The Pink Panther Show facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Pink Panther Show
Title card from the 1980 syndicated version of The Pink Panther Show
Created by	David H. DePatie Friz Freleng
Starring	Daws Butler John Byner Don Diamond Pat Harrington, Jr. Paul Frees Bob Holt Arte Johnson Rich Little Diana Maddox Larry D. Mann Bob Ogle Arnold Stang Lennie Weinrib Frank Welker Paul Winchell
Narrated by	Marvin Miller
Composer(s)	Henry Mancini Doug Goodwin Walter Greene Steve DePatie William Lava
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	11
No. of episodes	Three 6-minute shorts + bumpers per half-hour
Production
Producer(s)	David H. DePatie Friz Freleng Jim Foss Bill Orcutt Harry Love
Running time	6–7 minutes
Production company(s)	Mirisch Films DePatie–Freleng Enterprises
Distributor	United Artists Television
Release
Original network	NBC (1969–1978) ABC (1978–1980)
Original release	September 6, 1969 (1969-09-06) – August 30, 1980 (1980-08-30)
Chronology
Followed by	Pink Panther and Sons

The Pink Panther Show is a collection of animated short cartoons. These cartoons were made by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng. The show ran from 1969 to 1978. It stars the famous Pink Panther character. This character first appeared in the opening of the live-action Pink Panther movies.

The show was created by Mirisch Films and DePatie–Freleng Enterprises. It was shown on two big American TV networks. It aired on NBC from September 6, 1969, to September 2, 1978. Then, it moved to ABC from September 9, 1978, to August 30, 1980.

How the Show Was Shared

In 1980, United Artists Television started sharing The Pink Panther Show with other TV stations. This is called syndication. These versions included short clips between cartoons and sometimes a laugh track. By 1982, MGM Television also began sharing individual cartoons. These usually did not have the extra clips or laugh track.

Some of the cartoon series included in the MGM Television package were:

• The Pink Panther
• The Inspector
• The Ant and the Aardvark
• Tijuana Toads (also known as Texas Toads)
• Misterjaw (a show made for TV)

Some series were not part of the MGM Television package:

• Roland and Rattfink
• The Blue Racer
• Hoot Kloot
• The Dogfather
• Crazylegs Crane (a show made for TV)

Most TV stations showed the cartoons by themselves. They often removed the original show's extra clips and the laugh track.

Reruns of the Show

The Pink Panther Show has been shown again many times. It aired on channels like BBC Two, UK Gold, BBC One, Boomerang, and Cartoon Network. In Canada, it was shown on Teletoon Retro.

Later, Cartoon Network reran the show from 1997 to 1999. It also appeared on Boomerang for many years. These versions often had four cartoons but no extra clips. The laugh track was sometimes present. The show also aired in the Arab world on Spacetoon. In the US, it was shown on This TV and Light TV. Currently, it airs in Spanish on Galavisión.

A model of the Panthermobile, a cool car seen in the show's opening

Who Voiced the Characters

Many talented voice actors brought the characters to life:

• Rich Little – The Pink Panther
• Daws Butler – Pug, Louie
• John Byner – Charlie Ant, Blue Aardvark
• Larry D. Mann – Blue Racer, Crazylegs Crane
• Frank Welker – Crazylegs Crane Jr., Dragonfly
• Paul Frees – Narrator, American hunter
• Don Diamond – Toro
• Pat Harrington, Jr. – The Inspector
• Tom Holland – Pancho
• Bob Holt – Hoot Kloot, Hoot Kloot's Horse, Dogfather
• Arte Johnson – Misterjaw
• Bob Ogle – Harry Halibut
• Arnold Stang – Catfish
• Lennie Weinrib – Roland, Rattfink
• Paul Winchell – Fearless Freddy
• Don Messick – Sergeant Deux-Deux

Different Versions of the Show

The Pink Panther Show changed its format several times over the years.

The Pink Panther Show (1969–1970)

The first season of The Pink Panther Show had a specific setup. Each episode had two Pink Panther cartoons with one The Inspector cartoon in the middle. The show began with the Pink Panther and the Inspector driving the Panthermobile to a famous theater in Hollywood. They would then enter the theater. In the ending, the Inspector would leave the Pink Panther behind!

The second season (1970) kept a similar cartoon order. It used a shorter laugh track, unlike the first season's full one.

Season 1 (1969–1970) Episodes

The New Pink Panther Show (1971–1974)

This version had a new opening and closing. It also had a new theme song called "Pantherly Pride." In this show, the Aardvark character often tried to catch the Ant.

During the 1971–1972 season, The Ant and the Aardvark cartoons were featured. Later, other series like Roland and Rattfink, Hoot Kloot, or The Blue Racer were sometimes shown instead. Only a few new Pink Panther cartoons were made during these three years.

1971-1972 Episodes

The Pink Panther and Friends (1974–1976)

This show followed a similar pattern. It often had one new Pink Panther cartoon and one old one. Short clips featuring The Inspector and The Ant and the Aardvark were used between the cartoons. New series like The Dogfather, The Blue Racer, or Hoot Kloot were also added.

It's the All New Pink Panther Laugh-and-a-Half Hour-and-a-Half Show Introducing Misterjaw (1976–1977)

This version tried something new. It was much longer, lasting 90 minutes! It even had a live-action part with comedian Lenny Schultz. He would read letters and jokes from viewers. Two new cartoon series, Texas Toads and Misterjaw, were also introduced. However, this longer show did not get good ratings and only lasted one season.

Think Pink Panther (1977–1978)

This was the last series shown on NBC. It went back to the usual 30-minute format. It only showed old cartoons; no new ones were made for this version.

The All New Pink Panther Show (1978–1979)

After NBC stopped airing the show, ABC picked it up for its tenth season. ABC asked for 32 new Pink Panther cartoons and 16 new Crazylegs Crane cartoons. The opening and closing music was a disco version of the famous "Pink Panther Theme." The ending even showed the Pink Panther dancing disco!

1978-1979 Episodes

Pink Panther Encore (1979–1980)

For its final season, the show repackaged older cartoons from before 1978. No new cartoons were made for this version either.

The Pink Panther Show (1980, syndicated)

In 1980, MGM/UA Television started sharing a 30-minute Pink Panther show for weekdays. This version included the short clips between cartoons and laugh tracks. The opening featured the Pink Panther folding a background into a square. The ending showed the panther water skiing.

There were two main versions of this syndicated package. One used older film copies. The other used newer, clearer copies of the cartoons. This second version also added a new, softer laugh track to make all the cartoons sound consistent. It also included some of the newer Pink Panther cartoons made for TV.

Spanish Versions

Other versions of The Pink Panther Show were made and aired only in Spanish. These often included Hoot Kloot cartoons alongside Pink Panther ones.

See also

In Spanish: La pantera rosa (serie animada) para niños