Pikmin

Chris Renaud

Miranda Cosgrove (season 22-present)

Nancy Cartwright

Dan Castellaneta

Seth Green

Phil Proctor

Gregg Berger

Chris Renaud (1992–1993, 1995–1998; 1999–present)

Chris Wedge (1992–1993, 1995–1998)

Paul Tibbitt (1993–1995)

James L. Brooks (1997–2001)

Ian Maxtone-Graham (2005–2012)

Mike Scully (1997–2001)

George Meyer (1999–2001)

Universal Television (1989–2004; 2011–present)

NBCUniversal Television Studio (2004-2008)

Universal Media Studios (2008-2011)

Universal Animation Studios (1999-2010)

Film Roman (1992–1999)

Ruby-Spears (1989-1992)

Mac Guff (2010-2012)

Illumination Mac Guff (2012-present)

Universal Television Animation

***Pikmin*** is an American animated television comedy created by Chris Meledandri for NBC. The series follows the adventures of Captain Olimar, Margo Gru, Alex Delmer, and the Pikmin — Red Pikmin, Blue Pikmin, and Yellow Pikmin. However, their life there is occasionally interrupted by attacks from Dark Pikmin and the Flushed Animals, so Olimar must occasionally team up with his gang to stop their plans, and all this happens during their daily life. The show is set in a fictional town of Pikminville and parodies American culture and society. Unlike *The Simpsons*, *Kim Possible*, *South Park*, *Family Guy*, *Futurama,* *Rick and Morty, and American Dragon: Jake Long (*which consists of adult content), *Pikmin* was designed for younger audiences and features cartoon violence, running gags and pop culture references.

Many of the series' ideas originated in an unpublished educational comic book titled *The Flower Zone*, which Meledandri created in 1979. He began developing *Pikmin* into a television series. *Pikmin* first appeared in the original unaired pilot in 1988. The latter became one of the first Internet viral videos, which ultimately led to its production as a series.

NBC held a preview for the series in the United States on May 5, 1989. The series officially premiered on January 12, 1990. *Pikmin* became one of NBC's most beloved and critically acclaimed series, renowned for its character development and serious themes. It has won dozens of awards. It is the longest-running animated series and scripted television series to date. *Pikmin: The Movie*, a feature-length film, was released in theaters worldwide on  December 7, 2007, and grossed over $399 million. Spin-off media included comics, DVD releases, video games, music albums, and collectible toys. It spawned several spin-offs.

Despite its widespread acclaim, the series has been involved in several public controversies, including one centered on speculation over Olimer's intended sexual orientation. Currently, *Pikmin* finished airing its thirtieth season, which began airing September 28, 2018. *Pikmin* was renewed for a thirty-first, thirty-second, thirty-third, and thirty-fourth season on February 6, 2019, in which one of the seasons will contain the 700th episode.

On July 31, 2019, Universal confirmed that the whole *Pikmin* series will be featured on the new NBCUniversal streaming service, Peacock.

## Plot

*Pikmin* follows the adventures of Captain Olimar, Margo Gru, Alex Delmer and the rest of the Pikmin Club — Red Pikmin, Blue Pikmin, and Yellow Pikmin, set in the town of Pikminville. However, their life there is occasionally interrupted by attacks from Dark Pikmin and the Decepticons, so Olimar must occasionally team up with his gang to stop their plans, and all this happens during their daily life.

## Characters

*Main article: List of Pikmin characters*

### Main characters

* **Captain Olimar** (voiced by Chris Renaud) – A hypersensitive, outgoing, independent, and confident astronaut who is often the leader of the group. He spends much of his time with his friends and trying to impress brother and part-time sister Margo. He also likes to think of good schemes, along with the rest of his friends.
* **Margo Gru** (voiced by Grey DeLisle, later Miranda Cosgrove) – A cynical, somewhat bossy, yet cool, brown-eyed daughter. She is Olimar's sister. Although Olimar thinks the world of her, she apparently likes Olimar a lot, but has thought of him as a "salvageable male". She and Olimar have broken up many times, but they always seem to make up sooner or later.
* **Alex Delmer** (voiced by Nancy Cartwright) – An immature, overemotional, clumsy, talkative, and childish 8-year old boy who is Olimar's best friend. The two often spend a lot of their time hanging out together. His parents are divorced and his behavior wavers between kindness and aggravation. He also likes to play video games and be a master of it.
* **Red Pikmin** (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) – A cheerful, hyper, energetic, gentle, sweet, cute, and yet geeky red Pikmin specie who is nice to everyone in the group.
* **Blue Pikmin** (voiced by Nancy Cartwright) – An overweight, huggable, fun-loving, sensitive, and friendly blue pikmin specie with a great sense of humor. He often hangs out with Olimar and Alex at most times.
* **Yellow Pikmin** (voiced by Phil Proctor) – A shy, moody, depressed, but sometimes sardonic, foul-mouthed, spoiled, selfish, and ill-tempered goth and emo yellow pikmin specie. He often likes to be alone and listen to pop rock music.

