Pingu (series 2) - Pingu The Chef

Pingu The Chef

Mother and Father go out for the day, leaving the children at home alone. Pingu puts a pan on the warm stove and Pinga brings him a cob of corn. Pingu puts the corn kernels into the pan and puts the lid on, and they soon have a pan of popcorn. The both gobble down the popcorn until there are only a few pieces left. Pinga distracts Pingu and gobbles down the last of the popcorn as Pingu isn’t looking. He chases her into the adjacent bathroom, but notices her putting wood in the boiler, which then gives Pingu an idea. He goes to the cupboard, which is full of corn, and fills a big box with the corn kernels. He then loads all this corn into the boiler and puts on the lid. The corn starts popping, and soon there’s a big pile of it. They wonder what to do with it, and then Pinga starts filling boxes with the popcorn while Pingu gets the sledge. Pingu loads the sledge and sets off round the neighbours to give it away. He gives away three of the boxes, one to the post office attendant, one to a mother with three babies and one to the organ grinder. He goes back and tries to give his last box to the mother with three children, but she curtly refuses it; the babies have made a terrible mess in the igloo with the box they’ve already had. He tries at the post office, but the attendant is full. Pinga then spots some empty boxes outside the post office, and they fill one of the boxes, put on the lid, and address and stamp it. They hand it in and the postman delivers it to the organ grinder, who is still struggling to eat what Pingu had brought him before. The postman leaves the box on the floor. It starts to rumble and expand, then bursts scattering popcorn in a pile around (it is possible that making the popcorn with the boiler had this unfavourable side effect on the corn). The organ grinder groans in displeasure. By now Pingu and Pinga are at home sharing a large plateful of popcorn. They realise that Mother and Father are soon due back, and rush to finish before they get home in time. When Mother and Father arrive the children are snuggled up in bed, pretending to be asleep. Mother pulls off the covers and greets them, not noticing how bloated they are, and then she and Father offer them the gifts they’ve brought home for them - a bag of each popcorn for them. Pingu and Pinga refuse and quickly put the covers back over them, much to Mother and Father's puzzlement.

• Features mainly Pingu and Pinga. Mother and Father have minor rolls. Also appearing are the post office attendant, a mother with three babies and the organ grinder.
• At the end of the episode, when Mother and Father offer Pingu and Pinga popcorn, Pingu has teeth once again. He doesn't regularly show teeth until series 5 & 6.
• Aired on March 12, 1992