Pink Panther (character)
Pink Panther | |
---|---|
The Pink Panther character | |
First appearance | The Pink Panther (1963) |
Created by | Blake Edwards Hawley Pratt Friz Freleng |
Designed by | Hawley Pratt |
Voiced by |
|
In-universe information | |
Alias |
|
Species | Puma |
Gender | Male |
The Pink Panther is a fictional animated character who appears in the opening and/or closing credit sequences of every film in The Pink Panther series except for A Shot in the Dark and Inspector Clouseau.[1] In the storyline of the original film, the "Pink Panther" is the name of a valuable pink diamond named for a flaw that shows a "figure of a springing panther" when held up to the light in a certain way; in the credits this was translated to an animated pink panther. Only the first Pink Panther film and the second sequel, The Return of the Pink Panther, featured the diamond.
The character's popularity spawned a spin-off franchise of theatrical shorts, television cartoons and merchandise. He starred in 124 short films, four TV series and four TV specials. The character is closely associated with "The Pink Panther Theme", composed by Henry Mancini.
DePatie–Freleng/United Artists cartoons
The animated Pink Panther character's initial appearance in the live action film's title sequence, directed by
In an early series of Pink Panther animated cartoons, Pink generally remained silent, speaking only in two theatrical shorts,
The Pink Panther Show
In the fall of 1969, the Pink Panther cartoons made their way to
Pink Panther shorts made after 1969 were produced for both broadcast and film release, typically appearing on television first, and released to theaters by United Artists. One version of the show was called The Think Pink Panther Show. A number of sister series joined The Pink Panther on movie screens and on the airwaves, among them The Ant and the Aardvark, Tijuana Toads (a.k.a. Texas Toads), Hoot Kloot, and Misterjaw (a.k.a. Mr. Jaws and Catfish). There were also a series of animated shorts called The Inspector, with the Clouseau-inspired Inspector and his sidekick Sgt. Deux-Deux, whom the Inspector is forever correcting. Other DePatie-Freleng series included Roland and Rattfink, The Dogfather (a Godfather pastiche), with a canine Corleone family and two Tijuana Toads spinoffs, The Blue Racer and Crazylegs Crane.[4]
The German television version, which started airing in 1973, in ZDF was presented in 30-minute episodes, composed of one Pink Panther cartoon, one episode of The Inspector and one episode of The Ant and the Aardvark. Most notably, the difference between the German and the English version of the Pink Panther is a rhymed narration in the German version (spoken by voice actor Gert Günther Hoffmann), commenting and describing the plot. For this show, custom intro and end sequences were cut together from existing pieces of animation.
In 1976, the half-hour series was revamped into a 90-minute format, as The Pink Panther Laugh and a Half Hour and a Half Show; this version included a live-action segment, where the show's host, comedian Lenny Schultz, would read letters and jokes from viewers. This version flopped, and would change back to the original half-hour version in 1977.[4]
In 1978, The Pink Panther moved to ABC and was rebranded The All New Pink Panther Show, where it lasted one season before leaving the network realm entirely. The ABC version of the series featured 16 episodes, with 32 new Pink Panther cartoons and 16 of Crazylegs Crane. The 32 entries were later released theatrically by United Artists.[4]
Comics
In 1971, Gold Key Comics began publishing a Pink Panther comic book, with art by Warren Tufts. The Pink Panther and the Inspector lasted 87 issues, ending only when Gold Key ceased operations in 1984.[7] The spinoff series The Inspector (also from Gold Key) lasted 19 issues, from 1974 to 1978.[8]
Later television shows and specials
During the final years of the Panther's theatrical run, DePatie–Freleng produced a series of three primetime Pink Panther
The studio was sold to
A new series of cartoons were created in 1993, simply titled
In July 2007,
Popular culture
The Pink Panther is known as Nathu and Pangu in East and South Asia, Paulchen Panther (Little Paul the Panther) in Germany and Пинко розовата пантера (Pinko the Pink panther) in Bulgaria. He remains a popular character. In addition to the regular airing of the classic cartoon, the panther also appears in the following:
Advertising
- The Pink Panther Show opening theme was used by Franck Ribery mimicking the character of the Pink Panther.[11]
- Owens Corning has featured the character since 1980[12] as an advertising mascot for their pink-colored Fiberglas residential building insulation.[13][14][15] The year 2020 marked the 40th anniversary of the ongoing marketing agreement.[16]
- The character has also been used as an advertising mascot for taxi cab driver. After the camera changes the view, the driver is revealed to be the Pink Panther.[17]
Feature films
The Pink Panther was considered for one of the possible cameos in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit.[18]
Games
The Pink Panther is featured in multiple computer and video games:
- The Pink Panther (1983), a hand-held LCD game from Tiger Electronics.[19]
- Gremlin Graphicsfor various home computers.
- Pink Goes to Hollywood (1993) for the Genesis and Super NES[20]
- The Pink Panther: Passport to Peril (1996)
- The Pink Panther: Hokus Pokus Pink (1997)
- The Pink Panther: Pinkadelic Pursuit (2003) for PC, PlayStation and Game Boy Advance[21]
Products
- In Spain, a Pantera Rosa cake is sold. It is coated in pink icing.[22][23]
- Pink Panther wafers are available in the United Kingdom.