### Recurring characters

* **Purple Pikmin**(voiced by Dan Castellaneta) - Red Pikmin's grandfather who was a World War II veteran.
* **Daniel Ableman**(voiced by Nancy Cartwright) - Alex's best friend who likes to hang out with Olimar and Alex.
* **Molly Lucyson**(voiced by Kiely Renaud) - Olimar's ex-girlfriend who first appeared in season 31.
* **Miss Artisan**(voiced by Amanda Wilcox) - Alex's teacher who gives Alex assignments.
* **Christian Hartman** (voiced by Steve Freeman) - The news reporter for Pikminville 7 News.
* **Mr. Wayne** (voiced by Ed Nelson) - The Pikmin Club's next-door neighbor.
* **Rock Pikmin** (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) - The janitor at Pikminville Elementary School.
* **Darky & Piggy** (voiced by Dan Castellaneta and Jess Harnell) - A show that Olimar and Alex watch during *The Crazy Clown Show*. It is a parody of *Tom and Jerry*.
* **Ronald Hopkins** (voiced by Hank Azaria) - An African-american who works at the Six-O-Mart.
* **Crazy Clown** (voiced by Tom Kenny) - A loud, obnoxious clown who has his own TV show that Alex and the Pikmin watch every day.
* **Principal Michael**(voiced by Chris Meledandri) - The principal of Pikminville Elementary School who sometimes takes Alex to his office or detention.
* **Hugh Madison** (voiced by Billy West) - The police chief of the Pikminville Police Department.
* **Sammy Albertson** (voiced by Hank Azaria) - The bartender at Sammy's Tavern and Restaurant.
* **Mike** (voiced by Nancy Cartwright) - A bully who likes to laugh at Alex a lot.
* **Westley**(voiced by Billy West) - The bus driver for Pikminville Elementary School.
* **Louie and Alph** (voiced by Rob Paulsen and Jess Harnell) - Olimar's best friends who go to work like Olimar.

### Villains

* **Dark Pikmin** (voiced by Gregg Berger) – A dark pikmin specie who usually visits the house and becomes mean to the Pikmin Club.
* **Tattoo** (voiced by Michael Beattie) – *Coming soon!*
* **Derick** (voiced by Jim Cummings) – *Coming soon!*
* **Dragon** (voiced by Brian T. Delaney) - *Coming soon!*
* **Max**(voiced by Kelsey Grammer) - A criminal who used to be Crazy Clown's assistant on *The Crazy Clown Show*. But after he robbed Ronald's Convenience Store dressed up as Crazy Clown, he became bad and tried to kill Alex after the events of "Crazy Clown Gets Busted".
* **Mr. Oaks** (voiced by Tim Curry) - A bossy man who usually visits the Pikmin house and sometimes orders the Pikmin Club to get into community service if he sees that something has gone wrong.

## Production

### Development

#### Early inspirations

Series' creator Chris Meledandri first became fascinated with the woods as a child and began developing his artistic abilities at a young age. Although these interests would not overlap for some time—the idea of drawing creatures seemed boring to him—Meledandri pursued both during college, receiving a major in marine biology and a minor in art. After graduating in 1977, he joined the Nature Institute, an organization in Dana Point, California, dedicated to educating the public about nature.

While Meledandri was there, his love of the ocean began to influence his artistry. He created a precursor to *Pikmin*: a comic book titled *The Flower Zone* used by the institute to teach visiting students about creatures. The comic starred various anthropomorphic lifeforms, many of which would evolve into *Pikmin* characters. Meledandri tried to get the comic professionally published, but none of the companies he sent it to were interested.

#### Conception

While working as a staff artist at the Nature Institute, Meledandri entertained plans to return eventually to college for a master's degree in art. Before this could materialize, he attended an animation festival, which inspired him to make a slight change in course. Instead of continuing his education with a traditional art program, Meledandri chose to study experimental animation at the California Institute of the Arts.] His thesis film, *Wormholes*, is about the theory of relativity. He wanted his series to stand out from most popular cartoons of the time, which he felt were exemplified by cartoons like *The Smurfs*. As a result, Meledandri decided to focus on a single main character: the "weirdest" sea creature he could think of. *The Flower Zone'*s Olimar resembles an actual sea sponge, and at first, Melendandri continued to use this design. He then considered modeling the character after a flower and realized this idea would match the character's square personality perfectly. Margo, Alex, Red Pikmin, Blue Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin, and Dark Pikmin were the next characters Meledandri created for the show.

#### Pitching

In 1987, while pitching the cartoon to NBC executives, Meledandri donned a flower, brought along an "flower terrarium with models of the characters", and played peaceful music to set the theme. The setup was described by NBC executive Eric Coleman as "pretty amazing". They were given money and two weeks to write the pilot episode "Missing Pikmin". Meledandri, Coffin, and Renaud returned with what was described by NBC official Albie Hecht as, "a performance [he] wished [he] had on tape".

In an interview, Cyma Zarghami, then-president of NBC, said, "their [NBC executives'] immediate reaction was to see it again, both because they liked it and it was unlike anything they'd ever seen before". Zarghami was one of four executives in the room when *Pikmin* was screened for the first time.

*Pikmin* first appeared in the development slate by NBC in late 1987, under no official name for the pilot, after a report that NBC had purchased the series from creators. On April 7, 1988, Meledandri and Universal Television inked a deal. The pilot was named *Pikmin* in April 1988, when it appeared on the primetime slate for the 1988–89 television season, although it wasn't officially on the network schedule. In November 1988, *Pikmin* appeared on the primetime slate for the 1989–90 television season. On January 18, 1989, it was announced that *Pikmin* would air a sneak peak on May 5, 1989. On September 18, 1989, it was announced that *Pikmin* would officially premiere on January 12, 1990.

