Incorrectly regarded as the first time the long-running character (first seen in the opening credits of the Clouseau film The Pink Panther (1963) is given a voice. The Pink Panther actually first spoke in two shorts 24 years before this series: first in Sink Pink and later in Pink Ice.
In 1993, Rich Little, who voiced the character in the original cartoons, was approached to reprise his role as the pink feline. However, Little did not recall voicing the character at all and turned down the offer saying giving the panther a voice would ruin the character. Producer David H. DePatie felt that giving the panther a voice would "compromise the integrity of the character." But once the producers saw Matt Frewer fill in the lines for the panther, it was fantastic and they accepted it.