealed by HiT Entertainment as a 'strange newcomer to the Antarctic in the appearance of an abominable snowman!' He is actually an abominable snowman who recently on the last Pingu episode Pingu & the Abominable Snowman. He also appeared in the music video and in "The Pingu Show", which is a broadcasting device and not an episode by itself.
The Schoolmaster is Pingu's teacher. He lives in a nearby school and rings the bell when it is time for school to begin or end. He first appeared in School Time and he only appeared on episodes involving Pingu at school, however he appears as a minor character in some episodes.
Pingi is Pingu's love interest and Pinga's friend. She has thick, white eyelashes and a somewhat mushed beak. She first appeared in Pingu's Admirer. Pinga is sometimes jealous of Pingi because Pingu pays more attention to Pingi than to her.