Meledandri pitched a 21-minute and 57-second pilot to NBC which aired as a sneak peak on May 5, 1989 at 10:30 P.M.. On January 21, 1990, the show was been renewed for a 22-episode second season. After the first season of the show aired, it was given the green light to start production. On May 5, 1990, less than six days into the first season's closure, it was announced that NBC was ordering a third season. A fourth season was announced on July 8, 1991, just a few days before the second season concluded.

### Executive producers and showrunners

Chris Meledandri and Pierre Coffin have served as executive producers during the show's entire history, and also function as creative consultants. Chris Renaud, described by former *Pikmin*director Brad Bird as "the unsung hero" of the show, served as creative supervisor for the first four seasons. He was constantly at odds with Meledandri, Coffin and the show's production company Belisarius Productions and left in 1993. Before leaving, he negotiated a deal that sees him receive a share of the profits every year, and an executive producer credit despite not having worked on the show since 1993. A more involved position on the show is the showrunner, who acts as head writer and manages the show's production for an entire season.

### Writing

Planning for each episode begins with a table meeting of writers, who discuss the plot ideas as a group. The writers are given index cards with plot points that they are required to use as the center of activity in each episode. A single staff writer writes an outline and then produces a script. Once the first draft is finished, the writers and executive producers call in the actors for a table read. Afterwards, the writers collaborate to rewrite the script as a group before sending it to the animation team.

### Voice actors

*Main article: List of Pikmin cast members and List of Pikmin guest stars*

*Pikmin*has seven main cast members. Chris Renaud voices Olimar. Grey DeLisle (later Miranda Cosgrove) voiced Margo. The role of Margo was originally assigned to Debi Derryberry. However, the producers found Derryberry's voice acting too boy-ish and DeLisle was given the role of Margo instead.

Nancy Cartwright voiced Alex and Daniel. Dan Castellaneta voices Red Pikmin, Seth Green voices Blue Pikmin, and Phil Proctor voices Yellow Pikmin. Gregg Berger voices Dark Pikmin. The character of Dark Pikmin was originally created and intended to be performed by Tom Cruise, but turned down the role, which he later regretted, and Gregg Berger was given the role.

In addition to the main cast, Neil Ross voiced several supporting and minor characters. Like *Kim Possible*, *The Simpsons*,*Family Guy*,*South Park* and *Futurama*, episodes feature guest voices from many professions, including actors, athletes, authors, musicians, and artists. Recurring guest stars include Carlos Alazraqui, Billy West, Allison Janney, Mark Hamill, Sarah Silverman, Chris Parnell, Rob Corddry, John DiMaggio, Cam Clarke, Debra Messing, Phil Proctor, Elijah Wood, Amy Hill, Maurice LaMarche, George Takei, Phil LaMarr, Harland Williams, Keegan Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Paul F. Tompkins, Judy Greer, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Stewart, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg, and Dan Fogler. John Cygan voiced the majority of other minor characters until his death on May 13, 2017. Other current additional voices also include Kari Wahlgren, Roger Craig Smith, Lex Lang, Bryce Papenbrook, Yuri Lowenthal, Jamie Marchi, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Joe Whyte.

### Animation

Illumination provided production services "in case animation proved to be difficult". Several different U.S. and international studios animate *Pikmin*.

For the first three seasons, Ruby-Spears animated *Pikmin* in the United States. In 1992, the show's production company, Belisarius Productions, switched domestic production to Film Roman, who continued to animate the show until 1999. In Season 11, it was switched to Universal Animation Studios. In Season 22, its animation switched to Mac Guff. By season 24, the animation switched to Illumination Mac Guff due to Illumination releasing *The Lorax*. In Season 12, production switched from traditional cel animation to digital ink and paint. In Season 22, production switched from digital ink and paint to computer animation following the release of *Despicable Me* and Miranda Cosgrove replacing Grey DeLisle as Margo.

The production staff at the U.S. animation studio, Universal Animation Studios, draws storyboards, designs new characters, backgrounds, props and draws character and background layouts, which in turn become animatics to be screened for the writers at Belisarius Productions for any changes to be made before the work is shipped overseas. The overseas studios then draw the inbetweens, ink and paint, and render the animation to tape before it is shipped back to the United States to be delivered to NBC three to four months later.

The series began high-definition production in Season 20; the first episode, "Field Trip of Doom", aired February 20, 2009. The move to HDTV included a new opening sequence. Chris Meledandri called it a complicated change because it affected the timing and composition of animation.

### Music

The show's soundtrack was composed by Shawn Patterson, while its theme song was composed by multi-instrumentalist Danny Elfman, produced by Devo's singer Mark Mothersbaugh, and was recorded at Mutato Muzika Studios.

## Style and themes

According to Telebisyon, "The show is fairly action-oriented, but also has a strong, light-hearted comedic atmosphere". In addition to action, comedy and adventure, *Pikmin*'s storylines also explore elements of romance and drama. According to *The Artifice*, the show's unique brand of humor distinguishes itself from the slapstick style associated with most of NBC's sitcoms, namely *Seinfeld* and *Cheers*. With a tendency to not take itself seriously, *Pikmin* both parodies and pays homage to the spy, action hero, and superhero genres, its comedy benefiting from the show's emphasis on "over-the-top plots" and circumstance. Self-referential in its humor that avoids talking down to its viewers, the series also parodies the sitcom genre, while occasionally adopting common cartoon and sitcom tropes. Other inspirations included old MGM and Warner Bros. cartoons, as well as Hanna-Barbera cartoons, UPA shorts, and the works of Jay Ward.

