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2025
PUPU
PUPU (푸푸) is a Korean children’s original musical about nature, climate change, and empathy, following kids who befriend a lost penguin and set out on an adventure. After two domestic runs, the title traveled to Vietnam in 2025 for a reading showcase in collaboration with Youth Theatre of Vietnam.
English:
PUPU
Korean:
푸푸
Country: Vietnam | Language: Vietnamese
🔗 All images are linked to their original sources or articles. No copyright ownership is claimed.
ORIGIN
Premiered in 2021 in Seoul as a family musical, developed by Korean children’s-theatre creators with environmental themes and participatory elements. Subsequent educational/outreach versions (including the related “PUPU and Haru”) toured schools with interactive “playtime,” foregrounding hands-on engagement and eco-awareness.
STORY
Siblings Jun and Sara live in a seaside village that is upended by storms and rising seas. During their escape, they meet Pupu, a penguin adrift from Antarctica, and the trio journeys to confront a rumored “monster” behind the disasters. The truth reveals a misunderstood, solitary being cleaning the waters; the adventure becomes a lesson in coexistence, compassion, and caring for the planet.
POSTER COLLECTION
Poster images are shown for documentation only. All rights belong to the original creators and producers.
KOREAN RUNS
2021 – Premiere, Seoul (Gwanak Art Hall), family run with participatory segments
2023 – Educational/outreach tour as “PUPU and Haru,” school performances and cultural-center engagements emphasizing interactive playtime
GLOBAL STAGINGS & ADAPTATIONS
Vietnam, 2025
Reading showcase – Vietnamese presentation at Youth Theatre of Vietnam (partnership with Korea’s SangsangMaru)
On June 21, 2025, Youth Theatre of Vietnam hosted a reading showcase of “PUPU,” introducing the piece’s humanistic message and creative direction to local audiences. The event explained the reading format (script-in-hand with principal songs), highlighted training goals for musical-theatre performers, and framed the work’s climate-change narrative for families. The theatre announced continued development toward a full staging.
REFERENCES
Seoul Culture Portal – Children’s Musical “PUPU” (2021)
https://culture.seoul.go.kr/culture/culture/cultureEvent/view.do?cultcode=135728&menuNo=200008
Korea Economic Daily Plus – “PUPU and Haru” school-tour coverage (2023)
https://plus.hankyung.com/apps/newsinside.view?aid=2023071201475&category=&sns=y
Báo Văn Hóa – Youth Theatre of Vietnam “PUPU” reading showcase report (2025-06-22)
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