Penguin (character)

"The Penguin" redirects here. For other uses, see Penguin (disambiguation).

Penguin
File:PenguinBatman.png The Penguin / Oswald Cobblepot
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Detective Comics #58 (December 1941)
Created by	Bob Kane Bill Finger
In-story information
Full name	Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot
Team affiliations	Injustice League Suicide Squad The Society Super Foes
Abilities	Criminal genius Assorted bird-related paraphernalia Deadly trick umbrellas Vast underworld connections Organizational leadership

The Penguin is a fictional character, a DC Comics supervillain who is one of Batman's oldest and most persistent enemies. Artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger introduced him in Detective Comics #58 (December 1941). The Penguin is a short, rotund man known for his love of birds and his specialized high-tech umbrellas. A mobster and thief, he fancies himself a "gentleman of crime"; his nightclub business provides a cover for low-level criminal activity, which Batman tolerates as a source of criminal underworld information. According to Kane the character was inspired from the then advertising mascot of Kool cigarettes — a penguin with a top hat and cane. Finger thought the image of high-society gentlemen in tuxedos was reminiscent of emperor penguins.

Burgess Meredith portrayed the Penguin in the 1960s Batman television series, perhaps the character's most well-known incarnation. Danny DeVito played a darker, more grotesque version in the 1992 film Batman Returns. Subsequent Batman animated series featured him in depictions that alternated between deformed outcast and high-profile aristocrat. The former interpretation appeared in comics, most notably in the miniseries Batman: The Long Halloween and its sequel Dark Victory. He made a cameo appearance at the end of the Long Halloween with no lines. He had a slightly more notable role in Dark Victory — this incarnation included elements of Meredith's interpretation. Paradoxically, the Penguin has repeatedly been named among the worst and best Batman villains.

Unlike most of Batman's rogues gallery, Penguin is in control of his actions and perfectly sane, features that help him maintain a unique relationship with the crime-fighter. His latest characterization has him running a nightclub that is popular with the underworld. Batman comes to tolerate his operations so long as the Penguin remains one of his informants. The entrepreneurial Penguin often fences stolen property or arranges early prison furloughs — for a hefty fee, of course.

Fictography

Born Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, the Penguin was bullied as a child for his short stature, weight and beak-like nose. In some media, his fingers are fused, resulting in flipper-like hands. Several stories relate that he was forced as a child to always carry an umbrella by his overprotective mother, due to his father's death from pneumonia after a drenching. His mother owns pet birds that Cobblepot lavishes with attention, his only friends. In some versions, Cobblepot turns to crime after his mother dies and the birds are repossessed to pay his mother's debts; in others, he is an outcast in his high society family and their rejection drives him to become a criminal. In keeping with his origins, the Penguin pursues his criminal career with class. He prefers formal wear such as a top hat, monocle, and tuxedo while he steals.

The Penguin's alias first came from a childhood taunt over his grotesque appearance and love of birds. In an early account, when Cobblepot first attempted to join a gang, he was belittled as a "penguin" and mocked for his umbrella before being literally kicked from the crime den. Outraged at the rejection, he resolved to make "the Penguin" a name to fear and the umbrella a fearsome weapon. He returned to the den and killed the crime boss with "the world's first .45 caliber umbrella", then claimed leadership of the now-terrified criminals. Some later stories suggest that he tried to abandon the nickname, which he hated.

Pre-Crisis

Originally known only by his alias, the Penguin first appeared in Gotham City as a skilled thief, sneaking a priceless painting out of the museum by hiding the rolled-up canvas in the handle of his umbrella. The Penguin later used the canvas as proof of his intellect to a local mob, which he was then allowed to join. With the Penguin's help, the mob pulled off a string of ingenious heists, but the mob's leader and the "be-monocled bird" eventually fall out, leading Oswald to kill him with his umbrella gun. The Penguin became leader of the mob and attempted to neutralize Batman by framing him for theft. The Penguin's plans were eventually thwarted, but the bandit himself escaped.