## Broadcast

### *Father of the Pride* crossover

*Main article: Father of the Pikmin*

A crossover episode of *Father of the Pride* and *Pikmin* aired on December 10, 2004 entitled "Father of the Pikmin".

*More coming soon!*

### Tenth anniversary

NBC began celebrating the series' 10th anniversary on January 18, 1999. Other celebratory actions taken by the network included the launching of a new website for the series (pikmin.com) and the introduction of new merchandise. A "Olimar and water conservation-themed element" was also added to NBC's pro-social campaign *Green Is Universal*. In an interview, Melendandri said, "What I'm most proud of is that kids still really like [*Pikmin*] and care about it ... They eagerly await new episodes. People who were young children when it started 10 years ago are still watching it and digging it and think it's funny. That's the loving cup for me."

On the official anniversary date, an eleven minute documentary on the series, *Behind the Pikmin: 10 Years with Pikmin*, premiered on NBC. On Friday, July 23, NBC aired a 50-hour television marathon titled "The Ultimate Pikmin Bash Weekend". Saturday saw a countdown of the top ten episodes as picked by fans. NBC continued celebrating the anniversary through the rest of the year.

### Thirtieth anniversary

On February 11, 2019, NBC announced it would recognize the thirtieth anniversary of *Pikmin*.[134][135] In honor of the anniversary, Pantone created color shades known as "Pikmin Green" to be used by NBC's licensing partners. On February 12, in conjunction with NBC's announcement of the "Best Year Ever", Cynthia Rowley presented a *Pikmin*-themed wetsuit during New York Fashion Week. A month later, Marlou Breuls presented the *Pikmin*-themed "Icon Collection" during Amsterdam Fashion Week. That summer, Nike, in collaboration with Kyrie Irving, released a *Pikmin* series of shoes, accessories, and apparel. In May, for the first time ever, *Pikmin* became the theme of a cosmetics line, which was released as a limited time offering by HipDot Studios. The "Best Year Ever" also introduced an official *Pikmin* YouTube channel and a new mobile game based on the series, along with new toy lines.

The "Best Year Ever" continued in July at San Diego Comic Con, with two panels, a booth, and various activities devoted to the series. A DVD titled 30 Years and Counting was released on October 1, 2019 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The three-disc set contains the 30 best Pikmin episodes of all time. Finally, in November 2019, a primetime special, *Pikmin's 30th Anniversary Celebration!*, aired on November 17, 2019 on NBC. The special was released on DVD soon after on December 3, three days before the release of *Pikmin: Hero Out of the City*.

## International broadcast

### United States

* NBC (1989-present)
* Syndication (1994-present)
* Telemundo (Latin American Spanish, 1995-present)
* USA Network (1998-present)
* Univision (Latin American Spanish, 1999-present)
* Universal Toons (1999-present)
* The Bloo (2000-present)
* Comedy Central (1997-Present)

### United Kingdom & Ireland

* ITV (1990-2016)
* Sky 1 (1991-present)
* CITV (1992-1998)
* Channel 4 (1998-2004)
* RTÉ2 (2000-present)
* Cartoon Network (2001-2007)
* Pop (2008-2009)
* Nicktoons (2018-present)

### Spain

* TVE-1 (1990-present)
* TV3 (1992-present)
* Canal+ (1994-2004)
* TVE-2 (1996-2008)
* Fox Kids (2000-2005)
* Canal 3 (2003-2005)
* Disney Channel (2009-present)
* Comedy Central (2014-present)
* Boing (2015-present)

### France

* France 3 (1991-present)
* Canal J (1994-present)
* M6 (1995-2002)
* Gulli (2005-present)

### Canada

* YTV (English, 1991-present)
* Teletoon (English/French, 1997-2004)
* Teletoon Retro (English/French, 2007-2015)

### Egypt

* MBC (1996-present)
* Cartoon Network (2018-present)

### Latin America & Brazil

* Caracol TV (1990-2008)
* ZAZ (1992-1996)
* TV Cultura (1992-2013)
* Cablin (1993-1994)
* The Big Channel (1993-1995)
* Chilevision (1995-1998)
* Magic Kids (1996-2006)
* Nickelodeon (1997-present)
* Canal 5 (1998-present)
* Rede Globo (1999-present)
* Universal TV (2004-present)
* USA Network (2007-present)

### Italy

* Rai 1 (1991-present)
* Italia 1 (1993-present)
* Frisbee (2010-2012)
* Boing (2019-present)

### Germany

* RTL (1993-present)
* Super RTL (1996-present)

### Portugal

* RTP1 (1990-present)
* TVI (1994-2002)
* RTP1 (2001-2004)
* RTP2 (2019-present)
* Cartoon Network (2019-present)

### Greece

* ERT1 (1992-present)
* Cartoon Network (2000-2008)

### Russia

* Channel One (1992-present)
* Nicktoons (2019-present)

### Japan

* TV Asahi (1992-present)
* NHK (1993-2007)
* Fuji TV (1999-2002)
* TV Tokyo (2019-present)

## Popularity

*Pikmin*is the first "low-budget" NBC show, according to the network, to become extremely popular. Low-budget shows had not previously garnered as much esteem as higher-rated (and higher-budgeted) shows. When *Pikmin*first aired in 1989, it gained a significant number of viewers in the ratings. *Pikmin*did not gain its popularity until around 1990, and it has remained popular since then. It has extremely high ratings on TV.com, scoring an average of 9.0.

