3-2-1 Penguins! facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 3-2-1 Penguins!
Created by	Jeff Parker Nathan Carlson Phil Lollar
Developed by	Mike Nawrocki Phil Vischer Ron Smith
Written by	Mitch Schauer Kirby Atkins Tim Hodge Broose Johnson Mike Nawrocki Phil Vischer Ron Smith Jeff Parker Phil Lollar Nathan Carlson
Directed by	Tod Carter Tom Bancroft Tim Hodge Ron Smith
Starring	see Characters
Theme music composer	Kurt Heinecke Mike Nawrocki
Opening theme	"3-2-1 Penguins! Theme Song"
Ending theme	"Fly"
Composer(s)	Kurt Heinecke Adam Frick
Country of origin	United States Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	6 (direct-to-video) 21 (TV series) 27 (total) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Phil Vischer Tim Hodge
Producer(s)	Jon Gadsby J. Chris Wall Joe Barrouao Sean Roche David Pitts Steven Lynette
Editor(s)	John Wahba
Running time	30 minutes (video) 22 minutes (television)
Production company(s)	Big Idea Entertainment Dan Krech Productions (2002-2003) UTV Software Communications (2007-2008)
Release
Original network	Direct-to-Video Qubo
Original release	November 14, 2000 (2000-11-14) – November 13, 2008 (2008-11-13)
Chronology
Related shows	VeggieTales, Larryboy: The Cartoon Adventures

3-2-1 Penguins! is a fun American-Canadian sci-fi computer-animated Christian TV show for kids. It first came out on November 14, 2000, as a video you could buy. These videos were super popular! They were the top-selling kids' videos for 18 weeks and sold over 1.5 million copies by 2009.

Later, 3-2-1 Penguins! became a TV series. It aired on the Qubo TV blocks on NBC, Ion Television, and Telemundo, plus the Qubo channel itself. The show had three seasons and was a top hit on NBC's Qubo Saturday morning block in 2008. Reruns continued until 2014.

Overview

The show follows twin siblings, Jason and Michelle, who are spending their summer with their British Grandmum. Grandmum has a special collection of ceramic figures, including four penguins in a rocket ship. One day, the twins accidentally drop the ship. Instead of breaking, it flies into the air! This reveals that the penguins are actually the crew of a real spaceship.

One of the twins then gets pulled into the ship. This happens thanks to a special device called a Galeezle, which shrinks them to penguin size. They then go on exciting space adventures! Each adventure helps the twins learn a lesson about a problem they were facing at the start of the episode. For example, in the very first episode, "Trouble on Planet Wait-Your-Turn," the twins are arguing about taking turns. Jason then travels to a planet where even the alien vacuum cleaners have trouble waiting their turn!

Characters

Main Characters

• Zidgel: He's the captain of the spaceship, the Rockhopper. He's a bit like a king and always ready for adventure.
• Midgel: The Rockhopper's engineer and pilot. He sometimes shouts "Banzai!" and trims a tiny Bonsai tree before flying the ship.
• Fidgel: The ship's doctor and scientist. He invents many strange but useful things, like the Galeezle, which can change the size of objects. He looks a lot like Jason and Michelle's grandpa.
• Kevin: He's the cleaner on the ship, but he's always ready to help. Kevin often solves problems or answers questions without even realizing it!
• Jason Conrad: A 7-year-old twin who goes on amazing space trips with the penguins.
• Michelle Conrad: Jason's 7-year-old twin sister. She's five minutes older than Jason and always wears pigtails. She also joins the penguins on some of their adventures.
• Grandmum: Jason and Michelle's British grandmother. She has blue hair and often shares wise advice with the twins from "The Good Book."

Other Characters You'll Meet

• Baron von Cavitus: He used to be a classmate of Fidgel's. He invented the Galeezle device. He became a villain after being teased for being a hamster and tries to take over the galaxy.
• Admiral Strap: The penguins' boss. He seems very strict, but he has a soft spot for Michelle. In the older videos, he sent faxes to the penguins. In later shows, he talks to them on a speakerphone to give them missions.
• Sol: A wise old bartender at the Comic Lounge. He's a friend to Jason, Michelle, and the penguins, and often gives them good advice.

Episodes

Series Overview

Season 1 (2000–03)

The first season was first released on video from 2000 to 2003. Later, it started airing on Qubo TV in 2006.

Special (2006)

Season 2 (2007–08)

After the first season, new stories were made just for TV.

Season 3 (2008)

Where to Watch

3-2-1 Penguins! first came out on home videos. Then, it started airing on the Qubo TV blocks on NBC, Ion Television, and Telemundo. You could also watch it on the Qubo channel. New episodes were made just for TV. The show also aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and its kids' block, Smile of a Child, until 2018. You can also find it on the DreamWorks Channel in some countries.

DVDs and More

The first six videos of 3-2-1 Penguins! were released on DVD between 2000 and 2003. Later, DVD collections of the TV series episodes were released.

• Save the Planets! came out in 2008 with three episodes from Season 2.
• Blast in Space! was released in 2009 with three more Season 2 episodes.
• Escape from Planet Hold-A-Grudge! came out in 2009 with three episodes from Season 3.

Some of the first videos were also included as bonus episodes on VeggieTales DVDs. In 2012, a 2-disc DVD set was released with thirteen episodes from the first two seasons. A complete series box set with 26 episodes was released in 2016.