The Penguin was a persistent nemesis for the Dynamic Duo (Batman and Robin) throughout of the Golden and Silver Ages, pulling off ploy after ploy, such as teaming up with The Joker, attempting to extort money from a shipping company by pretending to flash-freeze a member of its board of directors, and participating in Hugo Strange's auction of Batman's secret identity.

The Penguin's last appearance, fittingly, was the last appearance of the Earth-One Batman. After he and a multitude of Batman's enemies were broken out of Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison by Ra's al Ghul, the Penguin accepted the offer of the immortal terrorist and carried out Gul's plans to kidnap Batman's friends and allies. The Penguin, along with the Joker, Mad Hatter, Cavalier, Deadshot and Killer Moth, laid siege to Gotham City Police Headquarters, but were infuriated when the Joker sabotaged their attempt at holding Commissioner Gordon for ransom. A standoff ensued, with the Joker on one side and the Penguin and Mad Hatter on the other. The Joker quickly subdued both with a burst of laughing gas from one of his many gadgets.

Post-Crisis

Following the Crisis rebooting the history of the DC Universe, the Penguin was relegated to cameo appearances, until writer Alan Grant (who had earlier penned the Penguin-origin story "The Killing Peck") and artist Norm Breyfogle brought him back, deadlier than ever. Within the era of the Tim Drake Robin, the Penguin formed a brief partnership with macabre criminal and hypnotist Mortimer Kadaver, who helped him fake his own death as a ploy to strike an unsuspecting Gotham. Penguin later gunned down Kadaver, after plugging his own ears with toilet paper so that the hypnotist no longer had power over him.

After Batman foiled this particular endeavor, the Penguin embarked on one of his grandest schemes, in the three-part story "The Penguin Affair". After finding Harold Allnut on a lonely street, undergoing physical and verbal abuse by two gang members, the Penguin takes the technologically-gifted hunchback in, showing him kindness in exchange for services. Harold builds a gadget that allowed the Penguin to control flocks of birds from miles away, which Penguin utilizes to destroy radio communications in Gotham and crash a passenger plane. This endeavor, too, was foiled by Batman. Batman finally hires Harold as his mechanic.

The Penguin resurfaced during Jean Paul Valley's tenure as Batman, as one of the few to deduce that Valley is not the original Batman. To confirm this theory, he kidnaps Sarah Essen Gordon, places her in a death-trap set to go off at midnight, and turns himself in, utilizing the opportunity to mock Commissioner Gordon as midnight approaches. An increasingly infuriated Gordon is nearly driven to throw Cobblepot off of the police headquarters roof, before Valley shows up in the nick of time with a rescued Sarah. As Valley leaves, he comments that "There's nothing the Penguin can throw at me that I haven't encountered before." - a sentiment with which the Penguin reluctantly agrees, accepting that he has become passé.

Subsequently, Cobblepot turns his attentions to a new modus operandi, operating under the front of a legitimate a restaurant and casino known as the Iceberg Lounge. Though he was arrested for criminal activities several times during the course of his "reformation", he always managed to secure a release from prison, thanks to high-priced lawyers.

During the storyline "No Man's Land," when Gotham City is nearly leveled by an earthquake, Cobblepot stays behind when the US government shuts down and blockades the city. He becomes one of the major players in the mostly-abandoned and lawless city, using his connections to profit by trading the money that nobody else in Gotham can use for goods via his outer-Gotham contacts. One of these connections is discovered to be Lex Luthor and his company, LexCorp.

File:Batman287.JPG

The Penguin, as seen in Batman #287 (May 1977). Art by Mike Grell.

The Penguin is swept up in the events of Infinite Crisis. In the limited series' seventh issue, he is briefly seen as part of the Battle of Metropolis, a multi-character brawl started by the Secret Society of Super Villains. The Penguin, along with several other villains, is bowled over by the surprise appearance of Bart Allen.

One Year Later while the Penguin is away from Gotham City, the Great White Shark and Tally Man kill many of the villains who worked for him, and frames the reformed Harvey Dent. Great White had planned to take over Gotham's criminal syndicate and eliminate the competition, Penguin included. Upon his return to Gotham, Penguin continues to claim that he has gone "straight" and reopens the Iceberg, selling overpriced Penguin merchandise. He urges the Riddler to avoid crime, as their non-criminal lifestyle is more lucrative.