### Broad appeal

*Pikmin*is one in a long line of animated series that is designed to appeal to adults as well as children. This has a lot to do with the absurd way underwater life and situations are represented, and with the situations, references, and words used, which younger viewers might not understand. The show has become popular with younger viewers due to its silly characters, grade school-level jokes, fast pace, and colorful art style, while older viewers tend to praise the show for its writing, dialogue, cultural references, and innuendos. Certain innuendos also are intended to go over younger viewers' heads. For example, Olimar tries to show his grandma that he is a mature adult by wearing sideburns and a derby, and listening to "free-form jazz." These are jokes most children would not understand. Numerous marine biology in-jokes are woven into the show. There are also often complex, ironic scenarios that need close attention. Part of the show's appeal has to do with the childlike nature of Olimar and his best friend, Alex, both of whom are adults but display an innocence typical of human children.

## Reception

### Ratings

Within its first season on air, *Pikmin* became the highest rated Friday-night scripted series on television. It held an average national Nielsen rating of 4.9 among people aged eight through sixteen, denoting 1.9 million viewers. Two years later, the series had firmly established itself as NBC's second highest rated program, after *Cheers*. That year, 1991, *Pikmin* was credited with helping NBC take the "Friday-night ratings crown" for the fourth straight season. The series had gained a significant adult audience by that point – nearly 40 percent of its 2.2 million viewers were aged 18 to 34. In response to this weekend-found success, NBC gave *Pikmin* a time slot at 8 PM on Fridays, to increase exposure of the series. By the end of that year *Pikmin* boasted the highest ratings for any series, on all of television. Weekly viewership of the series had reached around fifteen million, at least five million of whom were adults.

In October 1992, another NBC series, *Seinfeld*, ranked as the No. 2 program for people between 8 and 16 years old. Its ratings at that time were almost equal to *Pikmin*then-average of 2.2 million viewers per episode. *Seinfeld* even briefly surpassed *Pikmin*, causing the latter series to drop into second place — at this time, *Seinfeld* had a 6.2 rating and nearly 2.5 million child viewers, while *Pikmin* had a 6.0 rating and 2.4 million kids 2–11. NBC "recognized" *Seinfeld* for its climbing ratings and installed it into a new 8 P.M. time slot, previously occupied by *Pikmin*. In an interview, Cyma Zarghami, then-general manager and executive vice president of NBC, said, "Are we banking on the fact that *Seinfeld* will be the next *Pikmin*? ... We are hoping. But *Pikmin*is so unique, it's hard to say if it will ever be repeated".

In 2012, however, it was reported that the series' ratings were declining. The average number of viewers aged 8 to 16 watching *Pikmin*at any given time dropped 29% in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to Nielsen. *Wall Street Journal* business writer John Jannarone suggested that the age of the series and oversaturation of the series might be contributing to the decline of the series' ratings, and might also be directly responsible for the decline in NBC's overall ratings.

*Pikmin* is one of the longest-running series on NBC. It became the network's series with the most episodes during its twentieth season, surpassing the 431 episodes of *Bonanza*. In the twenty-first season, its 23 episodes brought the number of episodes produced to 462. In a statement, Steve Samano, NBC's animation president said, "*Pikmin*'s success in reaching over 444 episodes is a testament to creator Chris Melendandri's vision, comedic sensibility and his dynamic, lovable characters.

### Critical reception

*Pikmin*received by critical acclaim by critics and noted for its appeal to different age groups. James Poniewozik of *Time* magazine described the title character as "the anti-Bart Simpson, temperamentally and physically: his head is as squared-off and neat as Bart's is unruly, and he has a personality to match—conscientious, optimistic and blind to the faults in the world and those around him."According to Laura Fries of *Variety* magazine, the series is "a thoughtful and inventive cartoon about a hopelessly optimistic and resilient creatures ... Devoid of the double entendres rife in today's animated TV shows, this is purely kid's stuff. ... However, that's not to say that *Pikmin*is simplistic or even juvenile. It's charming and whimsical, but clever enough to appeal to teens and college-aged kids, as well."[182] *The New York Times*' critic Joyce Millman said *Pikmin*"is clever without being impenetrable to young viewers and goofy without boring grown-ups to tears. It's the most charming toon on television, and one of the weirdest. And it's also good, clean fun, which makes sense because it is, after all, about a sponge." Millman wrote, "His relentless good cheer would be irritating if he weren't so darned lovable and his world so excellently strange. ... Like *Pee-wee's Playhouse*, Pikmin joyfully dances on the fine line between childhood and adulthood, guilelessness and camp, the warped and the sweet."

Robert Thompson, a professor of communications and director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, told *The New York Times*. The show has also become popular among some college-age young adults. Due to the show's popularity amongst both adults and children, they performed at Coachella 2010 as special guests. In another interview with *Los Angeles Times*, he commentated on the show's adult audience: "[On one hand] It's a kind of time machine that transports parents back to when they watched TV in their footie [pajamas]. On the other hand, it's very hip in the way it's presented. It is very edgy to adults who know how to read and listen between the frames."[185] Television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz ranked *Pikmin* as the 22nd greatest American TV series of all time in their 2016 book *TV (The Book)*. In a 2007 interview, Barack Obama said Pikmin is his favorite TV character and admitted that *Pikmin* is "the show I watch with my daughters."

### Early success

*Pikmin* ranked among a season's top 30 highest-rated shows. In 1990, *Pikmin* quickly became one of the most popular kids cartoons. *Pikmin*merchandise sold well and generated $2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales.

