Pink Panther Turns 60: First Short Film Debuts in 1964

The Pink Panther, the iconic animated character, celebrates its 60th anniversary. The first of 124 short films debuted on December 18, 1964, a seven-minute film that launched the character's global success. The character originated accidentally a year earlier in the opening and closing credits of Blake Edwards' film 'The Pink Phink,' featuring Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau. The short, produced by David DePatie and Friz Freleng, who founded an animation studio that year, depicts a little man with a big nose and mustache trying to paint his house blue while the mischievous Pink Panther foils him by covering it in pink. The soundtrack by Henry Mancini, featuring an unforgettable saxophone riff, became iconic. The series adapted to changes in animation and society over three generations, remaining popular despite Japanese animation and shifting tastes.