Pororo the Little Penguin is a Korean computer-animated television series created by Iconix Entertainment, SK Broadband, OCON, EBS and Channel One Russia with the animation done by Studio Gail and rendered by Seoul Animation Center. Production began in 2002 and the program began airing in South Korea on EBS in 2003. The series revolves around the adventures of Pororo and his friends who live in the snowy hamlet of Porong Porong Forest, who often encounter challenges and learn practical and moral lessons in each episode.
Origin
It was created in 2003 by Iconix Entertainment Co., Ltd, a company based in Seoul, South Korea. Choi Sang-hyun, who was working at Iconix Entertainment, was given a project of creating a character that represents an animal living in the winter. Choi visited a zoo in order to see those animals and understand how children enjoyed watching them. Several professional designers joined the project to come up with a character, but Choi's design was chosen as the winner, which then became Pororo.
Crong is a green baby dinosaur and the youngest of the group and was adopted by Pororo. Unlike other characters, he speaks in his own "crong!" language, but sometimes he uses human words when needed.
Poby is a white polar bear with a kind and generous personality.
The original Pororo was a blue and white, petite penguin sporting an aviator helmet and goggles, which became popular among children. When it was introduced, it targeted children aged 4–7. Pororo is an adventurous 5-year-old anthropomorphic penguin who dreams of flying and lives on a snowy island with six other fellow animal friends. In the design, Pororo in most animations has a neutral background, so that the animation could be popular to children worldwide. Pororo's design inspirations include Mickey Mouse and Hello Kitty. The creators picked the colours blue, pink and white to ensure familiarity for children as well as representing both genders. When making episodes, producers focused to details that could be biased to certain cultural codes or give a historical reference that is sensitive to viewers in certain parts of the world. For example, they ensured that the characters wave instead of bowing or nodding to each other.
Acquisitions
offered 1 trillion won to acquire all the rights of Pororo, but the original author refused.
Awards and honors
In 2003, Pororo received numerous awards from the SouthKorean government, including the award by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In 2006, Pororo got the President's award for best animation characters. In 2013, Pororo got the award for Creative Brands. In 2014, Pororo was chosen as the mascot for mass transportation in Seoul.
Initially, Pororo was created solely for entertainment. Later, parents suggested to Choi Jung-il of Iconix Entertainment that new episodes with educational value be included. Producers have received many requests, ranging from what the characters should eat and how to play in episodes to what they can do for society. Korean Air also provides Pororo-related merchandise for children including a doodle book, a coloring book and a plush toy of the character. In the summer of 2016, a Pororo theme park opened at Seoul COEX Mall featuring rides and a parade of Pororo characters.