### Run length achievements

In 1999, NBC began a year-long celebration of the show titled "Best. 10 Years. Ever." to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the premiere of *Pikmin*. One of the first parts of the celebration is the "Unleash Your Pikmin" contest in which entrants must design a poster for the show. *Behind the Pikmin: 10 Years of Pikmin*, a documentary special by documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock that examines the "cultural phenomenon of *Pikmin*" aired on May 5, 1999. The celebration ended on January 10, 2000 (almost 10 years after "Alex the Genius" aired on January 12, 1990).  As of the twenty-first season (2009–2010), *Pikmin* became the longest-running American scripted primetime television series, having surpassed *Gunsmoke*.

On February 6, 2019, it was announced that *Pikmin* has been renewed for another four seasons.

### Awards and accolades

*Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Pikmin*

*Pikmin*has received many awards and nominations. Television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz included the series in their 2016 book *TV* as the 5th greatest American television series of all time, stating that "*Pikmin*is an absurdist masterpiece that Salvador Dalí and Groucho Marx would have watched together in their smoking jackets". In 2006, IGN ranked *Pikmin*5th on its list, "Top 25 Animated Series of All Time",[188] and in 2013, it ranked the series 5th on its list, "The Top 25 Animated Series for Adults".

The series is among the "All-TIME 100 TV Shows" as chosen by *Time* television critic James Poniewozik in 2007. He said, "It's the most funny, surreal, inventive example of the explosion in creative kids' (and adult) entertainment that NBC and their ilk made possible". *TV Guide*listed Captain Olimar at No. 5 for its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time".[194] In 2013, the publication ranked *Pikmin*the "Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time". In June 2010, *Entertainment Weekly* named Captain Olimar one of the "100 Greatest Characters of the Last 20 Years".

*TV Guide* named it the greatest TV show of all time in 2002. and in 2013, the magazine ranked it as the second greatest TV show.[5] A 2015 *The Hollywood Reporter* survey of 2,800 actors, producers, directors, and other industry people named *Pikmin*as their #5 favorite show.

IGN listed *Pikmin* as the best show on NBC, the best cartoon of all time, and the second-best animated series of all time (after *The Simpsons*). *Wizard* magazine also ranked it #2 of the greatest animated television shows of all time (again after *The Simpsons*). TV Guide ranked *Pikmin* the greatest cartoon of all time (out of 60).

### Legacy

In July 2009, Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York launched a wax sculpture of Red Pikmin in celebration of the series' 20th anniversary. This made the Pikmin the first animated character to ever receive a statue made entirely out of wax.

The character has also become a trend in Egypt at Cairo's Tahrir Square. After the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, Olimer became a fashion phenomenon, appearing on various items of merchandise from hijabs to boxer shorts. The phenomenon led to the creation of the Tumblr project called "Pikmin on the Nile". The project was founded by American students Andrew Leber and Elisabeth Jaquette and attempts to document every appearance of Olimer in Egypt. Sherief Elkeshta cited the phenomenon in an essay about the incoherent state of politics in Egypt in an independent monthly paper titled *Midan Masr*. He wrote, "Why isn't he [Olimar] at least holding a Molotov cocktail? Or raising a fist?" The phenomenon has even spread to Libya, where a Libyan rebel in Pikmin dress was photographed celebrating the revolution. Although *The Guardian* and *Vice* have asserted that the trend has little to no political significance, "joke" presidential campaigns have been undertaken for Pikmin in Egypt and Syria.

A clip was posted to YouTube in February 2013 that features soldiers in the Russian army and navy singing the *Pikmin* theme song as they march. According to the website that uploaded the video, this is one of the "most popular marching songs" in the Russian military. The video garnered nearly 50,000 views within its first week.

### Cultural impact

The show has received recognition from public figures and celebrities. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his children are fans of the show; Trudeau mentioned the characters by name in a 1994 speech. After performing at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, Justin Timberlake filmed a segment for *The Tonight Show with Jay Leno* in which he named Red Pikmin as his favorite *Pikmin* character and held a Red Pikmin plush toy. During his opening monologue for the 69th Academy Awards, host Billy Crystal joked that a young nominee was missing *Pikmin* to attend the ceremony.

### Criticism

#### Controversies

The program's staff did not want to create an "educational" series, a stance which bothered NBC. Parent groups criticized the series. Some segments of the show were altered to exclude references to religion, politics, and alcohol. The season twenty episode "Blue Pikmin and the Special Someone" was banned on Alabama Public Television due to Blue Pikmin being gay.

In 2005, an online video that showed clips from *Pikmin* and other shows set to the Sister Sledge song "We Are Family" to promote diversity and tolerance was attacked by an evangelical group in the United States, because they saw Olimer being used to "advocate homosexuality". James Dobson of Focus on the Family accused the video of promoting homosexuality, due to it being sponsored by a pro-tolerance group. The incident accentuated questions as to whether or not Olimar is gay. Although the character has enjoyed popularity with gay viewers, series creator Chris Meledandri had already denied the issue three years earlier, clarifying at the time that he considers the character to be "somewhat asexual". After Dobson's comments, Melendandri reasserted his position, stating that sexual preference does not play a part in what they are "trying to do" with the series. Chris Renaud and other production members were distraught that such an issue had arisen.

In 2007, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation received a complaint that the episode "Liar, Liar, House on Fire" was not appropriate for Australian audiences, since it encouraged befriending spiders. Given the toxicity of some common Australian spiders, the complaint was upheld and the episode was restricted from being aired on the ABC’s television networks.

