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The Pink Panther (character)
Encyclopedia
The Pink Panther is the main and title character in the opening and closing credit sequences of every film in The Pink Panther
series except for A Shot in the Dark
and Inspector Clouseau. His popularity spawned a series of theatrical shorts, merchandise, a comic book
, and television cartoons. He starred in 124 shorts (either theatrical or televised), 10 television shows and three prime time
specials. He's also known as Nathu and Pangu in East and South Asia.
, was such a success with audiences and United Artists
that the studio signed Freleng and his DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
studio to a multi-year contract for a series of Pink Panther theatrical cartoon shorts. The first entry in the series, 1964's The Pink Phink
,(which was also his first appearance) featured the Panther harassing his foil, a little white moustached man who is actually a caricature of Friz Freleng
(this character is officially known as "The Man" ), by constantly trying to paint the little man's blue house pink. The Pink Phink won the 1964 Academy Award for Animated Short Film
, and subsequent shorts in the series, usually featuring the Pink Panther opposite the little man, were successful releases.
In an early series of Pink Panther animated cartoons, the Pink Panther generally remained silent, speaking only in two theatrical shorts, Sink Pink
and Pink Ice
. Rich Little
provided the Panther's voice in the latter shorts, modelling it on that of David Niven
(who had portrayed Clouseau's jewel-thief nemesis in the original live-action film). Years later Little would overdub Niven's voice for Trail of the Pink Panther
and Curse of the Pink Panther
. All of the animated Pink Panther shorts utilized the distinctive jazzy theme music composed by Henry Mancini
for the 1963 feature film, with additional scores composed by Walter Greene
or William Lava
.
television shown Saturday mornings
via The Pink Panther Show
. NBC added a laugh track
to the original cartoons, with Marvin Miller
brought on as an off-camera narrator talking to the Pink Panther during bumper
segments featuring the Pink Panther and The Inspector together.
Pink Panther shorts made after 1969 were produced for both broadcast and film release, typically appearing on television first, and released to theatres 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
, The Tijuana Toads
(a.k.a. The 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 bumbling Clouseau inspired Inspector and his sidekick Sgt. Deux-Deux, whom the Inspector is forever correcting. ("Deux" is French for "two," meaning the little man's name is both a pun and a play on words, "two" appearing twice in the name.) 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
.
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. In 1978, after nine years on NBC, The Pink Panther moved to ABC, where it lasted one season before leaving the network realm entirely. The ABC version of the series featured sixteen episodes with 32 new Pink Panther cartoons, and 16 of Crazylegs Crane
. The 32 new Pink Panther cartoons were eventually released to theatres by United Artists.
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. The spinoff series The Inspector (also from Gold Key) lasted 19 issues, from 1974 to 1978.
s for ABC. The first was 1978's A Pink Christmas
. It featured the cool cat in New York
being cold and hungry looking for a juicy holiday dinner. The other two specials premiered on ABC after the shorts officially ended in theaters, 1980's Olym-Pinks
and 1981's Pink at First Sight
. In November of late 2007, the three specials were released on a single disc DVD collection, The Pink Panther: A Pink Christmas from MGM Home Entertainment
/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
.
The studio was sold to Marvel Comics
in 1981, and became Marvel Productions
. In the 1984 animated Saturday morning series, Pink Panther and Sons
in which the still-silent Pink Panther was a father of his two talking sons, Pinky and Panky. Yet another new series of cartoons, called The Pink Panther
, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation
, premiered in syndication
in 1993, and had the Pink Panther speaking with the voice of Matt Frewer
(of Max Headroom
fame). Unlike the original shorts, not all episode titles contained the word "pink," although many instead contained the word "panther."
In July 2007, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. and Jordan
's Rubicon animation company began co-production of the animated series Pink Panther and Pals
portraying a teenaged panther and his friends. The 26 episode TV series premiered worldwide in spring 2010 on Cartoon Network
. After acquiring United Artists in the early 1980s, MGM continues to own the ancillary rights and trademarks to the Pink Panther franchise today. 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.
. It is distributed by Tribune Media Services
.
