6 September: The Pink Panther

On this date in 1969, 50 years ago today, The Pink Panther Show made its debut on NBC. 10 things you might not know about the Pink Panther.

1. The Pink panther cartoon character started life in the opening credits to a 1964 film called The Pink Panther, in which Inspector Clouseau is trying to track down criminals who have stolen a pink diamond with a flaw in the centre. The diamond is known as the Pink Panther.
2. The animated panther was created by Fritz Freleng and David DePatie. When they saw how popular their character was, they created a number of short films starring him, which were unrelated to the film.
3. The 1969 version of the show consisted of a sequence of short cartoons, some featuring the Pink Panther and some featuring the Inspector. In 1976, it grew from 30 minutes per episode to 90 minutes, but the new format didn't do well, so it went back to 30 minutes. The original show lasted 10 years, until September 1979.
4. In 1980 the show was syndicated by United Artists Television.
5. The theme music for the film was written by Henry Mancini. His tune was used for the cartoons as well, along with variations on it composed by William Lava and Walter Greene. The theme song for the show was written by Doug Goodwin, and was called Panther Pink Panther from Head to Toes.
6. In 1971, he wrote a new theme song, Pantherly Pride.
7. The first short cartoon to be broadcast on September 6 1969 was The Pink Blueprint, followed by Bomb Voyage and The Pink Tail Fly.
8. There was very little dialogue in the show, which meant it became popular worldwide. Nor did it depend, as did many other cartoon shows of the time, on American cultural references. In Germany, the Pink Panther is known as Little Paul the Panther, and in Bulgaria he goes by Pinko the Pink Panther.
9. The Pink Panther has been adopted as a mascot by several cancer charities, in particular those concerned with childhood cancers and breast cancer.
10. Other characters which featured in the show from time to time included an attention seeking aardvark, toads from Texas, Crazylegs Crane and the Dogfather.

NEW!

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

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