The Peep Show's opening frames
The Peep Show is an animated, black and white short film created in 1962 by Kaj Pindal and produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
Information[]
The Peep Show, together with its 1988 remake, served as the basis for Peep and the Big Wide World. The Peep Show is narrated by Stanley Jackson and revolves around the eponymous character Peep, a newly born male chicken, who later meets a duckling named Quack and a young robin named Chirp and eventually decide to explore the big wide world together.
Plot[]
Set in the country, A Maid routinely collects eggs from a chicken yard with one day an egg falls out of her basket and hatches into Peep. Peep discovers his abilities to speak and stand which causes him much excitement that he faints, but is later revived by the falling rain. Not knowing what water is, Peep's attempt at observing it leads to him tasting it and then pursuing water farther off with his newfound ability of walking. Peep accidentally walks into a large pond due to becoming overexcited but is quickly saved by a nearby duck named Quack.
Quack decides to befriend Peep and greets him with by saying "quack" and is puzzled when Peep responds with "peep". After inquiring and hearing that Peep came from an egg, Quack denies this and insists the Peep should be able to say "quack" if that were so. Quack swims away and Peep, in efforts to prove his origin, collects the fragments of his egg together then swims after the duck and bursts out of it, which proves successful. By Quack's wishes the two swim over to green island, where apparently only ducks are allowed, and shortly after landing encounter a robin named Chirp who falls from the sky. Quack harshly states to the robin that only ducks are allowed on green island, thus leading Chirp to point out that Peep is a chicken and Peep later accepts this.
Quack points out that since Chirp cannot fly and that they are on an island, he cannot see the big wide world but Quack can for he can swim and the duck begins to head off. Peep calls for Quack and makes an agreement that since all of them want to see the big wide world, Quack can carry Chirp and Peep across the water, while Chirp can tell them what it is like in the air when he is able to fly, and Peep himself may eventually be able to do something useful. This pleases all of them and the three birds head out to see the big wide world with the film ending as three figures in the distant move to the shore of green island.
Location appearances[]
- Green Island
- Big Wide World (mentioned)
Character appearances[]
- A Maid - A female putting fresh eggs into the basket and took them to the kitchen.
- Peep - A newly born male chicken who is naive about the world and appears to have a tendency to get excited.
- Quack - A male duck who posses the ability to swim and soon befriends Peep believing him to be a duck.
- Chirp - A female robin who cannot fly very well and is somewhat knowledgeable.
Credits[]
Director
Kaj Pindal
Script
Kaj Pindal
Animation
Kaj Pindal
Producer
Colin Low
Executive Producer
Tom Daly
Sound
Ron Alexander
Narrator
Stanley Jackson
Les aventures de Piou-Piou[]
Les aventures de Piou-Piou (which translates to "The adventures of Piou-Piou") is a French version of The Peep Show also created by Kaj Pindal and produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Les aventures de Piou-Piou follows the same story as The Peep Show with Peep instead being called "Piou-Piou", Quack being called "Coin-Coin", and Chirp being called "Cui-Cui".
Credits[]
Director
Kaj Pindal
Script
Kaj Pindal
Animation
Kaj Pindal
Producer
Colin Low
Marcel Martin
Sound
Ron Alexander
Opening Credits[]
Narration
Kaj, Stan and Gil
Trivia[]
- When credited in the opening of The Peep Show, the "j" in Kaj Pindal's first name is written as a lowercase 'I'.
- Similarly, the French version has the same letter as a vertical line, which can thus be interpreted as either an "I" or "L".
- The French names for Peep, Chirp, and Quack are all French onomatopoeia for the respective animal the characters are.
- Though this naming is reasonable considered Peep, Chirp, and Quack's English names are taken from the sound they make, Peep's name is not commonly associated with chickens as is Piou-Piou.
- In Peep and the Big Wide World, Peep is a male chicken and Chirp is a female robin but in this series, he’s a female chicken and she’s a male robin. Quack is always a male duck in both TV series.
Gallery[]
