A new stop-motion, 3D animated Pingu series is in the works from Aardman Animations and Mattel.
While a release date has yet to be set, the new series is reportedly "inspired" by the beloved Swiss-German-created penguin that Mattel acquired in 2012 upon its purchase of HIT Entertainment.
Pingu ran for four seasons between 1990 to 2000, and was revived for another two seasons that aired between 2003 and 2006. A Japanese computer-animated reboot titled Pingu in the City aired in the country between 2017 and 2019.
The new Pingu 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.
"When we set out to bring Pingu back, partnering with the top-tier creative team at Aardman was a must," said 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 favourite 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," said 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."
Aardman recently premiered animated comedy Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl at the American Film Institute, ahead of its international release on Netflix in January 2025.