The Pink Panther was therefore a notable contribution to the animation art form. Top animation directors such as Hawley Pratt
, Gerry Chiniquy
, Robert McKimson
, and Sid Marcus contributed to a distinctive style, supported by master story writer John W. Dunn
. Produced after theatrical cartooning's golden age of the 1940s and 50s, they were constrained to the limited animation
techniques applied to Saturday morning cartoons of 1960s and after. Within these limitations, the Pink Panther made creative use of absurd and surreal themes and visual puns and an almost completely wordless pantomime style, set to the ubiquitous Pink Panther theme and its variations by Henry Mancini. The overall approach is reminiscent of the classic silent movies of Charlie Chaplin
and Buster Keaton
.
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.
The Pink Panther
The Pink Panther is a series of comedy films featuring the bungling French police detective Jacques Clouseau that began in 1963 with the release of the film of the same name. The role was originated by, and is most closely associated with, Peter Sellers...
series except for A Shot in the Dark
A Shot in the Dark (1964 film)
A Shot in the Dark is a 1964 comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and is the second installment in the Pink Panther series. Peter Sellers is featured again as Inspector Jacques Clouseau of the French Sûreté...
and Inspector Clouseau. His popularity spawned a series of theatrical shorts, merchandise, a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
, and television cartoons. He starred in 124 shorts (either theatrical or televised), 10 television shows and three prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
specials. He's also known as Nathu and Pangu in East and South Asia.
DePatie-Freleng/United Artists cartoons
The animated Pink Panther character's initial appearance in the live action film's title sequence, directed by Friz FrelengFriz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros....
, was such a success with audiences and United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
that the studio signed Freleng and his DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises was a Hollywood-based animation production company, active from 1963 to 1981. They produced theatrical cartoons, animated series, commercials, title sequences and television specials. Notable among these is The Pink Panther film titles and cartoon shorts and the Dr....
studio to a multi-year contract for a series of Pink Panther theatrical cartoon shorts. The first entry in the series, 1964's The Pink Phink
The Pink Phink
The Pink Phink is a 1964 animated short comedy film, directed by Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt, featureing Blake Edwards' Pink Panther competing with the Little Man over the new colour scheme of a house...
,(which was also his first appearance) featured the Panther harassing his foil, a little white moustached man who is actually a caricature of Friz Freleng
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros....
(this character is officially known as "The Man" ), by constantly trying to paint the little man's blue house pink. The Pink Phink won the 1964 Academy Award for Animated Short Film
Academy Award for Animated Short Film
The Academy Award for Animated Short Film is an award which has been given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of the Academy Awards every year since the 5th Academy Awards, covering the year 1931-32, to the present....
, and subsequent shorts in the series, usually featuring the Pink Panther opposite the little man, were successful releases.
In an early series of Pink Panther animated cartoons, the Pink Panther generally remained silent, speaking only in two theatrical shorts, Sink Pink
Sink Pink
Sink Pink is the fifth cartoon produced in the Pink Panther series. A total of 124 6-minute cartoons were produced between 1964 and 1980.-Plot:An eccentric man has builds an ark and has it filled with specimens of all animals except a pink panther...
and Pink Ice
Pink Ice
Pink Ice is the ninth cartoon produced in the Pink Panther series. A total of 124 6-minute cartoons were produced between 1964 and 1980.-Plot:The Pink Panther owns a diamond mine in South Africa and manages to unearth a large stone...
. Rich Little
Rich Little
Richard Caruthers "Rich" Little is a Canadian-American impressionist and voice actor. He has long been known throughout the world as a top impersonator of famous people, resulting in his nickname, "The Man of a Thousand Voices"....
provided the Panther's voice in the latter shorts, modelling it on that of David Niven
David Niven
James David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
(who had portrayed Clouseau's jewel-thief nemesis in the original live-action film). Years later Little would overdub Niven's voice for Trail of the Pink Panther
Trail of the Pink Panther
Trail of the Pink Panther is a 1982 comedy film starring Peter Sellers. It was the seventh film in the Pink Panther series, and the last in which Peter Sellers starred as Inspector Jacques Clouseau, although Sellers died before production began and the film thus contains no original material...
and Curse of the Pink Panther
Curse of the Pink Panther
Curse of the Pink Panther is a 1983 comedy film, the eighth installment of the The Pink Panther series of films started by Blake Edwards in the early 1960s....
. All of the animated Pink Panther shorts utilized the distinctive jazzy theme music composed by Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
for the 1963 feature film, with additional scores composed by Walter Greene
Walter Greene
Walter Greene was a film and television composer who worked on numerous productions for over 30 years.-Career:...
or William Lava
William Lava
William "Bill" B. Lava was a musical composer and arranger who worked on the Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated cartoons from 1962 onwards, replacing the deceased Milt Franklyn. Lava's music was very different from that of Franklyn and previous composer Carl Stalling...
