Pingu in the City (Japanese:ピングー in ザ・シティ) is a Japanese computer-animated television series produced by Mattel Television and Polygon Pictures, based on Pingu. in Japan, It premiered on October 7th 2017 on NHK, and in Australia, It premiered on June 4th 2018 on ABC Kids. It was also screened in the United States at the Animation Block Party in New York on July 26th[1], and was also screened at the Chicago International Television Festival.[2] It also served as the rebooted series for the Pingu television line. While the show did air in the UK on ITVBe's LittleBe, this series was never released in the US or the rest of North America despite being screened over in Chicago in 2018.
The show was first screened outside of Japan at the JW Marriot Renior Conference Room in Cannes as part of the MIPJunior 2017 event on October 15th, and is also on sale for North America, China, Middle East and African markets.[3] On October 18th, 2018, Sony Creative Products Inc. signed a distribution deal for Pingu in the City in territories across Europe and Latin America, handling all LatAm countries as well as Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.
This series is about Pingu and his family moving from their small village to a big city and trying to help penguins with their jobs.
Unlike the original series whereas the series lasted six seasons and was cancelled following taxation in 2007 after Series 6 aired its last episode in the previous year, the series only lasted two series and is likely cancelled for reasons unknown as of 2024. Production had stopped abruptly, and therefore, a third series was never given the greenlight.
Plot[]
"Pingu has moved with his family to the big city from a small village. He meets many other penguins doing interesting jobs, from chefs to florists to carpenters. How exciting for the curious little penguin! He tries to give them a hand, but sometimes his mischievousness gets him in trouble. But thanks to his cheerful spirit and wit, he's saved every time."
Production[]
Keisuke Tsuchihasi
The development of the series started in 2014, from which the project was planned several times at Polygon Pictures.[4] The production crew "set the rule as not to change the basic image and tone", but using stop motion would mean a bigger budget. They considered making it in 2D, but it would've made it look too different compared to the original, Keisuke Tsuchihasi later came up with the idea of remaking Pingu in 3D using CGI technology and it was "the way they could maintain the quality, touch, feel and movement of the clay animation".
Naomi Iwata went with his children at Kidzania which resulted the concept of Pingu experimenting various occupations in the series and moving into a big city.[5]
"We adults normally don't like work, we feel it's dull to work. But Pingu can change any dull work into a funny and interesting thing to do. So let's set Pingu the challenge to try out lots of different jobs."[6]
A 90 second pilot film was produced in 2016 and production of the series officially began in mid-April 2017 at Dandelion. Software such as Maya, Redshift, Houdini etc was used.[7]
After the second series of the reboot was finished airing, the revival series was cancelled in 2019 by Mattel, and thus a third series was never green lit for production. However, the franchise made a collaboration with the Chinese skincare company "d program" 4 years later on August 8, 2023 and by releasing a commercial in September featuring Pingu, his friend Robby, his little sister Pinga, his parents and the return of their igloo.[8][9][10][11][12]
Theme song[]
Opening[]
Ending[]
Episodes[]
Pilot[]
| Screenshot | Title | Release date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Unaired Pilot | Unaired (test screened during 2016) | |||
Series 1[]
| Screenshot | Title | Release date | Episode number | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Pingu Cooks Up A Treat! | 7 October, 2017 | #1 | ||
| Helping out at a restaurant, Pingu gets the idea to "help" with the soup while the chef is away. | |||||
 |
Watch Your Step, Pingu! | 14 October, 2017 | #2 | ||
