Advanced Television

Mattel, Aardman partner on new Pingu series

October 22, 2024

By Nik Roseveare

Mattel, the toy and family entertainment company, and Aardman, the celebrated animation studio behind the likes of Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep and Wallace & Gromit, are partering to co-develop a new stop-motion 3D animated TV series featuring Pingu

The new series will be inspired by Mattel’s mischievous young penguin who lives at the South Pole. Often finding himself in tricky and comical situations, Pingu meets the challenges of life head on along with his parents, 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 of 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 favorite penguin that are sure to warm hearts worldwide.”

“At Aardman, we love collaborating with IP that shares our commitment to humour, charm and great storytelling,” added Sarah Cox, Chief Creative Director of Aardman. “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.”

The series will be co-developed by Cox and Alan Thorpe for Aardman, and Sidney Clifton, Rob David and Melanie Shannon for Mattel Television Studios.

First created in the 1980s, Pingu became a global hit, known for his playful humour and ‘Penguinese’ language.

Mattel acquired Pingu through its purchase of HIT Entertainment in 2011, adding this character to its catalogue of iconic brands.

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