The Penguin was featured as a prominent figure in the new Gotham Underground tie-in to the series Countdown. He is "hired" by Batman as an informant, using his criminal contacts to give Batman an edge. He fights a gang war with Tobias Whale and Intergang — a war that he ultimiately loses along with his privileged position, having lost Batman's support after the latter's mysterious disappearance, and Intergang's exploitation of the return of the Apokoliptan Gods. He appeared in Battle for the Cowl: The Underground, which showed the effects of Batman's disappearance on his enemies.

Penguin's mob was absorbed by Black Mask II and his actions controlled. Penguin, with the aid of Mad Hatter abducted Batman, brainwashing him to assassinate Black Mask.

During the events of Brightest Day, the Birds of Prey discover Penguin beaten and stabbed at the feet of a new villainess calling herself White Canary. The Birds rescue him and flee to the Iceberg. While recovering, Penguin expresses his attraction to Dove. Eventually, the Penguin reveals that his injury was a ruse, and that he is working with White Canary in exchange for valuable computer files on the superhero community. He betrays the Birds and seriously injures both Lady Blackhawk and Hawk before being defeated by Huntress. Huntress tapes him up with the intention of taking him with her, only to be informed by Oracle that she has to let him go due to a police manhunt for the Birds. Enraged at Penguin's traitorous actions, Huntress considers killing him with her crossbow, but ultimately leaves him bound and gagged in an alleyway, with the promise that she will exact her vengeance on him later.

The Penguin is eventually attacked by the Secret Six, who kill many of his guards in an ambush at his mansion. Bane informs Penguin that he needs information on Batman's partners, as he plans on killing Red Robin, Batgirl, Catwoman and Azrael. Penguin soon betrays the team's location, which results in the Justice League, Teen Titans, Birds of Prey, Justice Society and various other heroes hunting down and capturing the criminals.

Around this time, a new supervillain named the Architect plants a bomb in the Iceberg Lounge as revenge for crimes committed by Cobblepot's ancestor. Though Blackbat and Robin are able to evacuate the building, the Lounge is destroyed in the ensuing explosion.

Powers and abilities

Penguin is a master criminal strategist; he uses his intellect to gain wealth and power through criminal means. Driven entirely by self-interest, Penguin relies on cunning, wit, and intimidation to exploit his surroundings for profit. He usually plans crimes, but does not often commit them himself. Although fighting and hard work are mostly delegated to his henchmen, he is not above taking aggressive and lethal actions on his own, especially when provoked. In spite of his appearance, he is a dangerous hand-to-hand combatant with enough self-taught skills in judo and fisticuffs to overwhelm attackers many times his size and physical bearing.

Penguin always carries an umbrella due to his mother's obsessive demands. The umbrellas usually contain weapons such as machine guns, sword tips, missiles, lasers, flame-throwers, and acid spraying devices. He usually carries an umbrella that can transform its top into a series of spinning blades. This can be used as a mini helicopter or as an offensive weapon; he often uses this to escape a threatening situation. Another umbrella has a spiral pattern on the top with which he can hypnotize enemies.

Other versions

Joker

Penguin (referred to mockingly as "Abner" by Joker) appears in Joker, a graphic novel by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo. In this incarnation he handles most of Joker's personal investments, as well as dealing with revenue from boxing matches. He is portrayed as almost bald, wearing a white suit and operating the Iceberg Lounge.

Elseworlds

In the Elseworlds story Batman: Crimson Mist, the third part in a trilogy that turns Batman into a vampire, Penguin is the first of many criminals to be killed by the vampiric Batman after he surrenders to his darker instincts. Batman brutally tears Penguin's throat out as he drinks his blood and subsequently decapitates his enemy to ensure that he cannot return as a vampire.

Flashpoint

In the alternate timeline of Flashpoint, Oswald Cobblepot did not become Penguin. Instead, he works as the security chief of Wayne Casinos, providing information about his clients and the criminal underworld to this world's Batman, Thomas Wayne.