.
The Pink Panther Show
In the Fall of 1969, the Pink Panther cartoons made their way to NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television shown Saturday mornings
Saturday morning cartoon
A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming that has typically been scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the present; the genre's peak in popularity mostly ended in the 1990s while the popularity of...
via The Pink Panther Show
The Pink Panther Show
The Pink Panther Show is a showcase of cartoon shorts produced by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng between 1969 and 1979. The television series was produced by Mirisch Films and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, and was broadcast on two American TV networks:...
. NBC added a laugh track
Laugh track
A laugh track is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows and sitcoms.The term "laugh track" does not apply to the genuine audience laughter on shows that shoot in...
to the original cartoons, with Marvin Miller
Marvin Miller (actor)
Marvin Elliott Miller was an American film and voice-over actor. Possessing a deep, baritone voice, he began his career in radio in St. Louis, Missouri before becoming a Hollywood actor...
brought on as an off-camera narrator talking to the Pink Panther during bumper
Commercial bumper
In broadcasting, a commercial bumper, ident bumper or break-bumper is a brief announcement, usually two to 15 seconds that can contain a voice over, placed between a pause in the program and its commercial break, and vice versa...
segments featuring the Pink Panther and The Inspector together.
Pink Panther shorts made after 1969 were produced for both broadcast and film release, typically appearing on television first, and released to theatres 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
The Ant and the Aardvark
The Ant and the Aardvark is a series of 17 theatrical short cartoons produced at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and released by United Artists from 1969 to 1971.-Production:...
, The Tijuana Toads
Tijuana Toads
Tijuana Toads is a series of 17 theatrical cartoons produced by DePatie-Freleng and released through United Artists.-Plot:The series was about two toads, Toro and Pancho, who live in the Mexican city of Tijuana. Throughout the cartoon they try to eat their prey, but always get out-smarted...
(a.k.a. The Texas Toads), Hoot Kloot
Hoot Kloot
Hoot Kloot was a series of theatrical cartoons It was produced at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises from 1973 to 1974. 17 shorts were produced.-Plot:...
, and Misterjaw
Misterjaw
Misterjaw is a 34-episode made-for-television cartoon series, produced at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises in 1976 for The Pink Panther and Friends television series on NBC.-Plot:...
(a.k.a. Mr. Jaws and Catfish). There were also a series of animated shorts called The Inspector
The Inspector
The Inspector is a series of 1960s theatrical cartoons produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and released through United Artists. The titular character is based on Jacques Clouseau, a comical French police officer who is the main character in the Pink Panther series of films.-Plot:Although the...
, with the bumbling Clouseau inspired Inspector and his sidekick Sgt. Deux-Deux, whom the Inspector is forever correcting. ("Deux" is French for "two," meaning the little man's name is both a pun and a play on words, "two" appearing twice in the name.) Other DePatie-Freleng series included Roland and Rattfink
Roland and Rattfink
Roland and Rattfink is a series of animated shorts produced and released from 1968 to 1971. The main characters also made several guest appearances on the The Pink Panther animated series. The series was produced by David H...
, The Dogfather
The Dogfather
The Dogfather was created by Hawley Pratt and Friz Freleng. The shorts were produced by DFE films, released through theaters by United Artists and ran from 1974 to 1976. 17 shorts were produced.-Plot:...
(a Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
pastiche), with a canine Corleone family and two Tijuana Toads spinoffs, The Blue Racer
The Blue Racer
The Blue Racer is a series of 17 theatrical cartoons produced from 1972 to 1974.-Production:The cartoons are directed by Art Davis, Gerry Chiniquy, Sid Marcus, Bob McKimson, David Deneen, Bob Balser, Cullen Houghtaling and produced by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng...
and Crazylegs Crane
Crazylegs Crane
Crazylegs Crane is a 16-episode made-for-television cartoon series produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises in 1978 for The All New Pink Panther Show on ABC.-Production:This was Crazylegs Crane's first series dedicated solely to him...
.
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. In 1978, after nine years on NBC, The Pink Panther moved to ABC, where it lasted one season before leaving the network realm entirely. The ABC version of the series featured sixteen episodes with 32 new Pink Panther cartoons, and 16 of Crazylegs Crane
Crazylegs Crane
Crazylegs Crane is a 16-episode made-for-television cartoon series produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises in 1978 for The All New Pink Panther Show on ABC.-Production:This was Crazylegs Crane's first series dedicated solely to him...
