Pingu

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

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

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!

All my kids like Pingu, from the 7-year-old down to the 2-year-old, and I have to admit to watching it when the kids aren't even home. It's humorous and innocent, the characters are endearing, and the fact that the characters don't speak any language -- the dialogue is in "Penguinese" -- means that they convey their stories wholly with action, vocal inflection and body language. This is extremely intriguing.

Pingu is refreshingly unlike all the mainstream toddlers' programs out there, which are either excruciatingly heartwarming, unbearably didactic or just plain inane. It's a bit hard to find; at this point we're only able to get it from Time Warner On Demand cable. There are some DVDs available too. But if you have young kids, do check it out. The whole family will enjoy it.

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.