Earth One

On the alternate earth, Earth One by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, Oswald Cobblepot, never called Penguin, is a more normal looking man who is the corrupt mayor of Gotham City. He attempts to orchestrate the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne, but his plan fails and the Waynes are killed in a random mugging the same night. Cobblepot runs Gotham with an iron fist, controlling all the power centers of the city and using a mysterious murderer named "Birthday Boy." He almost kills Batman with his umbrella (concealed with a blade) once he discovers his secret identity before he is shot in the head and killed by Alfred Pennyworth. It is also implied that he had James Gordon's wife murdered, when the detective getting close of finding out Cobblepot's involvements with the Waynes' murder, and tried to do the same thing to Gordon's daughter Barbara by "sending" her to Birthday Boy but she is saved by Batman, Gordon, and Harvey Bullock.

Media

Television

Burgess Meredith as the Penguin as seen in Batman. The purple top hat and tie are departures from the black top hat and white tie of the comics.

• Penguin was played by Burgess Meredith in 19 episodes of the Batman television series of the 1960s. A campy interpretation, Meredith's performance is perhaps best remembered for his signature laugh, meant to mimic the squawk of a penguin. One cause of the laugh was the smoke from the cigarettes the character always smoked, which irritated Meredith's throat and made him cough, because he had already quit smoking in real life. His thugs wear black bowler hats, with dark clothing adorned with names of various animals of prey such as birds ("Hawk") or fish ("Shark"), or sometimes simply "Henchman" (in Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin). His prison cell {PG1} is in the "Supervillains" section, next to that of Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, Egghead and King Tut. Penguin can be clever when he chooses—he once brainwashed Alfred into spying for him and tricked Batman into planning crimes for him. Once when he tried to get back into Prison—as part of a larger plot-he is enraged when Batman put him into a common jail cell. In one episode, he claims to have been an actor. In the film, he commands a nuclear submarine that his minions are using as part of their plot and which resembles a Penguin.

• Meredith made a brief cameo appearance as Penguin in the 1968 episode of The Monkees titled "The Monkees Blow Their Minds." Years after his death, his memorable Penguin portrayal would become a staple of late-night comedians as well as Internet users, who lampooned various politicians with his likeness.

• Penguin is a major enemy in Filmation's The Adventures of Batman animated series, which ran from 1968 to 1969, and then ran as Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder, without Superman or Superboy segments. He is voiced by Ted Knight, along with other male Batman enemies.

• Along with Joker, Penguin was one of the villains from the episodes of The New Scooby-Doo Movies, "The Dynamic Scooby-Doo Affair" and "The Caped Crusader Caper" that were later combined on the "Scooby-Doo Meets Batman and Robin" DVD. He was reprised by Ted Knight. Here, he put on various disguises, including as a dryad.

• In Filmation's series The New Adventures of Batman, Penguin is voiced by Lennie Weinrib. He frequently rolls his 'r's and laughs in a manner similar to Meredith's portrayal. He appears in four episodes: "Reading, Writing and Wronging," "Birds of a Feather Fool Around Together" and "Have an Evil Day, Parts 1 and 2."

• Penguin appeared in The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians episode "The Case of the Stolen Powers" voiced by Robert Morse. He is shown in prison as a cellmate of Felix Faust. He gains Superman's superpowers by accident when Felix Faust tries to get them for himself. Batman is not featured in the episode.

File:Pengers.JPG

Penguin, as seen in Batman: The Animated Series

• When Batman: The Animated Series debuted in 1992, Penguin was voiced by Academy Award-winner Paul Williams. Due to the close relation in time between Batman Returns and the animated series, the film version's physically freakish depiction of the character was adapted for the animated series, but he retained the traditional refined mannerisms and personality of his comic counterpart. His most prominent appearances include the episodes "Almost Got 'Im" and "Birds of a Feather". He is the only villain, other than Joker, not to be given an origin story.

• Paul Williams reprised his role as Penguin in the 1997 follow-up to the original animated series, The New Batman Adventures. The character appeared more like his traditional comic book portrayal. His role was also similar to that in the comic books: a "legitimate" businessman and mob boss who runs a night club called the "Iceberg Lounge."

