Pororo the Little Penguin
Pororo the Little Penguin | |
---|---|
English Title Card | |
Korean | 뽀롱뽀롱 뽀로로 |
Genre | Children |
Theme music composer | Bruce Broughton |
Composer(s) | Bruce Broughton |
Country of origin | |
Original language(s) |
Korean English |
No. of seasons | 6 |
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 – present |
Website |
Pororo the Little Penguin (Korean: 뽀롱뽀롱 뽀로로) is a Korean computer-animated television 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.
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
Season 1 – present
- Pororo (Voiced by Lee Seon in Korean and Sanai Victoria in English) is the main protagonist of the series.
- Crong, ( voiced by Lee Mi-ja in Korean and Cathy Weseluck in English) is the youngest of the group and he is a crocodile and got adopted by Pororo.
- Poby ( Voiced by Kim Hwan-jin in Korean and Ty Olsson in English) is a big polor bear.
- Eddy (Voiced by Ham Soo-jeong in Korean and Christina Ulloa in English,) is a gold fox with an invention box.
- Loopy ( Voiced by (Hong So-yeong in Korean and Andrea Libman in English), is a pink beaver.
- Goo Ja-hyeong as the Narrator
Season 2 – present
- Petty (Voiced by Jeong Mi-sook in Korean and Hannah Swain in English), is Pororo's girlfriend.
- Harry (Voiced by A unknown voice actor in Korean, Kim Seo-yeong in English and Mary Katherine Dillon in sing along with Pororo), is a 10 year old hummingbird, He is the sidekick to Poby and the second oldest of the cast.
Season 3 – present
- Lee Mi-ja as Rody
- Goo Ja- hyeong as Tong-tong
- Ham Soo-jeong as Popo
- Kim Seo-yeong as Pipi
- Hong So-yeong as Nyao
Season 4 – present
- Jang Eun-sook as Tu-tu
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
- Season 1 : 52 x 5' (2003)[2]
- Season 2 : 52 x 5' (2005)[3]
- Season 3 : 52 x 5' (2009)
- TV Movie: Pororo to the Cookie Castle : 1 x 70' (2004)
- Season 4 : 26 x 11'(2012)
- Sing-A-Long : 14 x 3' (2006)[4]
- Pororo's English Show : 13 x 6' (2013)
- Feature Film: Pororo, The Racing Adventure : 1 x 79' (2013)
- Season 5 : 26 x 11' (2014)
- Feature Film: Pororo, Cyberspace Adventure (2015)
Opening/ending theme songs
Opening theme songs
- Season 1 : "Always Happy as Can Be"
- Season 2 : "Always Happy as Can Be" - The song is the same, but it is sped up a little bit with different instrumentation. This song is performed by the cast of characters with a kid.
- Season 3 : "Hello, Friends"
- Season 4 : "Hello, Friends" - This is same song but it includes different instrumentations.
- Season 5 : "Hello, Friends" - This is same song but it includes different instrumentations.
- Sing-A-Long with Pororo : "Let's Sing Together with Pororo" (but in the ending, it is instrumental)
Ending theme songs
- Season 1 : "We Are the Best of Friends"
- Season 2 : "All Good Friends"
- Season 3 : "Good Friends"
- Season 4 : "Good Friends"
- Season 5 : "Good Friends"
Characters
Pororo, Crong, Poby, Loopy, Petty, Tong tong, Eddy, Tu Tu, Popo, Pipi, Rody (Mainly in episodes)
In very rare episodes: Chi chi, Con con, Space Aliens. Chici (Eddys uncommon robot in Rodys true friends)
Already there Pororo, Loopy, Poby and Eddy. Crong comes in We're friends, Petty comes in Hello friends, Rody comes in Rody is born Tong tong comes (unknown) Tu tu comes in Magical car Tu tu Popo and Pipi comes in Popo and Pipi
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. In 2016, there is a new carnival related to Pororo in Coex Mall, South Korea. musical and parade of character is 14, 15 August. [5]
References
- ↑ Editorial, Reuters. "Iconic South Korean penguin character actually half-North Korean". Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ http://www.pororo.net/en/story/summary.php?Numid=1 Episode Guide Season 1
- ↑ http://www.pororo.net/en/story/summary03.php?Numid=1 Episode Guide Season 2
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE81F0AD3149C3767 Originally 14 episodes, additional 12.
- ↑ Ulsan Maeil. "코엑스몰서 '뽀로로 카니발' 개최". 2016-05-08. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
External links
- Iconix Official Website (English)
- Pororo the Little Penguin Official Site
- Pororo the Little Penguin Official EBS Website (Korean)
- Pororo in Netherlands (Dutch)