The Pink Panther (animation)
This series is a Spin-Off from the credit sequences of Pink Panther movies, featuring the adventures of a bipedal pink panther. He frequently is opposed, hunted, or inconvenienced by an Inspector Clouseau Expy who is never named, and who usually ends up subject to the usual humiliation and Amusing Injuries suffered by the typical cartoon antagonist. The original series ran from 1964 to 1980; it was then Uncanceled in 1993 and ran for three years. A new incarnation returned to the airwaves in 2009.
All versions of this show were Animated Anthologies, showing 10-minute shorts. The original series shared its airtime with The Ant and the Aardvark shorts.
Tropes used in The Pink Panther (animation) include:
Common to all series
- Real Men Wear Pink: it is clear that the Panther is a guy.
1964-1980 Original Series
- Art Evolution
- Ambiguously Jewish: The Aardvark and, to a lesser extent, The Little Man.
- In an episode of The New Pink Panther Show, the Aardvark (as a Tarzan parody) screams "Oy Vey!" in a Tarzan-like manner.
- Cool Cat: The Panther is the quintessential example, of the "never has to lose his cool" variety - even in cartoons where he's the Butt Monkey, he always keeps his silent wit and rhythmic step.
- Early Installment Weirdness: The very first cartoon or two gave the Panther a voice with an upper-crust British Accent, but he was quickly converted into a Silent Protagonist.
- I Am Not Shazam: The "Pink Panther" in the movies was a MacGuffin from a couple of the early films in the series—a large diamond with a unique flaw that from one angle looked like a pink, leaping panther. The character of the Pink Panther existed only in the credits and has nothing to do with the action in any of them.
- Lampshade Hanging
- Limited Animation: Although it improved.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Dean Martin for the Ant and Jackie Mason for the Aardvark.
- The Little Man is a caricature of Friz Freleng, while at the same time an Expy of Inspector Clouseau.
- Silent Protagonist: The Panther.
- Synchronized Swarming: One cartoon has the title character annoy a swarm of bees. While taking cover inside a house blocks them, the bees take a form of a drill, and create a hole in the door that they fly through.
- Ticker Tape Parade: In "Pink of the Litter", Pink is hired to clean all the litter in town. After he does, he is given a tickertape parade... and then has to clean up after it.
- The Voiceless: Except on two occasions, and always with a Celebrity Star.
- Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist
The Pink Panther and Sons
- A Day in the Limelight: We barely saw the Pink Panther.
The New Pink Panther Show (1993-1996 series)
- Alternative Foreign Theme Song: The Japanese version has a different ending theme.
- An Aesop: Occasionally the 1993 series would venture into it in some episodes.
- Art Shift: The episodes Hamm-N-Eggz and the final two episodes of the series listed here show why. The Texas Toads - from 1995, is an example.
- Hamm-N-Eggz looks more like a 1990s Nickelodeon animation than a DePatie-Freleng/MGM production.
- Art Evolution: Compare the early 1993 episodes with the 1995 season.
- Be Careful What You Wish For
- Non Sequitur Episode: Hamm-N-Eggz, Voodoo Man, 7 Manly Men.
- Catch Phrase: Thiiiink Pink!'
- Celebrity Paradox: Featuring an unvoiced cameo of Tara Strong.
- The Complainer Is Always Wrong: The Aardvark is this.
- A Day in the Limelight: Happened a few times.
- Deadpan Snarker: The Aardvark (but he is voiced by John Byner, so Truth in Television then?)
- Demoted to Extra: After the episode A Nut At The Opera, the panther did not appear for a full 4 episodes, excluding Driving Mr. Pink.
- Expy: Manly Man is an expy of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- Fanfic: Yes, this is one of the most unlikely candidates!
- Fan Service: The dark-skinned policewoman who has no name, and only appears in Superpink's Egg-Cellent Adventure and Trains, Pains and Panthers is considered an animated version of this trope.
- Not to mention the endless Deviant ART pictures of her.
- Getting Crap Past the Radar: Could have its own page.
- Also, the episode 7 Manly Men, which has Unfortunate Implications of its own (given the subject matter and characters involved).
- Hamm-N-Eggz had a few of its own, despite Animal Protagonists.
- Identical Grandson
- Lampshade Hanging: One of the show's heavily-used tropes. In-Universe on the show it's a trope of legend.
- Lower Deck Episode: All episodes for The Inspector (Clouseau), and one with Voodoo Man, another for Manly Man, and the final two episodes, Texas Toads and Ant and Aardvark.
- Parental Bonus: Some episodes like Lifestyles of the Pink and Famous. And 7 Manly Men as well.
- Shout-Out: In the episode 7 Manly Men the episode parodies Village People, and YMCA.
- Plus the episode Pinky Rider, a direct shout-out to Dennis Quaid's Easy Rider.
- Invisible to Gaydar: Possibly Manly Man.
- Suddenly Voiced: The Pink Panther himself.
- Tara Strong: Plus a Captain Ersatz/Expy of her as well, creating a semi-Celebrity Paradox.
- Third Person Person: Voodoo Man, who refers to himself this way.
- Two Shorts: Except the final episodes, which are three shorts.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: The Little Man's family.
- The Unintelligible: Voodoo Man can be this at times.
- What Exactly Is His Job?: Well, for The Little Man in this series, anyway...
- Witch Doctor: Played for Laughs. Voodoo Man is this.