• While the Penguin doesn't appear in Justice League Unlimited, his club the Iceberg Lounge made a cameo appearance at the beginning of the episode "This Little Piggy".

File:Penguin TB.jpg

The Penguin as seen in The Batman.

• The character appeared in The Batman, voiced by Tom Kenny. In this continuity, Penguin is primarily concerned with reestablishing the Cobblepot family name in society by stealing from the citizens of Gotham to rebuild his wealth. While he shares the comic incarnation's love for birds and aristocratic look, this Penguin retained a deformed appearance more similar to the Batman Returns incarnation, with orange hair instead of black and sharp, pointy teeth. Unlike in the previous animated series, the Penguin in this incarnation is not a "gentleman", but a rude, selfish villain. His speech is often peppered with confused squawks. When captured, he is placed in Arkham Asylum, instead of Gotham State Penitentiary. He is sometimes aided by two henchwomen, a masked pair called the Kabuki Twins. (Although their names were never been mentioned in the show, in the first The Batman comic book, which starred the Penguin, he reveals their names to be Gale and Peri.) In addition, it is clear that he also knows martial arts, and is athletic enough to engage in hand-to-hand combat with Batman, dodging and parrying with his various trick umbrellas. He seems to be in a rivalry with Joker (and, to a lesser extent, Riddler) for the title of Gotham's most dangerous criminal. This Penguin regards Bruce Wayne as a personal enemy and has held him hostage on multiple occasions (though he is unaware of Wayne's alter ego). In one episode, he even infiltrates Wayne Manor, though does not discover the Batcave. He holds a grudge against Alfred, due to the Pennyworths having left the service of the Cobblepots generations before (Alfred claimed it was because of the Cobblepots' obnoxiousness). Unused concept art from the show indicates that a more classic version of Penguin was considered for the show.

• In the animated cartoon series Krypto the Superdog, Penguin's pet birds are recurring foes of Krypto and Ace the Bat-Hound. Although Penguin is referenced in this series, he never makes an appearance.

• Penguin is featured in Batman: The Brave and the Bold voiced by Stephen Root. In "Legends of the Dark Mite!", he appears in Bat-Mite's fantasy. In "Aquaman's Outrageous Adventure!", Batman ends up dealing with Penguin's crime spree. When Batman is captured and placed in a deadly drinking bird trap, Aquaman comes to his rescue and gets shocked by Penguin. Penguin reveals that his umbrella drones will spread a paralytic gas over Gotham City. Aquaman manages to make contact with some crabs to free the family as Penguin sics his minions on Batman and the Aquaman family. Batman redirects the umbrella drones into the ocean and then pursues Penguin. Upon catching up to him at his submarine, Batman manages to jam Penguin's umbrella with his cape and defeat him. He then cameos in "Chill of the Night!" as one of the villains at a weapons auction held by Joe Chill. Penguin has a quick cameo in the teaser for "The Last Patrol!" and also appears in "Night of the Batmen!" fighting Aquaman in a Batman costume, only to be defeated later on.

Film

• Burgess Meredith reprised his role as the Penguin in the 1966 film Batman alongside several other villains from the television show.

File:Batman returns ver5.jpg

Movie poster for Batman Returns (1992) featuring Danny DeVito as the Penguin

• In Batman Returns, Danny DeVito played the villain as the main antagonist alongside Catwoman. Director Tim Burton, inspired by the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, re-imagined the character not as an eloquent gentleman of crime, but a former freak show performer with a homicidal grudge against the aristocrats of Gotham City. While this Penguin retained many trademarks, such as a variety of trick umbrellas and the use of a monocle, he was given a huge visual makeover. Where the comic version had varied between a balding head of short cropped hair and varying degrees of thinning, this Penguin was still bald at the top but with his remaining length of hair long and stringy. His hands were now flippers, with a thumb and index finger, and the remaining three fingers fused. An unidentified thick, dark green bile-like liquid sometimes trickles from his nose and mouth. Instead of a tuxedo, he wore a more gothic, Victorian-style outfit, with a jabot as opposed to a bow tie. Other instances show him in black boots, a dickey, and something akin to a child's blanket sleeper, or the old long john-style underwear of the 1800s (also known as a union suit). However, Burton's design maintained the top hat seen in the comics, along with a monocle and a cigarette in some scenes.

