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P-Pals
Personality
Varies, usually kind and childish
Used From
1993-1999 (Varies on different stations)
Launched
August 30, 1993
Closed
November 15, 1999
Fate
Becomes extinct during September 1999
The P-Pals are racially-diverse and are similar in shape to the PBS logo (mid-1980s); they were introduced on PBS Kids (at the time, PTV) starting in August 1993 — September 5, 1999 They were dropped on September 5, 1999 after nearly 6 years on PTV, as they were getting outdated, and were replaced with Dot and Dash when it was relaunched as PBS Kids. However, they were incompletely replaced by Dot & Dash until December 2000, and continued to be used on some stations until 2002.
Pernell - The leader of the P-Pals. He is Black. According to PTV release materials, Pernell is a "cool" P-Pal who wears an earring, lives in the city, and teaches children about computers (this was never implemented into the block) On the old UNC TV Just for Kids website, it states that “Pernell is a cool guy. He's a city-dwelling, earring-wearing P-Pal with wisdom beyond his years. He's always hitting the nail on the head (even if it hits him back). He's a computer whiz and enjoys helping younger kids learn the keyboard.”
Pete - The smartest of the P-Pals. On the old UNC TV Just for Kids website, it states that “Pete is the P-Pal on the street. He's a cinema verite journalist who is always seeking the truth. He's gray and rather 'square,' but there's an element of surprise with Pete. You never know what's going to happen when he's interviewing someone.”
Penny - A nature-loving P-Pal who likes to garden.
Petunia - A pretty P-Pal, but named after a plant.
Peggy - A ladylike P-Pal who drives a car. On the old UNC TV Just for Kids website, it states that “Peggy sees herself as quite grown-up. She is a walking encyclopedia who frequently gives good advice, though she can be a bit bossy. She's a good friend to have in a pinch.”
Priscilla - A P-Pal with impressive hair.
Polly - A Black P-Pal who likes filmmaking, and Pernell's cousin.
Paula - An Asian P-Pal who likes to dance. On the old UNC TV Just for Kids website, it states that “Paula loves reading mystery stories and plans to be the world's greatest sleuth. She sometimes takes herself very seriously and gets rambunctious when challenged.”
Pat - A disabled P-Pal who is in a wheelchair. On the old UNC TV Just for Kids website, it states that “Pat is short for Pattern. He likes to pop wheelies in his wheelchair and excels at basketball on wheels. He also likes to roll out new puns for his friends.”
Paganini - A music-loving P-Pal who plays the violin.
Pianissimo - Another music-loving P-Pal who plays the piano.
Pierre - An European P-Pal who likes art.
Perry - A P-Pal who speaks with an Australian accent.
Paco - A Latin P-Pal. On the old UNC TV Just for Kids website, it states that “Paco loves the arts. He paints, sculpts, and plays music. He likes the outdoors, and especially likes climbing trees. His dream is to take a trip around the world in a hot-air balloon and capture the experience with his art.”
Pinky - A P-Pal who wears a fedora. His voice actor is unknown currently.
P-Pet - The P-Pals' pet dog. On the old UNC TV Just for Kids website, it states that “P-Pet is, of course, a P-Pal's best friend. He's furry, red, and likes to be underfoot. He barks instead of talks, but still understands every word.” His voice was also done by Frank Welker.
Peabo - A P-Pal who is famous. His voice actor is unknown currently.
Gallery[]
Pernell
Pernell graphic from the old PBS Web site
Pete graphic from the old PBS Web site
Peggy graphic from the old PBS Web site
Pat graphic from the old PBS Web site
Paula graphic from the old PBS Web site
Paco graphic from the old PBS Web site
Polly graphic from the old PBS Web site
P-Pet graphic from the old PBS Web site. Notice how he has no outline
Perry graphic from the old PBS Web site
Peabo graphic from the old PBS Web site
Petunia graphic from the old PBS Web site
P-Pals and P-Pet graphic from the old PBS Web site
Second Pat graphic from the old PBS Web site
Second Peggy graphic from the old PBS Web site
Second Perry graphic from the old PBS Web site
Second Pete graphic from the old PBS Web site
Second Paula graphic from the old PBS Web site
Second Polly graphic from the old PBS Web site
Second Peabo graphic from the old PBS Web site
Third Peggy graphic from the old PBS Web site (showing a rare instance where she's not in her car)
Peggy graphic from the old PBS Kids Web site
Pat graphic from the old PBS Kids Web site
UNCTV Kids Website with P-Pal descriptions
Trivia[]An early bumper stated there were "over a million P-Pals," but this has never been referred to since.
There was also reportedly a promo where the P-Pals talked about their family, which is lost media (if it existed) and would give more information on these otherwise bare-bones characters.
P-Head shaped nouns (such as pumpkins, dinosaurs, vehicles, and microphones) exist in the P-Pals' world.
Pernell went through the most color changes. He was mostly brown with a green cap in the interstitials, but the system cue had him purple with a red cap and the plush released of him as part of WNET/Thirteen's Kids Club (as well as the on-screen graphic for the club in pledge drives) had him green with a yellow cap. In addition, the "Surprise!" promo has him flash a multitude of different colors (yellow, purple, orange, green, and blue.)
There were two P-Pals JavaScript games on PBS Kids' Web site from 1997-1999, called "Hide and Seek with the P-Pals" and "P-Pal Patterns." As expected, they are lost media as of now.
Two P-Pals books existed, "The Harvest Fair" and "The Cool Hot Day." It is unknown where they were sold (presumably during pledge drives or at PBS's "Store of Knowledge" library line) and they are currently lost media. The books were published in 1997 by the Children's Press (NY) and were written by Larry Dane Brimner and illustrated by Steve Henry.
Similarities have been noticed between the P-Pals and the Peanuts gang, most notably Pernell and Peggy having a dynamic similar to Charlie Brown and Lucy (though not as mean-spirited), and P-Pet acting in a role similar to Snoopy. Coincidentally, PBS later aired the Peanuts specials in 2020 and 2021.