The Pygos Group

Background
Trickfilmstudio (later Pingu Filmstudio) was an animation company that was formed by Otmar Gutmann. The only known show they have produced is Pingu. The show's international distribution rights were handled by Netherlands-based firm Editoy AG. Editoy was renamed to Pingu BV in 1996, and assumed its current name of The Pygos Group in 2001 after being acquired by a Texas-based firm called Joker, Inc., shortly before the company was bought out by HiT Entertainment. As of 2017, the studio exists as an in-name-only unit used to market properties, making it very unlikely it would ever revive Pingu or make another show. However, it was announced that same year that an anime series based on Pingu entitled Pingu In The City would air in Japan on October 7th.

(March 7, 1990-December 20, 1994, August 1, 2003-March 4, 2006)
Nicknames: "The Pingu Logo", "Hand-Drawn Pingu"

Logo: On a blue background, we see the classic Pingu logo as usual, which, like the original intro sequence, is hand-drawn as opposed to stop-motion.

Variants:


 * Some episodes had Pingu looking at the screen facing the viewer.
 * In 1990 starting with the episode Pingu Runs Away, a copyright would appear below the logo, listing Trickfilmstudio (the studio that produced Pingu) and Otmar Gutmann (the creator of Pingu). Along with Editoy AG, most episodes credited SRG and ZDF (the original networks that broadcast the show) along with Telepool (who held the show's license in German-speaking territories). Following the death of Otmar Gutmann in 1993, the "Trickfilmstudio Otmar Gutmann" byline was replaced with "Pingu Filmstudio"
 * On a Japanese Pingu VHS, the logo fades in from the montage from the end of the credits and stays on screen longer.
 * This logo appeared as an in-credit still on seasons 5-6.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show, which is a slight rearrangement of some of the notes from the original intro sequence.

Music/Sounds Variant: On the Japanese VHS above, the closing theme is not heard, Instead, Pingu's Noot Noot is heard a few seconds after the logo fades in, a section of the song "SEEDS OF HAPPINESS" can be heard when the logo fades in (interestingly, that song was used during the montage).

Availability: Extremely rare. This logo is seen on the non-remastered episodes from the first two seasons of Pingu. This can be found on any Pingu VHS outside of the USA because the last time a non-remastered version of Pingu aired was sometime in 2001 on Cartoon Network as Sprout airings and US DVD and VHS releases of the show use the remastered versions (Cartoon Network sometimes aired the remastered versions), but it can be found on British and Australian BMG Video VHS releases of the show. The remastered versions of Seasons 1-2 use The Pygos Group's logo. Don't expect an in-credit logo to appear on Pingu in the City, as it just uses a copyright notice instead.

Editor's Note: None.

(June 17, 1995-April 9, 2000)
Nicknames: "The Pingu Logo II", "Stop Motion Pingu", "Pi pi-pi-pi pi pi-pi-pi, Pingu! Pingu!"

Logo: Same basic concept as the previous logo, but in stop motion rather than hand-drawn animation. "PINGU Filmstudio Switzerland" appears on the bottom in white text.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: A section of the song "Pingu Dance" which was used as the opening and closing theme to the show for seasons 3 and 4, as well as the remastered versions of Seasons 1 and 2.

Music/Sounds Trivia: The "Pingu Dance" was released as a single by David Hasselhoff in Switzerland only, due to his love of Pingu.

Availability: Like with the last variant, this one is also extremely rare. This logo is seen on non-remastered versions of season three and four episodes of Pingu. Most international video releases used the next logo, although the UK video releases of Pingu the Superhero and Pingu and the Lost Ball had this logo intact. Again, the third logo is used on the remastered versions. The logo is also retained on the Australian video release of Hello Pingu!

Editor's Note: None.

(1997?-2006?)
Nicknames: "The Pingu Logo III", "Noot, Noot", "Stop Motion Pingu II", "Pi pi-pi-pi pi pi-pi-pi, Pingu! Pingu! II"

Logo: We see a close up of Pingu holding a stick (which could be his trademark knapsack), who states his catchphrase "Noot, Noot" before turning to face the viewer and winking. The Pingu logo and a copyright date then fade in below.

Trivia: This logo was used as the intro for the U.S. Pingu VHS/DVD Meet Pingu. Meet Pingu itself was the first Pingu home video in the U.S.

Variants:


 * On early home video releases of the show (and possibly original airings of season 4), the copyright date says "Production and all rights, © PINGU BV, NL".
 * The remastered versions of Pingu have a Pygos Group copyright instead of the other copyrights after HiT Entertainment acquired the company. This variant is usually followed by a Hit Entertainment logo, for this variant, the logo is tinted darker.
 * The Pingu release above had the Pingu logo changed to the text "Meet Pingu" in the font sported on the DVD/VHS cover and the copyright notice was removed.
 * On the U.S. Pingu DVD Antarctic Antics, a completely different copyright notice is used.

FX/SFX: All stop-motion animation.

Music/Sounds: Same as the later variant of the last logo, but with an extra section of the song at the beginning, and Pingu's "Noot, Noot" sound as well.

Availability: Common. It replaces the Trickfilmstudio/Pingufilmstudio vanity card on most DVD releases of the first four seasons of the show, as well as VHS releases of Series 3 and 4. The Pingu BV variant was used when Seasons 1 and 2 were redubbed in 1997. It was also seen on the DVD release and 2010 airings of the 1997 TV special Pingu at the Wedding Party (which may have used the second logo when first aired on Swiss TV in 1997). The Meet Pingu variant was only seen at the beginning of it's VHS/DVD releases, as well as the digital release of it.

Editor's Note: A favourite among Pingu fans.