7.12.2010
Pororo The Little Penguin
So excited! Just discovered Pororo The Little Penguin! Haven't heard of him? Yeah, neither had I. But you can bet your bottom dollar that most children in South Korea have. This impish little four-year-old penguin dreams of flying and lives in the Arctic. He sounds like the Dora the Explorer of Korean children's cartoons.
The animation is the brainchild of Choi Jong Il, and first popped on the Korean TV scene in 2003. It is geared towards children ages 3-7 and the creators did something really interesting--they studied preschoolers to see the things they like, how they hang out with friends, what they do, etc. They took that information and applied it to the characters in their episodes, and presto--instant hit among the preschool crowd.
One of the things I think is cool about this cartoon is that it has won the Korean Culture and Content Agency Character Awards two years in a row. The episodes are 5 minutes long (like a pre-schooler's attention span) and they have a simple social message (like friends are kind to one another).
The only disappointing thing about Pororo is he hasn't come to the US yet. He's in over 80 countries, so why not here? Word has it they are working on something, but in the meantime, because it's unlicensed in the U.S., you can watch the show on YouTube. That's where I've been watching them so far. I watch the Korean language episodes HERE but also really enjoy the versions with English subtitles.
I did find some DVD's online but I'm not sure if I'll order them. They have an English version (with Korean and English subtitles) (HERE) but the DVDs are labeled "Region 3." Not sure if that means they will play in our U.S. DVD players though.
We have a few Asian markets in town, but I'm not holding my breath that they'll have any DVDs available. Maybe Pororo will come to the U.S. by the time our little Kimchi does.
Read more about Pororo's rise in popularity in a Time Magazine article HERE.
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We LOOOOOVE Pororo around here. He has instant attraction for any little one. I even have some friends with non-Korean kiddos who love him, despite not understanding a word of what he says!
ReplyDeleteWe bought several seasons of Pororo when we were in Korea a few weeks ago, and they are Region 3, and they do not play on regular American DVD players. You can buy conversion programs, though, and you can likely find players *somewhere* online :)
Pororo youtube clips are responsible for crossing many items off my to do list. You migh tnot find DVDs in the asian markets, but the ones near our home both carry tons of Pororo themed items - we have Pororo cups, plates & toys.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute character! Yeah, only Region 1 or DVDs listed as working in 'all regions' work on US players. There are universal DVD players that play any region, though. I'm thinking of eventually purchasing one since there is so much Korean media I'd like to watch!
ReplyDeleteMost laptops are universal players so you can play region 3 on a laptop. Don't know if that helps. I've been debating ordering some of the Korean ones to help me in learning Korean. ;) Thanks for the video clip! :)
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