Mattel and Aardman are joining forces to co-develop a new stop-motion 3D animated TV series featuring Pingu.
The new animated series will be inspired by Mattel’s mischievous young penguin who lives in the snow and ice of the South Pole. Often finding himself in tricky and comical situations, Pingu meets the challenges of life head on along with his mom, dad, little sister Pinga, and all his friends.
“When we set out to bring Pingu back, partnering with the top-tier creative team at Aardman was a must,” commented Josh Silverman, chief franchise officer at Mattel. “With Aardman’s stop-motion magic and Pingu’s universal charm that has made him a social media hit, we are excited to create fresh snow-filled stories about our favourite penguin that are sure to warm hearts worldwide.”
Sarah Cox, chief creative director at Aardman, continued: “At Aardman, we love collaborating with IP that shares our commitment to humour, charm and great storytelling. From our earliest conversations with Mattel, we felt an immediate and strong connection in our shared love of Pingu, the authentic appeal of the original IP, and comedy that transcends language barriers to speak to audiences everywhere. Aardman and Pingu is such a natural and enticing combination. The charm of the stop frame animation along with the quirky irreverence and character driven storytelling aligns perfectly with our creative approach. There are so many stories yet to tell, we can’t wait to get started.”
First created in the 1980s, Pingu became a global sensation for his playful humour and his unique ‘Penguinese’ language. Over recent years, Pingu has emerged as a fan favourite on social media.
Mattel acquired Pingu through its purchase of HIT Entertainment in 2011.
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