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7.4/10
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Children's stop-motion series set in Antarctica and focusing around penguin families living and working in igloos. The main character, Pingu, belongs to one such family. He goes on various a... Read allChildren's stop-motion series set in Antarctica and focusing around penguin families living and working in igloos. The main character, Pingu, belongs to one such family. He goes on various adventures with his little sister and his friends.Children's stop-motion series set in Antarctica and focusing around penguin families living and working in igloos. The main character, Pingu, belongs to one such family. He goes on various adventures with his little sister and his friends.
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Pingu is a *very* refreshing break from the (many, many, many!) more mundane children's shows currently on the air. Pingu himself is an irreverent, irrepressible little fellow who relentlessly does his own thing (and often takes the heat from his parents for it). In fact, Pingu is so confident and independent that American audiences might have a hard time swallowing it.
In addition to shrugging off parental objections to his activities, Pingu sometimes quarrels with his friends (I'm talking about rolling-around-in-the-snow, knock-down/drag-outs here), and is not afraid of a bit of "biological" humor.
These things are, however, a part of the charm. If you are looking for good, edgy children's programming, Pingu is the way to go.
Hey, everyone make nice by the end of the episode! Go on...check it out!
In addition to shrugging off parental objections to his activities, Pingu sometimes quarrels with his friends (I'm talking about rolling-around-in-the-snow, knock-down/drag-outs here), and is not afraid of a bit of "biological" humor.
These things are, however, a part of the charm. If you are looking for good, edgy children's programming, Pingu is the way to go.
Hey, everyone make nice by the end of the episode! Go on...check it out!
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.
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.
10cynobite
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.
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.
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.
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.
Did you know
- Trivia"Pingu" has been broadcast in more than 150 countries. He has been used as a spokes-character for UNICEF in several countries.
- Alternate versionsIn the mid 1990s, seasons one and two of Pingu were rerecorded with altered dialogue, new music composed by Andy Benedict, and utilized the intro for seasons three and four along with a custom Pingu BV (later Pygos Group) closing logo made for these versions. These versions would first be released in Japan, Australia and a few places internationally, before becoming the most commonly available versions worldwide after HiT Entertainment acquired the rights to the show. It's unknown why these versions were made, but it's generally assumed to either be licensing reasons or to make seasons three and four's soundtracks more consistent with the first two seasons.
- ConnectionsEdited into BBC Future Generations (1998)
- How many seasons does Pingu have?Powered by Alexa
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