. The 32 new Pink Panther cartoons were eventually released to theatres by United Artists.
Comic book
In 1971, Gold Key ComicsGold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
began publishing a Pink Panther comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
, with art by Warren Tufts
Warren Tufts
Warren Tufts , born Chester Tufts, was an American comic strip and comic book artist-writer best known for his syndicated Western adventure strip Casey Ruggles which ran from 1949 to 1954....
. The Pink Panther and the Inspector lasted 87 issues, ending only when Gold Key ceased operations in 1984. The spinoff series The Inspector (also from Gold Key) lasted 19 issues, from 1974 to 1978.
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 television specialTelevision special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
s for ABC. The first was 1978's A Pink Christmas
The Pink Panther in: A Pink Christmas
The Pink Panther in: A Pink Christmas is a holiday-themed special starring the famous hip feline. It first aired on ABC on December 7, 1978.-Plot:...
. It featured the cool cat in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
being cold and hungry looking for a juicy holiday dinner. The other two specials premiered on ABC after the shorts officially ended in theaters, 1980's Olym-Pinks
The Pink Panther in: Olym-Pinks
The Pink Panther in: Olym-Pinks, is an animated sports-themed special which first aired on ABC on February 22, 1980.-Plot:In Lake Placid, the cool cat and the little man are in a series of Olympic games...
and 1981's Pink at First Sight
The Pink Panther in: Pink at First Sight
The Pink Panther in: Pink at First Sight is an animated Valentine's Day special starring The Pink Panther. It premiered on ABC on February 14, 1981. Although Marvel Productions made the titles for Trail of the Pink Panther and Curse of the Pink Panther a year later, this was the only other Pink...
. In November of late 2007, the three specials were released on a single disc DVD collection, The Pink Panther: A Pink Christmas from MGM Home Entertainment
MGM Home Entertainment
MGM Home Entertainment is the home video and DVD arm of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-History:The home video division of MGM started in 1979 as MGM Home Video, releasing all the movies and TV shows by MGM. In 1980, MGM joined forces with CBS Video Enterprises, the home video division of the CBS television...
/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of the 20th Century Fox film studio. It was established in 1976 as Magnetic Video Corporation, and later as 20th Century Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video and FoxVideo, Inc....
.
The studio was sold to Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
in 1981, and became Marvel Productions
Marvel Productions
Marvel Productions Ltd. , last called New World Animation, was a television and film studio subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment Group , based in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, then New World Entertainment and News Corporation/Fox...
. In the 1984 animated Saturday morning series, Pink Panther and Sons
Pink Panther and Sons
Pink Panther and Sons is an animated Pink Panther television series produced by Hanna-Barbera and MGM/UA Television. The series was originally broadcast on NBC from 1984 to 1985. The original Pink Panther cartoons were produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, is in the TV animation industry, but in...
in which the still-silent Pink Panther was a father of his two talking sons, Pinky and Panky. Yet another new series of cartoons, called The Pink Panther
The Pink Panther (1993 TV series)
The Pink Panther is a 1993 animated television series. It was credited as a co-production of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation, Mirisch-Geoffrey DePatie-Freleng and United Artists .-Plot:This version stars the legendary hip feline in new adventures...
, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation, or MGM Animation for short, was the animation division of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture studio in Hollywood, California, USA that specializes in animated productions for theatrical features and television...
, premiered in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
in 1993, and had the Pink Panther speaking with the voice of Matt Frewer
Matt Frewer
Matthew "Matt" Frewer is a Canadian American stage, TV and film actor. Acting since 1983, he is known for portraying the 1980s icon Max Headroom and the retired villain Moloch in the film adaptation of Watchmen.-Life and career:...
(of Max Headroom
Max Headroom (TV series)
Max Headroom is a British-produced American science fiction television series by Chrysalis/Lakeside Productions that aired in the United States on ABC from March 1987 to May 1988. The series was based on the Channel 4 British TV pilot Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future...
fame). Unlike the original shorts, not all episode titles contained the word "pink," although many instead contained the word "panther."
