Pingu

Story

Pingu is a penguin who lives with his parents and his baby sister, Pinga in Antarctica. In each episode Pingu has an adventure and at the end of each episode he (and the audience) learns a lesson. The characters speak ‘Penguinese’ to each other, and there little or no recognizable language in the series.

Why we chose it

Pingu talked gibberish and was naughty - sometimes in ways that hadn’t been seen on children’s television before - and small children loved him.

Where it came from

The series was created and first broadcast in Switzerland before coming to the UK. It was cancelled in Switzerland in 2000, but between 2003 and 2006 the series continued to be produced in the UK for UK audiences. The characters speak an invented language ‘Penguinese’ to each other. The first voiceover artist was an Italian clown Carlo Bonomi who created the language, based on a theatrical technique called Grammelot which is used in commedia dell’arte and which uses sounds and gibberish to convey meaning.

Where it went next

There is one 25 minute special episode called Pingu at the Wedding Party which was released in 1997. The series has been broadcast in numerous countries around the world, and it has the advantage of not having to be translated as the characters don’t speak a recognizable language.

Associated stories

Penguins are appealing characters in picture books and films. Picture book penguin’s include Polly Dunbars’s Penguin, Petr Horacek’s Blue Penguin, Mick Inkpen’s Penguin Small and the penguin in Oliver’s Jeffers Lost and Found and Up and Down. In film favourites include the dancing penguins of Happy Feet and surfing penguins of Surf’s Up, the show stealing penguins in Madagascar, Mr Popper’s Penguins and the real life epic March of the Penguins.