PSYCHEDELIC PINK

Finally (for now), some screen shots from Psychedelic Pink (1968) in which our hero walks by an esoteric bookshop, is hypnotised by an cosmic eye painted on the door and is projected into a frightening dreamscape of bad drugs and bizarre hallucinations. Yes, really. 

FACT: In the 1984 reboot The Pink Panther and Sons, The Pink Panther is an incidental character, as the stories focus on his kids, over-confident teen Pinky and the cute but mischievous toddler Panky. Feel free to go and find it, but, beware, later on, you won't believe it really happened. But it did, you saw it. 

PINK OUTS

Pink Outs is prime Pink Panther. It consists of twelve vignettes, some only a few seconds long, which are a mix of slapstick and the startlingly surreal. Because of its fragmentary nature, it was later cut up into linking sequences for 'The Pink Panther Show', you know, the one with the live action titles featuring lots of crazy animals, the pink car driven by a kid and an absolutely immortal theme tune.

FACT: In Germany, the character is known as Paulchen Panther (Little Paul the Panther), which completely misses the point: he's pink, for fuck's sake, he's a PINK panther, a rinky dink panther!  

PINK PHINK

I hate Pink Panther films, but I love Pink Panther cartoons. 

The cartoons are inconsistent, and some feature The Panther as a mere bit player in a seemingly pre-drawn scenario, or as a schmuck at the mercy of outside agencies. The true Pink Panther character is, however, a ruthless, selfish, pitiless maniac, an unemployed, unattached creature that walks the earth being a nuisance, sashaying unbidden into peoples lives and fucking them up.  

Take The Pink Phink, the award winning first ever Pink Panther cartoon (it won an Oscar for the best animated short of 1964). The Panther is mooching around smoking when he comes across a big nosed workman (usually known as 'the Little Man'') who is painting a house blue. The Panther decides he wants it pink. Positively pink. What follows is a six minute duel between the two characters and the two colour schemes. 

In the end, the Little Man man has a nervous breakdown as the house, the garden, the sky, even the sun, all turn pink. As a final display of his uncanny, monstrous power, the Pink Panther paints the Little Man pink, too. 

Bastard.