Professor Inkling

Inkling
	;
Name:	Professor Inkling Octopus
Interests:	Sea Life, Reading
Occupation(s):	Founder/Professor/Oceanographer
Gender:	Male
Color:	Pink
Eye color:	Black
Species:	Octopus
Cousins:	Irving the Giant Squid
Nationality:	British
Character played by:	Keith Wickham

Character

Gallery

Relationships

Professor Inkling is the venerable founder of the Octonauts. He is an Octopus and has a deep understanding of marine life. Inkling founded the Octonauts to promote marine research and preservation. Aside from being their founder, Inkling is also their oceanography professor. He rarely ever goes out on missions, but he has gone on a few, such as in The Giant Squid, The Great Christmas Rescue, and The Gulper Eels. Instead, he prefers to help the team from his library in the Octopod. However, Professor Inkling showed his physical prowess when connected to the Octopod to combat The Colossal Squid. He claimed to be an expert at tentacle wrestling.

Unlike the other Octonauts, Professor Inkling (along with the Vegimals) is an amphibious creature and does not need a helmet or air tank. He is capable of breathing in and out of the water. But, like Captain Barnacles, he also possesses certain attributes pertaining to his species. He admits being able to squirt ink for protection and has little suckers on his arms for him to move and climb.

Inkling is almost always in his 3 chairs: his small chair in the HQ, his large barrel in the launch bay, and his chair in his library.

Just like Tweak, the Vegimals, and Shellington who all seem to sleep where they work, it's believed that the same can be said for Inkling. He too appears to live and sleep where he works, which is the Octopod's library. He is probably the oldest Octonaut, judging by the monocle and his collection of old books. He also speaks highly of his family who themselves have written books. His known family members are his Great Uncle (mentioned in The Octonauts and the Flying Fish), Squirt (appeared in the Great Christmas Rescue), and his cousin Irving.

Physical Traits[]

Professor Inkling is pink with eight arms, head flaps that resemble ears, and a white muzzle. He is normally seen wearing a monocle and a blue bow-tie attached to a white-collar.

Other Outfits[]

Top Hat
Referee
Tentacle Suit
Tuxedo

Octo-Alert[]

During the Octo-Alert, Professor Inkling is mostly found reading books in the Library, or sometimes on a ladder trying to get a book.

Quotes[]

"I got it! (while opening a book) it's right in this book, the water was polluted which is causing too many algae to grow, which is making creatures sick! (announces then pauses) Haha! (lowers his voice) What? Did I miss something?" (The Great Algae Escape)
"If a storm is big above water, it can be just as big as below water, too." (The Undersea Storm)
"Captain, I don't usually go out on missions, but today my friends and family need me." (The Great Christmas Rescue)
"Let me take a look through my books and see what I can find out." (The Oarfish)
"Oh, my!"
"Exactly!"
"Most intriguing!"
"Why, yes!"
"Let me check my books!"
"Indeed."
"Goodness me!"
"My books!"
"Remarkable. We've attracted an entire pod." (The Orcas)
"Cone Snail, you say. Ah, yes. Little fellas that can sting you with tiny harpoons." (The Cone Snail)
"That's odd, for a second I've thought I heard an Octo-Alert." (The Emperor Penguins)

Other Friends[]

Known Family[]

Squirt, Inkling's nephew, a young Dumbo Octopus.
Irving, Inkling's evolutionary cousin, the Giant Squid.
A Blue-Ringed Octopus (Evolutionary Relative).
Firefly Squids (Evolutionary Cousins).
Min the Mapmaker, a close old friend of Inkling, a red panda.

Relationships[]

Inkling Relationships

Trivia[]

In The Lion's Mane Jellyfish, he reveals he's a dumbo octopus.
In real life, Dumbo Octopuses cannot breathe air, nor can they survive anywhere but the deep sea.
Despite being the founder, Inkling gets the least amount of screen time out of all the Octonauts combined. On the contrary, he's consistently given a major role in the books, and may just have the lengthiest and even the MOST dialogue out of all the Octonauts. He also gets out of the Octopod more often and spends less time in his signature chair. He's also been seen starting to participate in land missions occasionally in the Above & Beyond series.
Unlike a real Dumbo Octopus, Inkling's eyes are on the same side on the head, and his mouth is directly underneath them. His mouth is not a beak, unlike real Octopi.
Professor Inkling was created after Meomi fell in love with the Dumbo Octopus, and wanted a Dumbo Octopus character. Inkling was the last Octonaut originally created of them all.
Professor Inkling's name was originally Commander 'O', and he wore a large commander hat different to any other crew member, along with the Octonauts' regular neck piece instead of a bow tie. His hat and neck piece had hints of yellow striping throughout, as well. After his first appearance in the December 2004 calendar, he got recreated with the design and profession he has now. However, he was renamed “Professor Inkles” shortly before the first book had gave him his finalized name.
This makes Inkling one of three Octonauts that’ve had their names (or its spelling) change, the others being Dashi (Sauci) and Kwazii (Kwazi).
When everyone has a dress-up party in The Octonauts and The Frown Fish book, he can be seen wearing his original Commander 'O' outfit from the 2004 Calendar once again.
Inkling is one of only two main Octonauts to share a voice actor with another. The other is Shellington. Both are voiced by Keith Wickham.
The short form of his name is just "Professor" or "Inkling."
He mentions that he is able to produce ink (hence his name), but Dumbo Octopuses in real life cannot do this.
Stated in the books, Professor Inkling is the only octopus with disappearing ink.
Inkling's hobbies in the books include: Reading the newspaper, eating muffins, drinking coffee/high tea, doing research on the Octo-net, blowing bubbles out a pipe, reading in the library, eating sandwiches, dusting his books' dust jackets, baking pies, climbing the playground's jungle gym, studying his travel guide and maps, leading games of Oceans & Ogres (the in-universe Dungeons & Dragons/DnD), reading to the Vegimals, and listening to music on his record player (or “Fish Sounds”). Majority are exclusive to the books.
Professor Inkling is the only Octonaut that does not play any instruments. However, he can be seen being a Conductor for everyone in the Frown Fish book exclusively.
He drove the Octopod for the first time in the Octonauts and the Ring of Fire.
Unlike real dumbo octopuses, Inkling has no webbing between his tentacles.
As shown in the Ring of Fire, and despite being the first Octonaut, he couldn't understand the Octopod's computer systems until he learned to stay calm.
Professor Inkling's favourite kelp cake is Sauerkraut.
It is revealed in the Octonauts and the and the Rainforest Rescue that Min and Inkling may have some feelings for each other.

Gallery[]

See Inkling Octopus/gallery for more pictures of Inkling.

Main Characters

Barnacles	Kwazii	Peso	Shellington	Dashi	Tweak	Inkling	Tunip