Le Pingu Show

I think Pingu is a very sweet animated programme, and it was one of my favourites when I was little. Although I am 17, I am still very fond of it. The animation is very inventive and colourful, and the theme tune-the original theme tune that is- is one of the catchiest theme tunes ever for a children's' programme. The characters are really cute, Pingu(my favourite cartoon penguin) with his silly sound effects, the adorable Pinga and I liked their seal friend as well. The stories are original and charming and filled with social lessons for children, and although there isn't any dialogue strictly speaking, you can kind of understand what's going on from watching the screen. Some of it is very funny, and you do empathise with the characters, though I do think the new Pingu episodes aren't as charming or funny as the older ones. Overall, wonderful childhood favourite. 10/10 Bethany Cox

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.

I really used to like Pingu as a young kid. To be honest, which 3-year-old idiot doesn't like seeing a little clay penguin getting into rather childish adventures? Well, I did. Pingu is always enjoyable - though there's no real wit or any words spoken, it speaks a lot through action and sound. The animation isn't Happy Feet standard, but Pingu's charm lies in its simplicity, and it isn't badly done either, considering it's 20 years old. If only more Antarctic fun could be produced by TV nowadays rather than s**t like cooking shows and bilge like Tweenies. Other characters included Pinga who was Pingu's sister, Pingu's mum and dad, and that grey seal - I've forgotten his name. They all had their charms too, and helped to make this show even more fun. The shows are only 5 minutes long each, ensuring Pingu never gets boring. I mean, I'm just 14 years old, and already this can give me a sense of nostalgia. Those were the good old days... when the Simpsons was good, when we didn't have cr*p like Strictly Come Dancing on, when the music charts weren't full of rubbish... 9/10

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

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.