In July 2007, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. and Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
's Rubicon animation company began co-production of the animated series Pink Panther and Pals
Pink Panther and Pals
Pink Panther and Pals was an animated television series based on the classic DePatie-Freleng Panther shorts from the 1960s, produced for Cartoon Network by Rubicon Studios in association with MGM Television. The show premiered on Cartoon Network on March 7, 2010 at 7:30am, presented in both HD and...
portraying a teenaged panther and his friends. The 26 episode TV series premiered worldwide in spring 2010 on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
. After acquiring United Artists in the early 1980s, MGM continues to own the ancillary rights and trademarks to the Pink Panther franchise today. The German television version which started airing in 1973 in ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
, was presented in 30-minute episodes, composed of one Pink Panther cartoon, one episode of The Inspector
The Inspector
The Inspector is a series of 1960s theatrical cartoons produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and released through United Artists. The titular character is based on Jacques Clouseau, a comical French police officer who is the main character in the Pink Panther series of films.-Plot:Although the...
and one episode of The Ant and the Aardvark
The Ant and the Aardvark
The Ant and the Aardvark is a series of 17 theatrical short cartoons produced at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and released by United Artists from 1969 to 1971.-Production:...
. 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.
Comic strip
A Pink Panther comic strip was started in 2005. It was written and illustrated by Eric and Bill Teitelbaum, who also create Bottom LinersBottom Liners
Bottom Liners is a comic strip devised by cartoonists Eric and Bill Teitelbaum. The theme of the strip are the worlds of business and finance.-External links:* *...
. It is distributed by Tribune Media Services
Tribune Media Services
Tribune Media Services is a syndication company owned by the Tribune Company.The company has two divisions, "News and Features" and "Entertainment Products"...
.
Cultural references
As of today, The Pink Panther continues to be a friendly character in advertising.- The Pink Panther Show intro theme was used by Nike in a viral campaign of Pink Mercurial Vapor IV football boots using the French football star Franck Ribery mimicking the character of the Pink Panther.
- Pink Panther is a segment guest in the episode "Karate is K" of Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. - American television personality Regis PhilbinRegis PhilbinRegis Francis Xavier Philbin is an American media personality, actor and singer, known for hosting talk and game shows since the 1960s. Philbin is often called "the hardest working man in show business" and holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera...
can be seen in a commercial for Sweet'N LowSweet'N LowSweet'n Low is a brand of artificial sweetener from granulated saccharin, dextrose and cream of tartar. It was invented and first introduced in 1957 by Benjamin Eisenstadt and his son, Marvin Eisenstadt...
talking to a taxi cab driver. After the camera changes the view, the audience realize that the driver is The Pink Panther. - Owens CorningOwens CorningOwens Corning Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer of fiberglass and related products. It was formed in 1935 as a partnership between two major American glassworks, Corning Glass Works and Owens-Illinois. The company was spun off as a separate entity on November 1, 1938...
features him on their website and in advertising for their pink-colored residential building insulationBuilding insulationbuilding insulation refers broadly to any object in a building used as insulation for any purpose. While the majority of insulation in buildings is for thermal purposes, the term also applies to acoustic insulation, fire insulation, and impact insulation...
. - The German phone company Deutsche TelekomDeutsche TelekomDeutsche Telekom AG is a telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is the largest telecommunications company in Europe....
uses Pink Panther as an advertising mascot since 1995 in Germany. - Japanese Pop/R&B singer Namie AmuroNamie Amurois a Japanese R&B and pop singer, entertainer, and former actress who at the height of her popularity was referred to as the "Teen Queen" and the title "Queen of Japanese Pop Music". Born in Naha, Okinawa, Amuro debuted at the age of 14 as an idol in the girl group Super Monkey's...
, who is a fan of the cartoon, uses him as the theme of her album cover art for her album Queen of Hip-PopQueen of Hip-PopQueen of Hip-Pop is Namie Amuro's seventh original studio album. It was released on July 13, 2005 after four singles and was her most commercially successful effort in five years before Play was released.- Origin of the title :...
. A special character the "Namie Panther" based on Amuro herself was also created as a counterpart to the Pink Panther. Both characters were heavily featured in her music video for her promotional single "WoWa." Because of the Pink Panther deal, all of the material released for the album had been pink. First pressing packaging of the album included Pink Panther stickers and a Pink Panther styled newspaper containing lyrics for the album. - In Spain, a Pantera Rosa cake is sold. It is coated in pink.