| Pingu decides to stand watch over the freshly paved walkway until the ice hardens, so no one will leave footprints. | |||||
 |
Pingu's Rules Of Babysitting | 21 October, 2017 | #3 | ||
| Pingu is babysitting at home, but when Pinga and her friend's indoor football/soccer game gets out of hand, he decides to take it outside. | |||||
 |
Pingu the Baker | 28 October, 2017 | #4 | ||
| Pingu takes an interest in baking, and when his penguin-shaped bread is a success, he decides to bake more. | |||||
 |
Pingu the Super Substitute | 4 November, 2017 | #5 | ||
| At a local football/soccer match, Pingu makes an unexpected appearance on the field after the captain is injured. | |||||
 |
Pingu At Your Service | 11 November, 2017 | #6 | ||
| Pingu hits on the idea to start a food delivery service with the chef while his restaurant is closed for renovations. | |||||
 |
Power Up Pingu | 18 November, 2017 | #7 | ||
| During a blackout, Pingu and Pinga discover that their inventor neighbour/neighbor is able to generate his own electricity. | |||||
 |
Buzz Off! | 25 November, 2017 | #8 | ||
| Pingu is helping out at the flower shop when something lurking in the flowers suddenly attacks. | |||||
 |
Pingu the Hero! | 2 December, 2017 | #9 | ||
| Pingu befriends a bench warmer for the local football/soccer team, and discovers his new friend's hidden talent. | |||||
 |
Flower Power | 9 December, 2017 | #10 | ||
| While Pingu is helping out at the flower shop, the chef and the firefighter begin a contest over who orders the biggest bouquet to impress the girl at the shop. | |||||
 |
Let's Build An Igloo! | 16 December, 2017 | #11 | ||
| Pingu decides to build himself an igloo, and when he can't find ice blocks that are big enough, Robby offers to help. | |||||
 |
Pingu Saves Christmas | 23 December, 2017 | #12 | ||
| Pingu and Robby discover Father Christmas's bag full of parcels/presents, and decide to deliver the parcels/presents themselves. | |||||
 |
Pingu's Magnet Muddle | 30 December, 2017 | #13 | ||
| While enjoying the super convenient invention that pulls anything you wish for towards you, Pingu decides to use it to take the television remote from Pinga. | |||||
 |
The Art of Baking | 13 January, 2018 | #14 | ||
| Pingu and friends decide to help the chef sell bread, but their attempt to change the display creates a very tall and very big bread tower that begins to topple. | |||||
 |
Mama's Birthday Surprise | 20 January, 2018 | #15 | ||
| Everybody is busy getting ready for Mama's surprise birthday party, but Pingu bumps into her on his way back from the flower shop carrying a big bouquet. | |||||
 |
Pingu Takes Flight | 27 January, 2018 | #16 | ||
| The inventor makes Pingu's dream of flying come true with his flying machine no. 2, but the joy is short-lived as things quickly begin to go horribly wrong. | |||||
 |
Pingu Glides to Fame | 3 February, 2018 | #17 | ||
| Pingu and Pinga begin figure skating after watching skaters at the rink. As the crowd cheers them on, the two take their ice show into the city, where the residents join in. | |||||
 |
Pingu Plugs a Leak | 10 February, 2018 | #18 | ||
| The carpenter and Pingu are fixing leaks in the water pipe, but when they think they are finally finished, water springs out from beneath the road. | |||||
 |
Pingu and Pinga Fashionista's | 17 February, 2018 | #19 | ||
| Pingu and the fashion-conscious Pinga use the inventor's new knitting machine without permission and have lots of fun - maybe too much fun. | |||||
 |
Keep It Up Pingu! | 24 February, 2018 | #20 | ||
| Pingu wants to learn to juggle a football/soccer ball like the local team players, but he is too concentrated on the ball as he heads towards the city. | |||||
 |
Pingu's Catch of the Day | 3 March, 2018 | #21 | ||
| The chef opens an outdoor restaurant, and Pingu tries to help by catching fish, but things begin to get out of hand when Robby eats all the precious catch. | |||||
 |
Stop That Mail! | 10 March, 2018 | #22 | ||
| Pingu is delivering the mail for Papa who has caught a cold, but soon the skateboard the inventor lends him begins to go out of control. | |||||
