''Pororo the Little Penguin'' ( ko, 뽀롱뽀롱 뽀로로, Pporongpporong Ppororo) is a South Korean

computer-animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

. The series premiered on EBS 1 in South Korea in 2003 and ran on the channel until 2021. The series had 7 seasons. The series revolves around the adventures of a

little penguin The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is a species of penguin from New Zealand. They are commonly known as little blue penguins or blue penguins owing to their slate-blue plumage and are also known by their Māori name . The Australian lit ...

named Pororo, and his friends who live in the snowy

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

of Porong Porong Forest, who often encounter challenges and learn practical and moral lessons in each episode.

Production

It was created in 2003 Iconix Entertainment Co., Ltd, a company based in Seoul, South Korea. Choi Sang-hyun, who was working at Iconix Entertainment, was given a project of creating a character that represents an animal living in the winter. Choi visited a zoo in order to see those animals and understand how children enjoyed watching them. Several professional designers joined the project to come up with a character, but Choi's design was chosen as the winner, which then became Pororo. The original Pororo was a blue and white, petite penguin sporting an aviator helmet and goggles, which became popular among children. When it was introduced, it targeted children aged 4–7. Pororo has no specific background or cultural coding, so that the series could be popular to children worldwide. Pororo's design inspirations include iconic mascots

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...

and

Hello Kitty , also known by her full name , is a fictional Character (arts), character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphi ...

. The creators picked the colours blue, pink and white to ensure familiarity for children, as well as representing said colors for boys and girls. When making episodes, producers focused to details that could be biased to certain cultural codes or give a historical reference, that is sensitive to viewers in certain parts of the world. For example, they ensured that the characters wave rather than

bowing Bowing (also called stooping) is the act of lowering the torso and head as a social gesture in direction to another person or symbol. It is most prominent in Asian cultures but it is also typical of nobility and aristocracy in many European coun ...

or nodding to each other. In the second season, the characters were all given redesigns and outfits that correspond to their personalities.

Characters

English credits: * English translation: Ani100 * English voice director: Anna Paik English cast: * Bommie Catherine Han: Pororo, Monkey 1 * Anna Desmarais: Eddy, Petty * Nancy Kim: Harry, Monkey 3 * Anna Paik: Loopy, Tutu, Monkey 2 * Matt Anipen: Poby, Narrator, Wall Clock * Josh Schwartzentruber: Rody, Fuzzy Wuzzy * John Lee: Tong-tong, Yeti

Broadcast

The series premiered on EBS 1 in South Korea in 2003, until 2021. In the USA, the show was dubbed in Spanish and aired on

V-me V-me (, a pun on ''veme'', "watch me") is an American Spanish-language television network, formerly carried as an over-the-air public broadcasting network in association with public television stations created for the United States Hispanic marke ...

in the late 2000s and currently aired on V-me Kids. On October 5, 2015, it was broadcast in Brazil through TV Cultura and later on October 12 through TV Rá-Tim-Bum. In Italy, the show aired on

Rai 2 Rai 2 is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's second television channel, and is known for broadcasting ''TG2'' news bulletins, talk ...

. In 2010, the series was purchased by the NPO for Zappelin in the Netherlands. In Poland, the show was aired on

MiniMini+ MiniMini+ is a Polish television channel owned and operated by ITI Neovision SA. Its programmes are aimed primarily at children aged 3–8. History Before the launch of MiniMini, Minimax (now known as Teletoon+) launched a programming bloc ...

under the title "Mały pingwinek Popolo". In Japan, the first season aired on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...

, but other three aired on

Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven yea ...

. In Southeast Asia, the series aired on

Media

Seasons

Aspect ratio: *Season 1: 52 x 5' (2003-2004) *Season 2: 52 x 5' (2005-2006) *Season 3: 52 x 5' (2009) *Season 4: 26 x 11' (2012) *Season 5: 26 x 11' (2014) *Season 6: 26 x 11' (2016) *Season 1 (revival): 52 x 5' (2017) *Season 7: 26 x 11 (2020-2021)

Films

*'' Pororo, to the Cookie Castle'' (2004) *''Porong Porong Rescue Mission'' (2009) *'' Pororo, the Snow Fairy Village Adventure'' (2010) *'' Pororo, The Racing Adventure'' (2013) *'' Pororo: Cyberspace Adventure'' (2015) *'' Pororo, Dinosaur Island Adventure'' (2017) *'' Pororo, Treasure Island Adventure'' (2019) *'' Pororo, Dragon Castle Adventure'' (2022)

Others

Spin-offs

*Pororo Sing-A-Long: 14 x 3' (2006) *Eddy The Clever Fox: 13 x 5' (2010) *Loopy, The Cooking Princess: 6 x 5' (2012) *Pororo's English Show: 13 x 5' (2013) *Pororo's Adventure to Korea: 13 x 5' (2016)

Shorts

*Netflix New Year's Eve Countdown 2018 (2017)

Reception and legacy

Initially, Pororo was created solely for entertainment. Later, parents suggested to Choi Jung-il of Iconix Entertainment that new episodes with educational value be included. Producers have received many requests, ranging from what the characters should eat and how to play in episodes to what they can do for society.

Korean Air Korean Air Co., Ltd. (), operating as Korean Air (Korean Air Lines before 1984), is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations and international flights. The present-day Korean Air ...

also provides Pororo-related merchandise for children including a doodle book, a colouring book and a plush toy of the character. In 2015, Pororo was chosen as the mascot for mass transportation in Seoul. In the summer of 2016, a Pororo theme park opened at Seoul COEX Mall featuring rides and a parade of Pororo characters.

Awards and nominations

In 2007, Pororo received numerous awards from the South Korean government, including the award by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In 2010, Pororo got the president's award for Best Animated Characters. In 2014, Pororo got the award for Creative Brands.

References

External links

Iconix Official Website

Pororo the Little Penguin Official Site

''Pororo the Little Penguin'' Official EBS Website

Pororo in Netherlands

OCON Studios

IMDB page for Pororo the Little Penguin TV series. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pororo the Little Penguin 2003 South Korean television series debuts 2000s South Korean animated television series 2010s South Korean animated television series 2020s South Korean animated television series South Korean children's animated television series Computer-animated television series Animated television series about children Animated television series about penguins Animated preschool education television series 2000s preschool education television series 2010s preschool education television series 2020s preschool education television series Fictional aviators Korean-language television shows English-language television shows Boomerang (TV network) original programming Cartoonito original programming