Pororo the Little Penguin
English Title Card
Hangul
뽀롱뽀롱 뽀로로
Genre
Opening theme
  • "Always Happy as Can Be" (seasons 1-2)
  • "Hello Friends" (seasons 3-4)
  • "Hello Everyone" (seasons 5-7)
Ending theme
  • "We Are the Best of Friends" (season 1)
  • "We Are All Friends" (season 2)
  • "We Are All Good Friends" (seasons 3-8)
Country of originSouth Korea
Original language
  • Korean
No. of seasons8 (9, including the revival)
No. of episodes338 (including the revival) (list of episodes)
Production
Running time5 minutes (Season 1-3) 11 minutes (Season 4-8)
Production companies
Original release
NetworkEBS1, Disney Junior (Korea), Cartoon Network (Korea)
ReleaseNovember 27, 2003 (2003-11-27) –
present (present)

Pororo the Little Penguin (Korean: 뽀롱뽀롱 뽀로로, romanized: Pporongpporong Ppororo) is a South Korean 3D computer animated television series. The series premiered on EBS 1 in South Korea in 2003. The series has 8 seasons.[1]

The series revolves around the adventures of a little penguin named Pororo, and his friends who live in the snowy hamlet of Porong Porong Forest, who often encounter challenges and learn practical and moral lessons in each episode.[1]

Production

It was created in 2003 by 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 and Hello Kitty. 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When making episodes, producers focused to details that could be biased to certain cultural codes or give a historical reference, that is sensitive to viewers in certain parts of the world.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 or nodding to each other. In the third 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

Media

Seasons

  • Season 1: 52 x 5' (2003-2004)[2]
  • Season 2: 52 x 5' (2005-2006)[3]
  • 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)
  • Season 8: 26 x 11 (2023-)
  • Season 2 (revival): 52 x 5' (2023-)

Films and Bonus

  • Pororo: to the Cookie Castle (2004)
  • Pororo, Fort Boyard Adventure (2010)
  • Pororo, Dance with La La (2011)
  • Pororo: The Voice Adventure (2012)
  • Pororo Goes to Korea (2012)
  • Pororo: The Racing Adventure (2013)
  • Pororo: Snow Fairy Adventure (2014)
  • Pororo: Cyberspace Adventure (2015)
  • Pororo: Racing Space Adventure (2016)
  • Pororo, Dinosaur World Adventure (2017)
  • Pororo, Dragon World Adventure (2018)
  • Pororo, Treasure Island Adventure (2019)
  • Pororo, City Island Adventure (2020)
  • Pororo, Car World Adventure (2021)
  • Pororo, Dragon Castle Adventure (2022)
  • Pororo and Friends Movie, Virus Busters (2022)
  • Pororo, Dinosaur Castle Adventure (2023)

Others

Spin-offs

  • Pororo Sing-A-Long: 14 x 3' (2006)[4]
  • Eddy The Clever Fox: Season 1: 13 x 5' (2010)
  • Loopy, The Cooking Princess: 6 x 5' (2012)
  • Pororo's English Show: 13 x 5' (2013)
  • Eddy The Clever Fox: Season 2: 13 x 5' (2014)
  • Pororo Sing Along S8: 13 x 5' (2023)

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 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.[5]

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

  1. 1 2 "Pororo the Little Penguin". welcon.kocca.kr. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  2. ↑ ""Pororo the Little Penguin"". Archived from the original on 2011-10-15. Retrieved 2012-05-28. Episode Guide Season 1
  3. ↑ ""Pororo the Little Penguin"". Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2012-05-28. Episode Guide Season 2
  4. ↑ "뽀로로와 노래해요 1기 - Originally 14 episodes, additional 12". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-17. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  5. ↑ "코엑스몰서 '뽀로로 카니발' 개최". Ulsan Maeil. 2016-05-07. Archived from the original on 2016-10-11. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
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