• He appeared in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman as the primary antagonist, this time voiced by David Ogden Stiers. The plot involves Penguin and Carlton Duquesne in an illegal arms deal with the President of Kasnia. Of the three Batwomen, Penguin shares a personal history with Dr. Roxanne Ballantine, as he was the one who framed her fiancée years ago which led him into prison in order to find evidence that would get his sentence commuted.

• Tom Kenny reprised his role of Penguin in the animated movie The Batman vs. Dracula. In the movie, he accidentally resurrects Count Dracula with his blood in the Gotham cemetery. Dracula then hypnotizes Penguin to work for him. He is later released from the spell upon Dracula's death and accused of the vampire's crimes, and is thus returned to Arkham.

Video games

• The Penguin has appeared as a boss in several Batman video games, including Batman: The Caped Crusader, the various video game adaptations of the movie Batman Returns, Batman: The Animated Series and Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Super NES.

• At one point he was planned to appear as a boss in The Adventures of Batman & Robin for the Sega CD, in which he would try to kidnap Summer Gleeson. Penguin was cut from the game because it was tight on villains, but the storyboards for his animated cutscene are displayed in Paul Dini's book, Batman Animated.

• Penguin is the chief antagonist of an online flash game, Batman: The Cobblebot Caper, which is modeled after The Batman animated series. His ultimate plan is to construct a giant mechanical phoenix which he intends to use as a war machine against Gotham City.

• Penguin appears in Lego Batman: The Videogame voiced by Tom Kenny. He is one of the leaders of the Arkham breakout. His plan is to use mind-controlled penguins to wreak havok in Gotham. To this end, he employs Catwoman, Bane, Killer Croc and Man-Bat. He has the ability to call out robotic penguins from under his top hat. He can use his umbrella both as a gliding apparatus and a rifle. Despite his comic book appearance he has some ideas and characteristics of Danny DeVito's Penguin (e.g. taking over Gotham with a penguin army, having a liking for raw fish, and working with Catwoman). Being a Lego game, he cannot be portrayed as fat.

• While Penguin is not featured as actual character in Batman: Arkham Asylum, as a key character in Batman's universe he is repeatedly referenced. An asylum security guard notes that he has witnessed the attempted smuggling of sharpened umbrellas into Arkham on at least one occasion before, a reference to the character. Additionally, an Iceberg Lounge advertisement can be seen in the Intensive Treatment wards, while a collection of trick umbrellas and top hats (apparently confiscated from Penguin upon his admittance to the facility) may be observed on display in the old Arkham Mansion.

• Penguin appears in DC Universe Online, voiced by David Jennison. Following Bane's defeat, a cutscene features Penguin stating his anger at the competition from the Falcone Crime Family, Bane, Two-Face, Mad Hatter, Hush, Killer Croc, Catwoman and Joker due to all the chaos, but being a cunning crook he plans on tricking them into wiping each other out, taking Gotham for himself. The players discover that a hacked kiosk contained a message from Two-Face describing Penguin's smuggling operation in Gotham's old subway tunnels. Penguin is served by Cryo Pengbots, Louie Sluggers, Machine Gun Tommies, Nickie Blades, Pengbots, Pyro Pengbots, Tammy Two Guns and a Pengbot Maximus.
• Penguin appears as one of the villains in Batman: Arkham City, voiced by Nolan North in a Cockney accent. Penguin is redesigned without penguin-like mannerisms such as the waddle or the squawk-laugh, although he maintains his trademark monocle (here depicted as the remains of a glass bottle) and beaked nose. He appears to have some sort of speaker device implanted in his throat. Apparently, Cobblepot became trapped in the open-air prison perimeter of Arkham City after refusing to vacate his residence at the Iceberg Lounge (which was condemned as part of the new project). The villain went on to establish himself as a warlord in the new criminal underworld.