 |
Sticking Together | 17 March, 2018 | #23 | ||
| Pingu and Pinga use the glue the carpenter left behind to fix their toy airplane, but the two soon start to fight over the glue, and end up getting stuck together. | |||||
 |
Special Delivery for Pingu | 21 March, 2018 | #24 | ||
| Pingu helps Papa deliver the post, but when Pinga picks a fight with him over who gets to wear Dad's postman/mailman hat, she feels terrible for getting Pingu in trouble. | |||||
 |
Everyone's a Winner! | 24 March, 2018 | #25 | ||
| Pingu on skis, his friend on the snowboard, and Robby on the bobsled compete to decide who is fastest. | |||||
 |
Growing Pains | 31 March, 2018 | #26 | ||
| Pingu and Pinga are given seeds from the flower shop, but when only Pinga's seed sprouts, Pingu thinks up a training program to make his seed sprout faster. | |||||
Series 2[]
| Screenshot | Title | Release date | Episode number | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Fire Fighter Training is Tough! | 6 October, 2018 | #1 | ||
| Pingu is learning how to be a fireman, albeit not doing very well. | |||||
 |
A Mysterious Helper | 13 October, 2018 | #2 | ||
| Pingu encounters a strange creature in the ocean. | |||||
 |
Grandfather's Here! | 20 October, 2018 | #3 | ||
| Pingu's Grandpa comes to the city, but Pingu and Pinga think he's lonely even though they don't know he is also friends with the other penguins in the city. | |||||
 |
The Naughty Tram Passenger | 27 October, 2018 | #4 | ||
| Pingu tries to keep some seagulls from getting on top of the tram. | |||||
 |
A Mysterious Creature Appears! | 3 November, 2018 | #5 | ||
| Pingu wants to see if a rumour/rumor about mysterious creatures living in snowy caves is true. | |||||
 |
Pingu's Jam Session | 10 November, 2018 | #6 | ||
| Whilst at a restaurant, a jazz band begins playing and Pingu wants to play in it. | |||||
 |
Say Cheese! | 17 November, 2018 | #7 | ||
| Pingu gets a camera and begins taking photos of city residents, but he ends up taking photos of follies that they end up in, much to their disdain. | |||||
 |
What's Inside? | 24 November, 2018 | #8 | ||
| While going to get a picky Pinga a donut, Pingu is invited to a fish canning company to help with putting the fish in the cans | |||||
 |
The Big Blue Chase | 1 December, 2018 | #9 | ||
| Pingu has to stop a thief who stole a bag, but he ends up covered in blue coloured/colored paint causing the residents to think he's the thief because the thief is also covered in blue paint. | |||||
 |
Pingu's Space Adventures | 8 December, 2018 | #10 | ||
| Pingu ends up going in space after being trained by astronauts. | |||||
 |
Helping a New Friend | 15 December, 2018 | #11 | ||
| Pingu and Pinga try helping penguins in need. | |||||
 |
Pingu and the Egg | 22 December, 2018 | #12 | ||
| While watching over some eggs at the Carpenter's place, the eggs end up going all over the city. | |||||
 |
Pingu Makes the Movie! | 29 December, 2018 | #13 | ||
| Pingu decides to try and film a movie, but things get in the way of filming. | |||||
 |
Pingu is a Rock Star! | 5 January, 2019 | #14 | ||
| A talent show searches for stars in the city. Pingu and his friends form a band but they get nervous when performing in front of the stern judges. | |||||
 |
Household Helping Hands | 12 January, 2019 | #15 | ||
| Pingu and Pinga look after the house after Mum and Dad fall ill. | |||||
 |
Pingu the Wigmaker! | 19 January, 2019 | #16 | ||
| The Inventor creates a wig machine, and Pingu uses it to make a salon that increases in popularity. | |||||
 |
Pingu on Patrol! | 26 January, 2019 | #17 | ||
| Pingu is appointed to a junior police constable after he catches a penguin littering, but he takes it too far in patrolling the city. | |||||
 |
Pingu's Frozen Discovery | 2 February, 2019 | #18 | ||
| Pingu and the inventor find a fossil inside some ice, leading to the belief that an extinct creature might be in it. | |||||
 |
Pingu's Treasure Hunt | 9 February, 2019 | #19 | ||
| After damaging a video game system, Pingu's Dad sets up a treasure hunt for the two to carry out. | |||||
 |