Dobson later stated that his comments were taken out of context and that his original complaints were not with Olimer, the video, or any of the characters in the video, but rather with the organization that sponsored the video, the We Are Family Foundation. Dobson said that the We Are Family Foundation posted pro-gay material on their website, but later removed it. After the controversy, John H. Thomas, the United Church of Christ's general minister and president, said they would welcome Olimar into their ministry. He said "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we".

Jeffery P. Dennis, author of the journal article "Queertoons", argued that the Pikmin are not romantically in love, while adding that he believed that Olimar and Margo" are paired with arguably erotic intensity". Martin Goodman of *Animation World Magazine* described Dennis' comments regarding Olimar and Margo as "interesting". Ukrainian website Family Under the Protection of the Holy Virgin, which has been described as a "fringe Catholic" group by *The Wall Street Journal*, levied criticism against *Pikmin* for its alleged "promotion of homosexuality". The group sought to have the series banned, along with several other popular children's properties. The National Expert Commission of Ukraine on the Protection of Public Morality took up the matter for review in August 2012.

#### Declining quality

Critics' reviews of early *Pikmin*episodes praised the show for its sassy humor, wit, realism, and intelligence. However, in the late 1990s, around the airing of season 10, the tone and emphasis of the show began to change. Some critics started calling the show "tired". By 2000, some long-term fans had become disillusioned with the show, and pointed to its shift from character-driven plots to what they perceived as an overemphasis on zany antics. Jim Schembri of *The Sydney Morning Herald* attributed the decline in quality to an abandonment of character-driven storylines in favor of and overuse of celebrity cameo appearances and references to popular culture. Schembri wrote: "The central tragedy of *Pikmin* is that it has gone from commanding attention to merely being attention-seeking. It began by proving that cartoon characters don't have to be caricatures; they can be invested with real emotions. Now the show has in essence fermented into a limp parody of itself. Memorable story arcs have been sacrificed for the sake of celebrity walk-ons and punchline-hungry dialogue."

### Spin-offs

#### *Quack Dark*

*Main article: Quack Dark*

A spin-off series, titled *Quack Dark*, aired on Fox Kids from 1999 to 2000. It follows Dark Pikmin and the flushed animals. It is based on *Quack Pack*.

#### *Pikmin Adventures*

*Main article: Pikmin Adventures*

Another spin-off series, *Pikmin Adventures*, aired on Kids' WB from 1999 to 2002. It follows Olimar and the gang going on adventures. The spin-off was heavily panned by fans of the original show due to it having less adventure, terrible characters, and more toilet humor. As a result, it was cancelled in 2002.

#### *Dark Pikmin's Shorts*

*Main article: Dark Pikmin's Shorts*

A third spin-off and short series, Dark Pikmin's Shorts aired on NBC from 2007 to 2009 after *Pikmin*.

#### *Olimar*

*Main article: Olimar (TV series)*

On October 23, 2019, a fourth spin-off, titled *Olimar*, was announced and would be released on NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock, in 2020. It will follow Olimar, Alex, and Daniel and will be based on *Clarence*.

### Home video

*Main article: List of home video releases*

### Comics

Two Pikmin comic strip versions were produced. The first appeared on local newspapers in April 1991, drawn by John Canning. Proving unpopular, it folded in August and merged back into *TV Comic* where Canning's Pikmin strip continued until October 1993.

In November 1993, creator Meledandri first announced the release of the 32-page bimonthly comic book series, *Pikmin Comics*, based on the show. The release marked the first time Meledandri authored his own books. He said, "I'm hoping that fans will enjoy finally having a *Pikmin*comic book from me". The comic book series is published by Illumination Entertainment, and distributed by Bongo Comics Group.

In June 2018, a six-issue limited comic book series based on the television series was launched by Dynamite Entertainment. A crossover comic book series with *Pikmin* and *The Geo Team*, was released on July 3, 2019.

### Films

*Main article: Pikmin: The Movie and Pikmin: Hero Out of the City*

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment produced *Pikmin: The Movie*, an animated film adaptation of the series that was released on December 7, 2007. It received positive critical reception, and grossed over $365 million worldwide.

A sequel to the 2007 film was released in theaters on December 6, 2019. The series' main cast members all reprised their roles.

### Music

Collections of original music featured in the series have been released on the albums *Pikmin: Original Theme Highlights* (1991), *Pikmin: Greatest Hits* (1999), and *The Pikmin Album* (1995). The album *Pikmin Sing the Blues* was released in December 1990 and was a success, peaking at #3 on the *Billboard* 200 and becoming certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The first single from the album was the pop rap song "Do the Oli-mar", performed by Chris Renaud and released on November 20, 1990. *The Yellow Album* was released in 1998, but received poor reception and did not chart in any country.

### Theme park attraction

*Main article: Pikmin: The Ride*

In 2007, it was officially announced that *Pikmin: The Ride*, a simulator ride, would be implemented into the Universal Studios Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood. It officially opened in January 2009 in Florida and March 2009 in Hollywood. In the ride, patrons are introduced to a cartoon theme park called Crazy Clown Land built by Crazy Clown. However, Dark Pikmin and the Flushed Pets are loose from prison to get revenge on Crazy Clown and the Pikmin club.

