Pippin

Pippin is a name used for several distinct things across different fields. In botany, pippin denotes certain cultivated apples and the varieties that bear that name. The best-known example is the Newtown Pippin, a greenish-yellow apple developed on Long Island in the 18th century and valued for fresh eating and cider. Historically, the term pippin has been used in English to refer to seeded apples, and several cultivars are sometimes simply called pippins.

Peregrin Took, commonly known as Pippin or Pip, is a hobbit in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth writings. A member of the Fellowship of the Ring, he accompanies the Ring-bearer on the quest to destroy the One Ring and later takes part in key events of the War of the Ring. The character is noted for humor, courage, and personal growth throughout the narrative.

Pippin is also the title of a Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson. It opened in 1972 and follows the life of a young prince named Pippin as he seeks meaning, guided by a traveling troupe of performers. The show is known for the songs Corner of the Sky and Magic to Do and its distinctive contemporary storytelling style.

The Apple Bandai Pippin was a 1996 multimedia game console developed jointly by Apple Computer and Bandai. Marketed as an affordable home computer and games platform, it failed to achieve broad adoption and is now a collectible. The system ran on a Macintosh-like architecture and used CD-ROM media.

Beyond these uses, Pippin is also a given name, often a nickname for Peregrine or Peregrin, and appears in various literary and fictional contexts.