Carlo Bonomi, the iconic voice behind claymation Pingu, dies aged 85

Fans of the stop-motion series Pingu are paying tribute to the actor behind the much-loved penguin following his death at the weekend. Photo / Supplied

Tributes are flowing for Carlo Bonomi, the actor behind the voice of children's claymation character Pingu, after he died on the weekend at the age of 85.

Remembered for his "noot noot'' phrase, the Italian vocal actor passed away in Milan on August 6 with the cause of his death unknown, publication AF News reports.

Viewers knew Bonomi for his "Penguinese", the language spoken in the stop-motion series Pingu which aired six seasons between 1986 to 2006.

Bonomi was the unscripted voice behind all the show's characters for four seasons, before he was replaced by vocal actors David Sant and Marcello Magni when the show was renewed for seasons five and six.

we lost a true voice acting legend today who gave us this very funny scene in pingu goes fishing & much more over the years pic.twitter.com/ZHtI90sQVL

— OBtweets (@obtweets30) August 6, 2022

Pingu is about a young penguin who sometimes gets up to mischief on his family's polar ice cap in Antarctica.

Fans have praised the late actor for his service as a children's entertainer by sharing pictures and videos of Bonomi online.

"RIP Carlo Bonomi, thank you for your service in children's entertainment and for giving my childhood some light to shine in the dark," one fan posted to Twitter.

"May the Noot Noots never fade from our memories."

Only just catching up with the news that Carlo Bonomi, the original voice of Pingu as died.
This clip of him performing the voices of the whole PIngu family had my son in hysterics this morning.
What better legacy than to make children smile and laugh? #Pingu https://t.co/5AHEIDIYFB

— The Dobson Family and Colin the Dalek🇺🇦 (@DobbersW) August 7, 2022

Meanwhile American cartoonist Travis Bickerstaff said Bonomi's legacy will live on through others.

"If you're wondering if this will be the end of Pingu, it's not," Bickerstaff wrote.

"Other voice actors in the Pingu franchise had carried on Bonomi's legacy, since he established the 'Penguinese' language for the series."

Bonomi was also well-known in Italy as the voice behind the announcements played at Central Station and Florence Santa Maria Novella Station, which were used up until 2008.

He also played a part in a number of Italian shorts, including line animation La Linea, The Line.