Who doesn’t love Pingu, the adorable penguin who lives in the South Pole? Well, if you’re one of the many who do, then you’ll be happy to know that the series is set to make a comeback after 18 years!
To make this happen, Mattel, which owns the rights to the franchise, has teamed up with the award-winning animation studio, Aardman, best known for hit movies like Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit, and Shaun the Sheep.
The revival of this much-loved children’s icon comes after an 18-year hiatus, with new episodes of Pingu last airing in March 2006. Even so, with a total of 150 episodes, the series has become a pop culture phenomenon, showing on TV sets across the globe, earning a BAFTA nomination, and inspiring countless memes, as well as numerous fan-made films and series.
Sharing the news about the collaboration with The Hollywood Reporter, Mattel’s chief franchise officer, Josh Silverman, stated that: “We are overjoyed about the project. It’s going to be really, really special. Pingu just continues to, organically, have a tremendous amount of affection and attention. And a tremendous amount of relevance.”
At the time of writing, there is no definite date as to when the new episodes will air – or where they will air. Even so, one thing is for certain: there will be millions around the world waiting to hear that Pingu’s famous one-liner: “Noot noot!”