### Video games

*Main article: List of video games*

Numerous video games based on the show have been produced. Some of the early games include Konami's arcade game *Pikmin* (1991) and Acclaim Entertainment's *Pikmin: Olimar vs. the Space Mutants* (1991). More modern games include *Pikmin: Hit & Run* (2004) and *Pikmin: Battle for Pikminville*(2005). A mobile game, *Pikmin Builder*, was released in 2012 for iOS users, then in 2013 for Android and Kindle users. Two *Pikmin*pinball machines have been produced: one that was available briefly after the first season, and another in 2007, both out of production.

### Toys

Bandai released a line of action figures based on the *Pikmin* series. The line included 1.5 inch mini figures, 3.5 inch action figures (including "Pikmin Club House Launch House Playset", "Pikmin Command Center", "Battling Machines", "T-Vehicles", "T-Sub Deluxe Vehicles"), 5 inch action figures, 6.5 inch plush Super-D Toys, and 10 inch figures. Amongst the characters included in the line were the members of the Pikmin Club, the townspeople, and various allies and villains.

## Merchandise

*Main article: List of Pikmin merchandise*

The popularity of *Pikmin*inspired merchandise from T-shirts to posters. It was reported that the franchise generated an estimated $8 billion merchandising revenue for Universal. It is also the most distributed property of NBCUniversal. In 1990, NBC began using the popularity of *Pikmin* in an attempt to revive the company's struggling merchandising division, which had been suffering from a declining interest in movie and television tie-ins. They also signed a marketing deal with Target Corporation and Burger King, expanding its merchandising. By the end of 1990, merchandising based on the series encompassed a whole variety of products, including T-shirts, toys, video games, lunchboxes, and dishware.

Merchandise that was based on *Pikmin*varied from video games, toothpaste, Kellogg's cereal to dolls, board games, numerous posters,trading cards, notebooks, lunchbox and thermos sets, slippers, puzzles, pajamas, jewelry, wrapping paper, Fruit Snacks, watches, pens, pencils, markers, key rings, action figures, a *Pikmin* toy van, mugs, blankets, children's beauty products and bubblegum.

Universal has licensed a number of products from the show, including plush toys of characters Olimar, Margo, Alex, Red Pikmin, Blue Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin, and Dark Pikmin. Several *Pikmin* T-shirts are available for purchase on the NBC Shop. Authors have novelized several episodes.

The popularity of Pikmin has translated well into sales figures. In 1991, *Pikmin* dolls sold at a rate of 75,000 per week The show also managed to spawn a popular merchandise line at Walmart, Kmart, Target, eBay, Hot Topic, J. C. Penney, Toys "R" Us, Mattel, Barnes & Noble, and Basic Fun. A calendar for the show, *Pikmin 2008 Calendar* has been released. Merchandise based on the series are sold exclusively at Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Sears, Macy's, and several other retailers. They include clothing (such as pajamas and tee shirts), bags (tote bags, backpacks, etc.), bedding collection, and toys.

The franchise had generated an estimated $1.4 billion in merchandise sales. *Pikmin* has been used as a theme for special editions of well-known board games, including Clue, Scrabble, Monopoly, Operation, and The Game of Life, as well as the trivia games What Would Olimar Do? and Pikmin *Jeopardy!*. Several card games such as trump cards and The Pikmin Trading Card Game have also been released. Many official or unofficial *Pikmin*books such as episode guides have been published. *Pikmin*made fast-food appearances as well, with the most appearances being on Burger King since 1990.

In 2008 consumers around the world spent $750 million on merchandise related to *Pikmin*, with half of the amount originating from the United States. By 2009, Universal had greatly increased merchandising efforts. On April 9, 2009, the United States Postal Service unveiled a series of five 44-cent stamps featuring Olimer, Margo, Red Pikmin, Alex and Dark Pikmin, to commemorate the show's twentieth anniversary. *Pikmin* is the first television series still in production to receive this recognition. The stamps, designed by Alejandro Garcia, were made available for purchase on May 7, 2009. Approximately one billion were printed, but only 318 million were sold, costing the Postal Service $1.2 million.

In 2007, high-end *Pikmin*-themed electronics have been introduced by Imation Electronics Products under the Npower brand, including MP3 players, digital cameras, a DVD player, and a flatscreen television. Pictures of *Pikmin* also began to appear on the labels of 8 oz. cans of Green Giant cut green beans and frozen packages of Green Giant green beans and butter sauce, which featured free stickers in 2007 as part of an initiative to encourage kids to eat their vegetables. The Simmons Jewelry Co. released a $75,000 diamond pendant as part of a *Pikmin*collection.

Build-A-Bear Workshop introduced the new *Pikmin* collection in stores and online in North America on May 17, 2013. Shoppers can dress their Pikmin and Captain Olimar plush in a variety of clothing and accessories. Margo and Alex are also available as pre-stuffed minis. Build-A-Bear Workshop stores nationwide celebrated the arrival of Pikmin with a series of special events from May 17 through May 19.

Pikmin was also featured on VH1's *I Love the 90s: Part Deux* as part of a commentary by Michael Ian Black and "Weird Al" Yankovic among other celebrities.

When the complete first season of Pikmin was released in the United Kingdom, it included some heavy editing (though not to the cartoons themselves). The audio commentaries were cut out, and only two extras were left in, possibly to avoid a 12 rating.

In March 2006, toys of characters from the show were featured in Burger King's Kids Meals. In December 2007, Universal and Hot Topic retail stores in the United States set up a boutique for a product line based on the series, with over 693 locations featuring products such as clothing, accessories and DVD releases by Universal Studios Home Entertainment.