Pororo the Little Penguin

Pororo the Little Penguin

English Title Card
Genre Children
Theme music composer Bruce Broughton
Composer(s) Bruce Broughton
Country of origin South Korea
Original language(s) Korean
English
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 208 (Not counting Pororo's Sing-A-Long and Pororo's English Show Episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Michael Loman
Arlene Sherman
Producer(s) Lisa Ferrasan
Mickey Lawrence
Editor(s) Mark Zaslove
Running time 5 minutes per episode
(until Season 3)
11 minutes per episode
(Season 4 – present)
Production company(s)
Release
Original network EBS1
Original release November 27, 2003 (2003-11-27) – May 20, 2014 (2014-05-20)
Website

Pororo the Little Penguin (Korean: 뽀롱뽀롱 뽀로로) is a South Korean computer-generated animated cartoon series created by Iconix Entertainment, SK Broadband, Ocon and Channel One with the North Korean company Samchŏlli in Kaesŏng. Production began in 2002 and the program began airing in South Korea on EBS in 2003.

The series revolves around the adventures of Pororo and his friends who live in the snowy village of Porong Porong Forest, who often encounter challenges and learn practical and moral lessons in each episode.

Premise

Far far away, unknown and untouched by human civilization, lies a peaceful island covered in snow and ice. On this white island, deep inside a small secluded forest, is a tiny village inhabited by little animals. No-one knows how they came to live on the island but they naturally came to live together in the village situated in the little valley where the sunshine is warmest and the cold wind is least harsh. In the village lives Pororo, a very inquisitive impish little penguin, good-natured polar bear Poby, smug nosy fennec fox Eddy, shy and timid little beaver Loopy, friendly penguin girl Petty, happy-go-lucky humming bird Harry and mischievous dinosaur Crong. All of our friends have distinct personalities and different interests which sometimes cause little (and sometimes not so little) happenings in their calm white world. But they are all good friends and know how to help each other in times of trouble.[1]

Origin

It was created in 2003 by Iconix Entertainment C., Ltd, a company based in Seoul, South Korea.

Design

Choi, Sanghyun, who was working at Iconix Entertainment, was given a project of creating an icon that represents an animal living in the winter. So, he kept visiting a zoo to understand animals and kids enjoying watching them. Many professional designers joined the project to come up with an icon, but Choi’s designed was chosen as the winner, which became the first Pororo.

Characters

Main characters

A Christmas show featuring Pororo the Little Penguin at Nex, Singapore

Season 1 – present

Season 2 – present

Season 3 – present

Season 4 – present

Minor characters

Animation history

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 2-4 aged children, unlike other characters devised by Iconix Entertainment that targeted 2-6 aged children. Pororo is an adventurous 5-year-old penguin, who dreams of flying, and lives on a snowy island with six other animal friends. In the design, Pororo in most animations has a neutral background, so that the animation could be popular to children all around the world. The role models of Pororo in design included Mickey Mouse, the Walt Disney icon who turned 84 this year, and the Japan’s most adored character, Hello Kitty, who has been cherished for nearly 40 years. The creators cautiously picked the colors — blue, pink and white — that are familiar to children and also ones that represent both genders. When making episodes, producers paid attention 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 make sure Pororo and friends wave hands instead of bow or even nod to each other.

Awards and honors

In 2003, Pororo received numerous awards from the South Korean government, including the award by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In 2006, Pororo got the President’s award for best animation characters. In 2013, Pororo got the award for Creative Brands. In 2014, Pororo was chosen as the mascot for mass transportation in Seoul.

Format

Opening/ending theme songs

Opening theme songs

Ending theme songs

Social impact

When Pororo was first created, it was just with normal episodes. Later parents suggest to Choi Jung-il in Iconix Entertainment that new episodes be included that have some educational purposes. Producers have received many requests, ranging from what the character should eat and how to play in episodes to what he can do for society. When these new episodes were made, kids started to follow what Pororo is doing, like crossing the road with right hand up, not being fastidious on eating food, washing and cleaning. These are making children easily follow and fix their attitudes in enjoyable way.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.pororo.net/en/story/story_01.htm Story (Games)
  2. ↑ http://www.pororo.net/en/story/summary.php?Numid=1 Episode Guide Season 1
  3. ↑ http://www.pororo.net/en/story/summary03.php?Numid=1 Episode Guide Season 2
  4. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE81F0AD3149C3767 Originally 14 episodes, additional 12.

External links

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