- In the U.S. From 1972 to about the late 1970s, Post Cereal produced Pink Panther Flakes as a sponsorship deal with United Artists Corporation. They consisted of smaller sphere-shaped corn cereal colored bubblegum-pink.
Television appearances
List of animated shows
Series number | Title | Broadcast run | Original channel | Total # episodes | Total # seasons |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Pink Panther Show | 1969–1979 | NBC (1969–1978) ABC (1978–1979) |
Three 6-minute shorts + bumpers per half-hour | 10 |
2 | Pink Panther and Sons | 1984–1986 | NBC (1984–1985) ABC (1986) |
26 episodes | 1 |
3 | The Pink Panther | 1993–1995 | Syndication | 60 episodes | 2 |
4 | Pink Panther and Pals | 2010 | Cartoon Network | 26 episodes | 1 |
List of animated specials
- The Pink Panther in: A Pink Christmas (1978)
- The Pink Panther in: Olym-Pinks (1980)
- The Pink Panther in: Pink at First Sight (1981, Valentine's Day special)
- A Very Pink Christmas (2011)
Charity
The Pink Panther is associated with a number of cancer awareness and support organizations. The Pink Panther is the mascot of the New Zealand Child Cancer foundation[24] and for a line of clothing to promote breast cancer awareness.[25] California based children's cancer charity The Gary L. Hoop Foundation humorously places The Pink Panther in various locations on its website and in its advertisements, paying homage to both the cartoon and their late namesake Gary Hoop, who once carried "The Pink Panther" as a nickname.[26]
Critical reception
Animation historian
The Pink Panther was a notable contribution to the animation art form. Top animation directors such as
Cultural references were more muted and stylized, resulting in a cartoon with longer-term, more cross-cultural appeal not shared by contemporaries such as Yogi Bear and The Flintstones, with their greater reliance on contemporary American pop culture. The Pink Panther also remained constrained to the classic six-minute form of theatrical shorts, while contemporaries expanded into longer, sitcom-like storylines, up to a full 30 minutes of broadcast TV in the case of The Flintstones. Freleng's colleagues credit his sense of creative timing as a key element to the cartoon's artistic success. Freleng himself regarded the Pink Panther as his finest achievement and the character he most identified with, according to family and colleagues interviewed on the 2006 DVD release.
Co-stars of The Pink Panther Show
Television
- Misterjaw (1976)
- Texas Toads (1976) (rebranded version of Tijuana Toads, using Texan themes instead of Mexican ones)
- Crazylegs Crane (1978)
- Annie (1984)
- Chatta (1984)
- Murfel (1984)
- Panky (1984)
- Pinky (1984)
- Punkin (1984)
- Rocko (1984)
- Thelma (1993)
- Horse (2010)
Theatrical
- The Inspector (1965–1969)
- Roland and Rattfink (1968–1971)
- The Ant and the Aardvark (1969–1971)
- Tijuana Toads (1969–1972)
- The Blue Racer (1972–1974)
- Hoot Kloot (1973–1974)
- The Dogfather (1974–1976)
See also
References
- ISBN 0-13-275561-0. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ a b ""Struttin' with the Pink Panther" - Interview with Jerry Beck, by T.S. Warren". Ottawa XPress. Archived from the original on 2009-02-11.
- ISBN 0-7893-1308-1.
- ^ ISBN 0-7566-1033-8.
- ISBN 978-0-299-22640-4.
- ISBN 0-7864-2818-X.
- ^ THE PINK PANTHER, Don Markstein's Toonopedia, retrieved February 11, 2011
- ^ THE INSPECTOR, Don Markstein's Toonopedia, retrieved February 11, 2011
- ISBN 9780472117567.
- ^ The image of Pink Panther and the other aliens captured by the giant girl
- ^ "YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
- ProQuest 423965234.
When the creative juices flow at Ogilvy & Mather, they really flow. When searching for the appropriate spokesman for Owens-Corning Fiberglas insulation, which happens to be pink and woolly, the agency came up with the Pink Panther.
- ^ "Pink Panther "Fuel Bill Monster" Attic Blanket ad". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19.
- ^ "MGM and Owens Corning continue Pink Panther licensing agreement". M&C Movie News. April 24, 2007. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008.
- Toledo Blade.
- ^ "Owens Corning Marks 40 Years with MGM's 'Pink Panther'". License Global. August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Regis Philbin Touts Sweet 'N Low". Adweek. Archived from the original on 2008-06-05. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
- ^ "Who Framed Roger Rabbit Sequel or Prequel".
- ^ The Pink Panther LCD game at Electronic Handheld Game Museum
- ^ "Pink Goes to Hollywood for Genesis - GameFAQs".
- ^ "The Pink Panther: Pinkadelic Pursuit (Game Boy Advance)".
- ^ Official page of the Pantera Rosa cake at the site of Bimbo, its maker.
- ^ Nostalgic weblog post in a Spanish-language weblog. It includes pictures.
- ^ CCF Mascot Pink Panther is the mascot of the New Zealand Child Cancer Foundation
- ^ PiNKiTUDE clothing Archived 2009-08-20 at the Wayback Machine The Pink Panther is used for a breast cancer awareness clothing line
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2014-03-25.
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