Pingu

It appears that this animated kids' show from Switzerland came along the year I was born, but I first saw it many years later, when I was around eight years old. Eventually, I got hooked, watching it every day after school! In Canada, the station to see it on was TVO. I have so many memories of watching kids' shows on that station for a good chunk of the 1990s, but "Pingu" was probably my favourite of them all, at least for a while, despite the fact that most of the other programmes I saw had much longer episodes!

The show took place at the South Pole, with anthropomorphic penguins living in igloos, and speaking gibberish, possibly using bits of different languages occasionally. The main character was Pingu, a young mischievous penguin who lived in an igloo with his parents, and eventually, his younger sister. Pingu was very cheeky and often poorly behaved, which could often get him into trouble. He experienced various kinds of problems, sometimes at home, and sometimes in other places. At home, he often got in trouble with his parents, and didn't always get along with his sister. Outside, he sometimes met other adults, and also found himself on adventures with peers.

I recently re-watched some episodes of "Pingu" and found that I didn't really enjoy it that much anymore, which didn't surprise me. However, I can't forget how much I loved it when I was a kid! Without a doubt, the show was very entertaining for many younger kids, with its excellent animation, characters, humour, and probably even the gibberish dialogue! Did it have any educational value? Well, definitely not as much as some kids' shows, and kids definitely couldn't learn anything from the words, but there may have been some mild lessons to be learned from Pingu's experiences, often about getting along with others. Despite the gibberish dialogue, viewers could always tell what was happening and understand the emotions of the characters. With all these qualities, I'm sure "Pingu" is still entertaining for many kids today, regardless of what language(s) they speak!

First and foremost, Pingu is entertaining and adorable. It is one of the few shows that I care to allow my two year old to watch, mainly because she laughs whenever he makes his silly sounds, but also because she learns from Pingu. The alphabet and numbers? No, but Pingu teaches little social lessons if one cares to pay attention. For instance, Pingu becomes jealous of his little brother in one episode. He spends the entire episode trying to get his mother to stop feeding and soothing the baby so that he can have her complete attention. The episode ends with Pingu's mother rocking and playing with both of them. It's a simple and easy way to deal with a small child's jealousy of a new sibling and the attention that they must have. Pingu also throws tantrums, plays, basically behaves just like a toddler or three-year-old. Even the theme song is catchy and easy for a toddler to sing. In this day and age when courtesy is not a prized commodity on children's television, Pingu is a breath of fresh air. The message? It's normal to be angry, to be jealous, to have any of the other complex and confusing emotions, but we must learn to be courteous and respectful with each other so that everyone can be happy.

This is it. We have surpassed all other forms of human entertainment. This claymation penguin has tapped into a well of pure art that will never run dry. This is your life. And it will never, Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeverrr, be the same, again.

The very idea that there are a few comments here which deride the educational and artistic merit of "Pingu" leads me to believe that the writers did not watch the programs very carefully. The first thing that struck me about "Pingu" was that the program was intelligent and subversively educational. That is to say that it teaches without being obvious. In fact, in some ways it feels very un-PC, which is great because it feels much more genuine that most of the muck posing as "educational programming" or "children's programming" these days. What we deal with here are real emotions and situations that children encounter through play and family life. There is no fear of bringing in sadness, distress, jealousy, selfishness or recklessness into the mix whether in terms of Pingu's actions or the affects of his actions on others, and the show does not shy away from showing that even if he is a good-natured penguin he is still capable of being a real pill sometimes. In short, it is not syrupy but it is definitely sweet and more satisfying than the sugar coated nonsense that fills most of the television bandwidth.

Educationally, "Pingu" is loaded to the gills with social lessons that are all the more impressive for not being preachy. Perhaps this is why some people miss them, since we are used to smothering our kids with the obvious, but that heavy-handedness often results in a rebellious rejection to what is being shoved down a child's throat and the more subversive nature of "Pingu" makes it even more brilliant. Beyond that, "Pingu" serves as a remarkable language / communication tool that teaches more about language and expression than any other show I have seen without ever using real "words" in the process. Infants and toddlers can understand the interactions without the speaking, which may in turn make it easier for them to work on their own communication skills. I am constantly impressed by the range of emotion conveyed by the characters, as simple as much of it is.

Artistically, the program is genius. The animation is whimsical and fun and always inventive. And because of the level of intelligence and the lack of condescension it truly rises above mere entertainment. As an adult, I find it refreshing to see a program that does not speak down to me, does not pander to its "intended" audience, and leaves me satisfied after every viewing.

Netflix has its share of undiscovered foreign offerings (YouTube also knows a thing or two about dark corners), but "Pingu" is worth the dice roll. I love the dialogue (even though I have no idea how they come up with that wonderful gibberish language) and the claymation has its own physically comedic charm. I'm a cynical adult and I can watch this with my kid any time of the day, which is not something I'd say often about children's TV. There's surprising entertainment value in hearing a clay penguin squeal, "Noot Noot!". Thirty years old, and it's still fresh.

I love this stuff.

8/10