- In the Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
episode Halloween on Spooner StreetHalloween on Spooner Street"Halloween on Spooner Street" is the fourth episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 7, 2010. The episode follows baby Stewie and anthropomorphic dog Brian as they go trick-or-treating on Halloween...
, after Brian is spray painted pink, the Pink Panther walks up and asks Brian if this is his first day pink. Upon Brian's reply, the Pink Panther says, "Welcome to Hell."
Charitable work
The Pink Panther is associated with a number of cancer awareness and support organisations. The Pink Panther is the mascot of the New Zealand Child Cancer foundation and for a line of clothing to promote breast cancer awareness.Critical notes
As Pink Panther historian Jerry Beck notes, "Classic animation pretty much died in the '60s, everyone had kind of bailed out. But his creators didn't rest on their laurels. They didn't make the cartoons to look like Warner Bros. cartoons, or Disney cartoons, or the UPA look of Mister Magoo and Gerald McBoing-Boing. They came up with their own clever new style. The only other important cartoon of the '60s was Yellow Submarine."The Pink Panther was therefore a notable contribution to the animation art form. Top animation directors such as Hawley Pratt
Hawley Pratt
Hawley Pratt was an American film director, animator, and illustrator. He is best known for his work during the heyday of Warner Bros. Cartoons and as the right-hand man of director Friz Freleng as a layout artist and later as a director...
, Gerry Chiniquy
Gerry Chiniquy
Germain Adolph "Gerry" Chiniquy was an American animator. He is best known for his work with Friz Freleng, at both Warner Bros. and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises....
, Robert McKimson
Robert McKimson
Robert "Bob" Porter McKimson, Sr. was an American animator, illustrator, and director best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros., and later DePatie-Freleng Enterprises...
, and Sid Marcus contributed to a distinctive style, supported by master story writer John W. Dunn
John W. Dunn
John W. Dunn was a Scottish writer and animator for animated cartoons from 1955 to 1983.Dunn began his career at the Walt Disney cartoon studio, where his first story credit—Man in Space—received an Oscar nomination...
. Produced after theatrical cartooning's golden age of the 1940s and 50s, they were constrained to the limited animation
Limited animation
Limited animation is a process of making animated cartoons that does not redraw entire frames but variably reuses common parts between frames. One of its major trademarks is the stylized design in all forms and shapes, which in the early days was referred to as modern design...
techniques applied to Saturday morning cartoons of 1960s and after. Within these limitations, the Pink Panther made creative use of absurd and surreal themes and visual puns and an almost completely wordless pantomime style, set to the ubiquitous Pink Panther theme and its variations by Henry Mancini. The overall approach is reminiscent of the classic silent movies of Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
and Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
.
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
Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear is a fictional bear who appears in animated cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show. Yogi Bear was the first breakout character created by Hanna-Barbera, and was eventually more popular than...
and The Flintstones
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
, 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 and friends of the Pink Panther
- The InspectorThe InspectorThe Inspector is a series of 1960s theatrical cartoons produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and released through United Artists. The titular character is based on Jacques Clouseau, a comical French police officer who is the main character in the Pink Panther series of films.-Plot:Although the...
(theatrical, 1965–1969) - Roland and RattfinkRoland and RattfinkRoland and Rattfink is a series of animated shorts produced and released from 1968 to 1971. The main characters also made several guest appearances on the The Pink Panther animated series. The series was produced by David H...
(theatrical, 1968–1971) - The Ant and the AardvarkThe Ant and the AardvarkThe Ant and the Aardvark is a series of 17 theatrical short cartoons produced at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and released by United Artists from 1969 to 1971.-Production:...
(theatrical, 1969–1971) - Tijuana ToadsTijuana ToadsTijuana Toads is a series of 17 theatrical cartoons produced by DePatie-Freleng and released through United Artists.-Plot:The series was about two toads, Toro and Pancho, who live in the Mexican city of Tijuana. Throughout the cartoon they try to eat their prey, but always get out-smarted...
(theatrical, 1969–1972) - The Blue RacerThe Blue RacerThe Blue Racer is a series of 17 theatrical cartoons produced from 1972 to 1974.-Production:The cartoons are directed by Art Davis, Gerry Chiniquy, Sid Marcus, Bob McKimson, David Deneen, Bob Balser, Cullen Houghtaling and produced by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng...
(theatrical, 1972–1974) - Hoot KlootHoot KlootHoot Kloot was a series of theatrical cartoons It was produced at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises from 1973 to 1974. 17 shorts were produced.-Plot:...
