News / Aardman
New Pingu episodes to be made in Bristol by Aardman
Aardman are co-developing a new stop motion 3D animated television series featuring the cheekiest penguin on the South Pole.
Pingu, a much-loved cartoon first created in Switzerland in 1986, is now owned by Mattel, whose brands also include Barbie, Hot Wheels and Thomas the Tank Engine.
“When we set out to bring Pingu back, partnering with the top-tier creative team at Aardman was a must,” said Mattel chief franchising officer, Josh Silverman.
“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.”
The continued love for Pingu is shown in the fact that Pingu’s official YouTube channel has more than 7m subscribers.
The television series will be co-developed by Sarah Cox and Alan Thorpe for Aardman; and Sidney Clifton, Rob David and Melanie Shannon for Mattel Television Studios.
Cox, chief creative director at Aardman, said: “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.”
Main image: Mattel
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