Private/Relationships

List of **Private's relationships** throughout *The Penguins of Madagascar* television series and the *Madagascar* film series.

## Family

### Uncle Nigel

**(Uncle; TV Series)**

Private loves his uncle Nigel very much, and he appears to be his only biological relative ever known. He was the first to know his uncle was a secret agent trying to find the Red Squirrel. At first, he thinks his uncle is insane, just like Agent Rockgut from "The Red Squirrel". However, Private believes Nigel when he sees Red for himself and tried to convince Skipper, Rico, and Kowalski that his uncle beat the Red Squirrel. Nigel believes that Private is tough and only acts like a buffoon in front of enemies.

Private lets his uncle leave with this impression and stops Skipper from telling Nigel that Private actually is a softy.

### Kowalski

**(Adoptive Brother)**
Private values Kowalski as his elder brother and looks up to him as a hero (according to "Raccoon Unmasked") However, it is revealed that after Private was hatched, Kowalski unintentionally upset the baby penguin by saying they were all going to die as he had no family. Despite all of that, Private and Kowalski have a very close relationship and get along very well, putting a lot of trust in each other, shown in "Invention Intervention," when Kowalski asked for Private to keep the invisible ray a secret. However, despite not telling Skipper, Private still urged for Kowalski to tell Skipper that the Invisible ray was of Kowalski's doing and not Doctor Blowhole.

### Skipper

**(Adoptive Brother)**

Skipper is one of Private's three older brothers and sometimes still treats Private like a child. Throughout the film, Private tries desperately to show skipper he is more than the cute little guy they think he is. Eventually, Skipper realizes that Private is a very valued member of the team and that it isn't what you look like that counts but what you do is what matters.

## Friends

### Marlene

(F**riend; TV series)**
Though it is unknown when the two met, Private and Marlene appeared to have known each other since she came to the zoo after she was taken away from the aquarium she once came from. Though hardly having screen time in the series, Marlene and Private are actually very good friends.

The most significant episode they share is "Badger Pride" where Marlene tries to get Private to overcome his fear of badgers, and no matter how much he tries to get out of it, the more Marlene wants him to overcome this silly fear. After the badgers are revealed to be easily insulted and not so friendly, Private gives her a garlic bag that will "ward off evil badger spirits". However, she is chased by Stacy and Becky and Private goes to save her by shooting the machine and uses it to shoot at them tennis balls. .

### Barry

   Barry is a cute yet deadly Dart Frog. However, Private and Barry initially do not get along. The young penguin doesn't actually hate the dart Frog, despite it poisoning Rico, Kowalski and eventually, Skipper. Throughout most of the episode, Private is scared of the untouchable frog. However, inventing a suit that Barry cannot penetrate with his poison, Private gives the little frog a hug. The hug causes Barry to change into a nicer person and they become friends

### Hunter

**(Friend)**

Private once saved a young, female leopard seal named Hunter after she was caught in a net by Cecil and Brick. However, he is at first terrified of her, but Private later learns to like her as  a friend. However, Skipper, Rico and Kowalski disapprove about their friendship and sling her from a slingshot to a nearby ocean. To the horror of his older brothers, Private jumped onto the slingshot with Hunter, knowing she wouldn't make it on her own. Hunter also protects him from the other leopard seals

Their signature move is when Hunter has Private hop in her mouth and she begins shaking him like a wild animal; however, unknown to the both of them, this is usually what a leopord seal does to tenderize the meat before they eat the penguin.

They briefly drift away, but Private helps Hunter save her father and say farewell to each other.

## Romantic Relationships

### Cupid

**(Love interest in *Merry Madagascar*)**

A female reindeer whom Private immediately falls in love with upon seeing her.

This is a forbidden romance because Christmas reindeer and penguins are natural enemies because of Santa's choice from moving to the North Pole instead of the south Pole. Both their families despise the relationship, particularly Private's oldest brother Skipper, who even slapped him out of daze for Cupid. Before an actual romance, Private and Cupid depart, but not before saying goodbye to each other. Their relationship somewhat resembled to that of Romeo and Juliet.

### Shawna

**(Love interest in season 2)**

Private later falls in love with a human intern named Shawna. He gets himself injured every time just to go visit her.  Eventually, the others find out and Private later asks if they ever been in love, and they respond to how it felt like. However, seeing he is an animal and she was a human, this would never have been seen through. Private later chooses his brothers over love.