(theatrical, 1973–1974) - The DogfatherThe DogfatherThe Dogfather was created by Hawley Pratt and Friz Freleng. The shorts were produced by DFE films, released through theaters by United Artists and ran from 1974 to 1976. 17 shorts were produced.-Plot:...
(theatrical, 1974–1976) - MisterjawMisterjawMisterjaw is a 34-episode made-for-television cartoon series, produced at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises in 1976 for The Pink Panther and Friends television series on NBC.-Plot:...
(television, 1976) - Crazylegs CraneCrazylegs CraneCrazylegs Crane is a 16-episode made-for-television cartoon series produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises in 1978 for The All New Pink Panther Show on ABC.-Production:This was Crazylegs Crane's first series dedicated solely to him...
(television, 1978) - The Little ManThe Little Man (The Pink Panther)The Little Man, was a regular character who appeared in the original Pink Panther shorts created by David DePatie and Friz Freleng.-History:The Little Man first appeared in 1964 in the first entry of the Pink Panther animated series, The Pink Phink...
- PinkyPink Panther and SonsPink Panther and Sons is an animated Pink Panther television series produced by Hanna-Barbera and MGM/UA Television. The series was originally broadcast on NBC from 1984 to 1985. The original Pink Panther cartoons were produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, is in the TV animation industry, but in...
(television,1984) - Chatta(television,1984)
- Murfel(television,1984)
- RockoRockoRocko Wallaby is the eponymous fictional character of the cartoon Rocko's Modern Life and the comic book series of the same name. Rocko was born in Australia and emigrated to America in High School. He was pitched to Nickelodeon executives as having the personality of a young wallaby Woody Allen...
(television,1984) - Panky(television,1984)
- AnnieAnnieAnnie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
(television,1984) - Punkin(television,1984)
- ThelmaThelmaThelma is a female given name meaning "will, volition" in Greek. Note that although consonant with another female given name, Selma, the two are not synonymous.Thelma may refer to:-Persons:* Thelma Aoyama, Japanese pop singer...
(television,1993) - HorseHorseThe horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
(television,2010)
List of animated shows
- The Pink Panther ShowThe Pink Panther ShowThe Pink Panther Show is a showcase of cartoon shorts produced by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng between 1969 and 1979. The television series was produced by Mirisch Films and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, and was broadcast on two American TV networks:...
(1969–1980 and various spinoffs) - Pink Panther and SonsPink Panther and SonsPink Panther and Sons is an animated Pink Panther television series produced by Hanna-Barbera and MGM/UA Television. The series was originally broadcast on NBC from 1984 to 1985. The original Pink Panther cartoons were produced by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, is in the TV animation industry, but in...
(1984–1989) - The Pink PantherThe Pink Panther (1993 TV series)The Pink Panther is a 1993 animated television series. It was credited as a co-production of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation, Mirisch-Geoffrey DePatie-Freleng and United Artists .-Plot:This version stars the legendary hip feline in new adventures...
(1993–1996) - Pink Panther and PalsPink Panther and PalsPink Panther and Pals was an animated television series based on the classic DePatie-Freleng Panther shorts from the 1960s, produced for Cartoon Network by Rubicon Studios in association with MGM Television. The show premiered on Cartoon Network on March 7, 2010 at 7:30am, presented in both HD and...
(2010)
List of animated specials
- The Pink Panther in: A Pink ChristmasThe Pink Panther in: A Pink ChristmasThe Pink Panther in: A Pink Christmas is a holiday-themed special starring the famous hip feline. It first aired on ABC on December 7, 1978.-Plot:...
(1978) - The Pink Panther in: Olym-PinksThe Pink Panther in: Olym-PinksThe Pink Panther in: Olym-Pinks, is an animated sports-themed special which first aired on ABC on February 22, 1980.-Plot:In Lake Placid, the cool cat and the little man are in a series of Olympic games...
(1980) - The Pink Panther in: Pink at First SightThe Pink Panther in: Pink at First SightThe Pink Panther in: Pink at First Sight is an animated Valentine's Day special starring The Pink Panther. It premiered on ABC on February 14, 1981. Although Marvel Productions made the titles for Trail of the Pink Panther and Curse of the Pink Panther a year later, this was the only other Pink...
(1981, Valentine's DayValentine's DaySaint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
special) - A Very Pink Christmas (2011)