Pingu in the City

Pingu in the City

Original Run	(S1) Oct 7, 2017 - Mar 31, 2018 (Japan)
Producer
Director	Naomi Iwata
Writer	Kimiko Ueno, Shigenori Tanabe
Starring	Ryota Iwasaki and Fumiya Tanaka
Country of origin	Japan
Production company	Polygon Pictures, Mattel Creations
Num of episodes	52
Season:	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Spinoff:	TPS, PITC

Pingu in the City (Japanese:ピングー in ザ・シティ) is a Japanese computer-animated television series produced by Mattel Creations and Polygon Pictures, based on Pingu. in Japan, It premiered on October 7th 2017 on NHK, and in Australia, It premiered on June 4th 2018 on ABC Kids. It was also screened in the United States at the Animation Block Party in New York on July 26th^[1], and was also screened at the Chicago International Television Festival.^[2]

The show was first screened outside of Japan at the JW Marriot Renior Conference Room in Cannes as part of the MIPJunior 2017 event on October 15th, and is also on sale for North America, China, Middle East and African markets.^[3] Airings in other continents such as Europe, South America and South Asia are likely but have yet to be announced. It also has yet to be aired in Switzerland & the UK, the first two places where the Pingu series originated.

This series is about Pingu and his family moving from their small village to a big city and trying to help penguins with their jobs.

Plot

"Pingu has moved with his family to the big city from a small village. He meets many other penguins doing interesting jobs, from chefs to florists to carpenters. How exciting for the curious little penguin! He tries to give them a hand, but sometimes his mischievousness gets him in trouble. But thanks to his cheerful spirit and wit, he's saved every time."

Production

The development of the series started in 2014, from which the project was planned several times at Polygon Pictures.^[4] The production crew "set the rule as not to change the basic image and tone", but using stop motion would mean a bigger budget. They considered making it in 2D, but it would've made it look too different compared to the original, Keisuke Tsuchihasi later came up with the idea of remaking Pingu in 3D using CGI technology and it was "the way they could maintain the quality, touch, feel and movement of the clay animation".

Naomi Iwata went with his children at Kidzania which resulted the concept of Pingu experimenting various ocupations in the series and moving into a big city.^[5]

"We adults normally don't like work, we feel it's dull to work. But Pingu can change any dull work into a funny and interesting thing to do. So let's set Pingu the challenge to try out lots of different jobs."^[6]

A 90 second pilot film was produced in 2016 and production of the series officially began in mid-April 2017 at Dandelion. Software such as Maya, Redshift, Houdini etc was used.^[7]

Episodes

Season 1

Title	Release date	Episode number
Pingu Cooks Up A Treat!	7 October, 2017	#1
Helping out at a restaurant, Pingu gets the idea to "help" with the soup while the chef is away.
Watch Your Step, Pingu!	14 October, 2017	#2
Pingu decides to stand watch over the freshly paved walkway until the ice hardens, so no one will leave footprints.
Pingu's Rules Of Babysitting	21 October, 2017	#3
Pingu is babysitting at home, but when Pinga and her friend's indoor soccer game gets out of hand, he decides to take it outside.
Pingu the Baker	28 October, 2017	#4
Pingu takes an interest in baking, and when his penguin-shaped bread is a success, he decides to bake more.
Pingu the Super Substitute	4 November, 2017	#5
At a local soccer match, Pingu makes an unexpected appearance on the field after the captain is injured.
Pingu At Your Service	11 November, 2017	#6
Pingu hits on the idea to start a food delivery service with the chef while his restaurant is closed for renovations.
Power Up Pingu	18 November, 2017	#7
During a blackout, Pingu and Pinga discover that their inventor neighbour is able to generate his own electricity.
Buzz Off!	25 November, 2017	#8
Pingu is helping out at the flower shop when something lurking in the flowers suddenly attacks.
Pingu the Hero!	2 December, 2017	#9
Pingu befriends a bench warmer for the local soccer team, and discovers his new friend's hidden talent.
Flower Power	9 December, 2017	#10
While Pingu is helping out at the flower shop, the chef and the firefighter begin a contest over who orders the biggest bouquet to impress the girl at the shop.
Let's Build An Igloo!	16 December, 2017	#11
Pingu decides to build himself an igloo, and when he can't find ice blocks that are big enough, Robby offers to help.
Robby is Santa Claus?	23 December, 2017	#12
On Christmas Eve, Pingu and Robby come across a bag full of presents. Believing it to be from Santa Claus, the two go around the city delivering the gifts.
Pingu's Magnet Muddle	30 December, 2017	#13
While enjoying the super convenient invention that pulls anything you wish for towards you, Pingu decides to use it to take the television remote from Pinga.
The Art of Baking	13 January, 2018	#14
Pingu and friends decide to help the chef sell bread, but their attempt to change the display creates a very tall and very big bread tower that begins to topple.
Mama's Birthday Surprise	20 January, 2018	#15
Everybody is busy getting ready for Mama's surprise birthday party, but Pingu bumps into her on his way back from the flower shop carrying a big bouquet.
Pingu Takes Flight	27 January, 2018	#16
The inventor makes Pingu's dream of flying come true with his flying machine no.2, but the joy is short-lived as things quickly begin to go horribly wrong.
Pingu Glides to Fame	3 February, 2018	#17
Pingu and Pinga begin figure skating after watching skaters at the rink. As the crowd cheers them on, the two take their ice show into the city, where the residents join in.
Pingu Plugs a Leak	10 February, 2018	#18
The carpenter and Pingu are fixing leaks in the water pipe, but when they think they are finally finished, water springs out from beneath the road.
Pingu and Pinga Fashionistas	17 February, 2018	#19
Pingu and the fashion-conscious Pinga use the inventor's new knitting machine without permission and have lots of fun - maybe too much fun.
Keep It Up Pingu!	24 February, 2018	#20
Pingu wants to learn to juggle a soccer ball like the local team players, but he is too concentrated on the ball as he heads towards the city.
Pingu's Catch Of The Day	3 March, 2018	#21
The chef opens an outdoor restaurant, and Pingu tries to help by catching fish, but things begin to get out of hand when Robby eats all the precious catch.
Stop That Mail!	10 March, 2018	#22
Pingu is delivering the mail for Papa who has caught a cold, but soon the skateboard the inventor lends him begins to go out of control.
Sticking Together	17 March, 2018	#23
Pingu and Pinga use the glue the carpenter left behind to fix their toy airplane, but the two soon start to fight over the glue, and end up getting stuck together.
Special Delivery for Pingu	21 March, 2018	#24
Pingu helps Papa deliver the mail, but when Pinga picks a fight with him over who gets to wear Dad's mailman hat, she feels terrible for getting Pingu in trouble.
Everyone's A Winner!	24 March, 2018	#25
Pingu on skis, his friend on the snowboard, and Robby on the bobsled compete to decide who is fastest.
Growing Pains	31 March, 2018	#26
Pingu and Pinga are given seeds from the flower shop, but when only Pinga's seed sprouts, Pingu thinks up a training program to make his seed sprout faster.