3-2-1 Penguins!
Four penguin astronauts teach moral lessons through space adventures.
3-2-1 Penguins! is an American science fiction animated children's television series that began as a direct-to-video series in 2000. The videos were top sellers on the Soundscan kid video charts for 18 weeks and sold 1.5 million copies by February 2009. The television series aired on Qubo blocks on NBC, Ion Television, and Telemundo, and was a top-ranked show on NBC's Qubo Saturday morning kids block in 2008.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 30 minutes (video); 22 minutes (television)
- Creator
- Jeff Parker
- Nathan Carlson
- Phil Lollar
- Director
- Tod Carter
- Tom Bancroft
- Tim Hodge
- Ron Smith
- Company
- Big Idea Entertainment
- Executive producers
- Tim Hodge
- Terry Pefanis
- Phil Vischer
- Producer
- Jon Gadsby
- J. Chris Wall
- Joe Barrouao
- Sean Roche
- David Pitts
- Steven Lynette
- Voices
- Mark Marten
- Melissa Peterson
- Annie Walker-Bright
- Ron Wells
- Greg Mills
- Page Hearn
- Ron Smith
- Composer
- Kurt Heinecke; Adam Frick
Facts from the source article.
Premise
Twin siblings Jason and Michelle are staying with their British grandmother, Grandmum, in Pennsylvania's Poconos for the summer. Among her quirky ceramic knickknacks, the most treasured is a rocket ship holding four penguins—a honeymoon gift from her late husband. When the twins accidentally knock the ship over, it doesn't break but instead takes flight, revealing the penguin figurines are alive and form the spaceship's crew. Using a shrinking device called the Galeezle, one twin gets pulled aboard and launched into a space adventure. Each mission reflects the moral problem the twins faced at the start of the episode. For example, in "Trouble on Planet Wait-Your-Turn," the kids argue over sharing a video game and a telescope, and Jason ends up on a planet where alien vacuums struggle with the same issue of taking turns.
Cast and characters
Zidgel (voiced by Ron Wells in season 1 and John Payne in seasons 2–3) is the Rockhopper's captain, resembling both James T. Kirk and Ted Baxter. Midgel (voiced by Greg Mills in season 1 and Paul Dobson in seasons 2–3) is the engineer and pilot who sometimes shouts "Bonsai!" and trims a bonsai tree before driving the ship. Fidgel (voiced by Page H. Hearn in season 1 and Lee Tockar in seasons 2–3) is the doctor and scientist; many of his inventions are odd but useful, such as the Galeezle, and he physically resembles Grandmum's deceased husband. Kevin (voiced by Ron Smith in season 1 and Michael Donovan in seasons 2–3) has no specific job other than cleaning but is always ready to help and sometimes solves problems without realizing. Jason T. Conrad (voiced by Mark Marten in season 1 and Quinn Lord in seasons 2–3) is a seven-year-old boy and Michelle's twin brother. Michelle Frances Conrad (voiced by Melissa Peterson in season 1 and Claire Corlett in seasons 2–3) is a seven-year-old girl and Jason's twin sister, five minutes younger. Grandmum (voiced by Pamela Thomas in 2000, Annie Walker-Bright in 2001, Kymberly Mellen in 2001–2003, and Ellen Kennedy in seasons 2–3) is the British grandmother who gives advice from "The Good Book". Baron von Cavitus (voiced by Garry Chalk), originally Bert Bertman, was a classmate of Fidgel and inventor of the Galeezle; after being mocked for being a hamster, he turned evil and attempted to take over the academy and later the galaxy in a robot suit. Admiral Strap (voiced by Dale Wilson) is the commanding officer, strict but with a soft spot for Michelle; in the original videos he communicated via fax machine, and in the series via speakerphone. Sol (voiced by Garry Chalk) is a wise bartender at the Comet Lounge who advises the characters.
Episodes
The first season aired on Qubo from September 9, 2006 to December 2, 2006, consisting of the six direct-to-video shows released from November 14, 2000 to July 1, 2003. Each episode except the first ends with the Penguins performing a song at the Comet Lounge related to the moral lesson.
Release
After direct-to-video releases, 3-2-1 Penguins first aired on Qubo blocks on NBC, Ion Television, and Telemundo, and on the Qubo channel. New episodes later premiered on television. The show also aired on TBN and its children's block Smile of a Child on Saturdays until 2018, and on DreamWorks Channel in select countries. As of July 2020, the entire series was available for free on Peacock, and 25 episodes on Yippee since June 2022. The first six videos were released direct-to-video from November 14, 2000 to July 1, 2003. DVD compilations include "Save the Planets!" (September 1, 2008), "Blast in Space!" (February 1, 2009), and "Escape from Planet Hold-A-Grudge!" (October 20, 2009). The first video appeared as a bonus episode on two VeggieTales DVD re-issues, and the fourth video on another re-issue. A two-disc complete DVD set with 13 episodes was released on September 18, 2012.
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