• Penguin appears in Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes voiced by Steven Blum.

Toys

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The Lego version of the Penguin orders his penguins to attack the Batboat.

• The Lego Batman line includes one particular set, The Batcave: The Penguin and Mr. Freeze's Invasion, which features Penguin. He appears as a minifigure in the set, with short, unbending legs, the classic top hat and monocle and a purple pin-stripe suit, but lacks the familiar pointy nose. Penguin rides in a submarine reminiscent of the one in the 1960s TV series and is assisted by miniature penguin robots. The set also includes a depiction of the Batcave.

• He also appears in the Batman Lego promotional video. He is the final villain to be caught (after Two-Face, Mr. Freeze and Joker).

• Penguin was featured in the 1980's Super Powers Collection toy-line, featuring various DC Comics villains and heroes. The Penguin's appearance was much like that of the time, with a blue coat and top-hat. Penguin had "umbrella action" where his legs could be squeezed together, triggering his arm (holding an umbrella) to move up and down. - (This figure sculpt was later used for the Batman Returns figure line, with a new black paint application).

• There have been various toys of Penguin for cartoon series, from the sophisticated aristocrat to the deformed outcast styles.

• Recently Penguin was made into a toy by Funko who made small 3.75" figures with large heads and also soft toy version of Penguin. Penguin figure looked much like the Burgess Meredith style from the 1960s, along with the comic book look. The figure featured an umbrella accessory but the plush did not.

Parodies

• Penguin appears in the Saturday Night Live segment "Superman's Funeral." When he makes his trademark "Penguin Cackle," Batman angrily tells him to stop laughing, to which Penguin replies, "I'm not laughing. This is also how I cry." In that appearance, Penguin was portrayed by Robert Smigel.

• In Yin Yang Yo!, the villain called Puffin is a parody of Penguin. His dressy appearance is based on Penguin, although characters in the show stop talking before the connection is made and before lawsuits can be filed.

• Episode 24 of "This American Life" on National Public Radio, "20 Acts in 60 Minutes," contains a short story that gives an alternate origin of Penguin's powers and rivalry with Batman. In this story, Penguin and Mary Poppins meet at a dinner party by a friend who thinks that their ability to fly or float using umbrellas will bring them together. Unfortunately, the two have nothing in common, and Mary Poppins soon leaves with another dinner guest, one who wears a conspicuous black cape.

• Penguin appears in the Robot Chicken episode "Drippy Pony" voiced by Seth Green. In a segment that parodies Penguin in the style of the popular documentary film March of the Penguins, it shows his life. Tom Kane provides a narrative style similar to that of Morgan Freeman in the English-language version of March of the Penguins. He appears in another sketch from a later episode, where his umbrella was accidentally switched with that of an old woman.

Politics

The character of the Penguin, particularly as portrayed by Burgess Meredith, has often been used as a theme to mock public figures that supposedly resemble him. Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, has made numerous references comparing former Vice President Dick Cheney with Penguin, including a laugh similar to the one heard in the 1960s Batman series. In a similar manner, Stephen Colbert, host of The Colbert Report, called Franklin D. Roosevelt a criminal and told his audience to "ask Batman" "if they don’t believe him", showing a picture of Meredith as Penguin next to one of the former President, in which he looks like him. Cheney was mocked in a similar capacity on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, while The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson chose to imitate John McCain with Meredith's Penguin laugh.

In May 2006, a Republican-led PR firm, DCI Group, created a YouTube video making fun of Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth. The video portrayed Gore as Penguin using one of his trick umbrellas to hypnotize a flock of penguins into believing in the existence of global warming.

In October 2008, an internet meme surfaced when YouTube users posted videos that compared John McCain with Penguin. Most of the meme focused on a scene from the 1960s series episode "Dizzoner the Penguin" in which the Penguin and Batman debated as opponents for mayor of Gotham City.

See also

• List of Batman Family enemies

External links

• The Origin of the Penguin at DCComics.com
• Penguin on DC Database, a DC Comics wiki