Voyage to the Moon | 16 February, 2019 | #20 | ||
| Pingu and Robby find a rocket shaped rime. | |||||
 |
Pingu's Traffic Dance | 23 February, 2019 | #21 | ||
| The Movement of the penguins in the city who began to manage the movement of Pingu gradually become like a dance. | |||||
 |
I Want to be on TV! | 2 March, 2019 | #22 | ||
| A rock hopper penguin is reflected in the town news broadcast on TV and Pingu makes various appearances so he can be on TV. | |||||
 |
Flea Market | 9 March, 2019 | #23 | ||
| Pingu and his friends take junk to the flea market, but they don't sell at all. | |||||
 |
Pingu the Living Statue | 16 March, 2019 | #24 | ||
| Pingu helps the carpenter make sculptures, but when the carpenter is out, Pingu breaks one of the sculptures by accident. | |||||
 |
Pingu's Snack Attack | 23 March, 2019 | #25 | ||
| Pingu's doughnut gets stolen by The Seagull. | |||||
 |
Pingu the Conductor | 30 March, 2019 | #26 | ||
| Pingu learns how to conduct music. | |||||
Special[]
| Screenshot | Title | Release date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
I want to see more! The World of Animation "Pingu in the City" | 17 March, 2019 | |||
| TV Special about the creation of "Pingu in the City". | |||||
Characters[]
Characters introduced[]
- Pendra
- Rock Hopper Penguin
- Chef Fred
- Flower Shop Lady
- Carpenter
- Police Officer
- The Inventor
- Firefighter
- Football Manager
Trivia[]
- This marks the second and latest return of the series.
- This is the first Pingu production to use CGI instead of stop-motion due to the fact animating television shows into stop-motion had become much more expensive in the UK than in most other countries following the 2007-2009 recession that also took place in the UK.
- This is the first series to have Japanese voice actors, the only two playing the characters being Ryota Iwasaki and Fumiya Tanaka.
- This is the first series to have Ken Arai as a composer.
- This is currently the only Pingu production to be animated in Japan.
- Although it's CGI, it still has the same frame-rate as the last two series of the original show.
- When the second series was released, the key visual was altered, the only real difference however is that the colours are more saturated like in the original series than the colours used in the original series one intro.
- Concept Art reveals that the Flower Shop Lady was going to have a red apron, The Inventor was going to wear a black beanie, and the Carpenter's hat was going to be yellow. Those colours were changed in the final versions.
- This is the first series not to be broadcast by the BBC in the UK.
Source[]
- ↑ http://www.animationblock.com/summerfest2018
- ↑ https://www6.nhk.or.jp/awards/english/award/program.html?i=20180322_01
- ↑ http://www.nichima.co.jp/news/entry/3139.html
- ↑ CGWORLD 2018 April issue
- ↑ CGWORLD 2018 April issue
- ↑ https://issuu.com/mipmarkets/docs/mipjunior_2017_preview_magazine
- ↑ CGWORLD 2018 April issue
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CvrbqpVMTWD/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzM_r71sCN0
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CxF0yBkB9Sw
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X-xQixN6RU
- ↑ https://blog.pingu.jp/date/2023/08
- ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/%E3%83%94%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%83%BC-in-%E3%82%B6-%E3%82%B7%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3-%E3%82%AA%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B8%E3%83%8A%E3%83%AB-%E3%82%B5%E3%82%A6%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E3%83%88%E3%83%A9%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF/1440741025
- ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/%E3%83%94%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%83%BC-in-%E3%82%B6-%E3%82%B7%E3%83%86%E3%82%A3-%E3%82%AA%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B8%E3%83%8A%E3%83%AB-%E3%82%B5%E3%82%A6%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E3%83%88%E3%83%A9%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF/1440741025
Gallery[]
Behind the scenes[]
Videos[]
