Cultural depictions of penguins
Penguins are popular around the world primarily for their unusually upright, waddling pace and (compared to other birds) lack of fear towards humans.[1] Their striking black and white plumage is often likened to a tuxedo suit and generates humorous remarks about the bird being "well dressed"[2].
The bird is typically depicted as a friendly and comical figure, with considerable personal dignity despite its physical limitations. Perhaps in reaction to this cutesy stereotype, fictional penguins are occasionally presented as grouchy or even sinister. The popular Sanrio character Badtz Maru is an example, being cute yet somewhat surly. The 1960s television cartoon character Tennessee Tuxedo would often escape the confines of his zoo with his partner, Chumley the walrus. Also, the webcomic Fluble features an enormous penguin conspiracy run by numerous diabolical, if often inept, penguins. In the children's movie Madagascar, the penguins are cast as spies. In the animated series Wallace and Gromit a penguin called Feathers McGraw disguises himself as a chicken with a red rubber glove. Penguins are often portrayed as friendly and smart as well. Another example is in the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, which features a warm-water penguin named Pen Pen.
Famous penguin characters
- Pingu - a claymation penguin, from the swiss children's television programme of the same name.
- Chilly Willy - cartoon penguin best known from appearing in The Woody Woodpecker Show
- Feathers McGraw - claymation penguin from Wallace and Grommit's The Wrong Trousers.
- Opus the Penguin - cartoon penguin created by Berkeley Breathed.
- Tux - The official mascot of the Linux kernel
- Pokey the Penguin - an online comic strip which began in 1998.
- Tennessee Tuxedo - an animated cartoon airing in the early sixties on CBS.
- Frobisher (Doctor Who) - character from Doctor Who comics.
- The Penguin - villain in Batman.
- Mumble "Happy Feet" - main character from popular movie Happy Feet.
- Badtz-Maru - Sanrio character who is a lovable "bad boy".
Computing
- Sega's 1982 video-game Pengo stars a penguin.
- A penguin (often named Pentarou) is a main character in a number of 1980s Konami games (namely Antarctic Adventure and Penguin Adventure), and shows up as a playable character in others, notably the Parodius series.
- Penguins are featured in the computer game Pingus, similar to the classic computer game Lemmings.
- Penguins feature prominently in the popular Yetisports series of Flash games.
- The Linux mascot Tux is a penguin, and is featured in several computer games, such as Tux Racer and Freedroid RPG.
- The Gentoo Linux distribution is named after the Gentoo Penguin.
- The Nintendo 64 game Super Mario 64 features a level in which a mother and baby penguin are prominent characters. These penguins are favorite characters of Nintendo producer Shigeru Miyamoto and go on to appear in other Nintendo titles such as Mario Kart 64, Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, and Mario Pinball Land.
- The penguin appears in a recent edition of the video game Pitfall. In fact, one part of the game involves fighting the protagonist as a penguin. Strangely unlike the typical South American penguins, the penguins from Pitfall have crests like the crested penguins.
- The Dire Penguin is an animal unit associated with the Frostlings in the PC games Age of Wonders and Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic.
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3 includes enemy penguin robots in Ice Cap Zone. The Sonic series also has penguins appear as real animals freed from machines in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Sonc Adventure. Sonic Adventure 2 has penguins spread out through levels to collect and use with Chao.
- The website War Of The Penguins.com is one of several sites that talk about "evil penguins." The website concentrates on the military invasion of the world by a hypothetical Penguin Army.
- In the video game Mega Man X, there is a boss known as Chill Penguin.
- In Pokemon there are four penguin Delibird and Pochama's evolutions
- The game, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, introduced the Prinnies. Prinnies are demonic penguins that use bombs and knives and explode when thrown.
Politics and military
- The penguin is an unofficial symbol of the United States Libertarian Party.
- Nils Olav, a King Penguin living in Edinburgh Zoo, Scotland, is the mascot and Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Norwegian Guard.
- Penguin Vic was a character created to promote tourism in Victoria (Australia)
- Supporters and collaborators of Argentine president Néstor Kirchner are known informally as penguins, and pingüino (the Spanish for penguin) is the nickname of the President himself, alluding to his birthplace in the cold southern region of Patagonia. [1] [2]
Comics
- Opus the penguin was a main character in Berke Breathed's comic strips Bloom County, Outland, and Opus.
- Sparky is a main character in the weekly cartoon This Modern World by Tom Tomorrow.
- Pokey the Penguin is a popular webcomic.
- Chilly Willy is another web comic, based on the (penguin) character from the Commodore 64 game Chilly Willy, a clone of Pengo. These only coincidentally share the same name as the theatrical cartoon character.
- Frobisher is a penguin (actually, a shape-shifting alien who liked the penguin shape) who appeared in the Doctor Who Monthly comic strips in the 1980s. Despite not being strictly canon, he is considered an important part of the Doctor Who mythos.
- DC Comics' Batman contains a villain named the Penguin, who has also appeared in movies and live-action television programs as well as cartoons. While actually a human, his long nose and stout shape have earned him the nickname commenting on how similar he is in appearance to the bird.
- Ted the penguin is a penguin of unknown age which inhabits the home of Ethan, Lucas, Scott and Lilah in the Ctrl Alt Del (webcomic), ostensibly as the pet of Scott, the web-comic's Linux guru.
- Linus the penguin, named after Linux creator Linus Torvalds, is a character in the webcomic Nukees. He befriended Gav while the mad scientist was trapped in Antarctica after fleeing his creation, a homicidal AI named Teri. While Linus is not known to speak, Gav and the other Nukees seem to understand him, and he is quite good with computer hacking despite the lack of hands (he types with his beak
- Wally and Osborne (formerly On the Rocks) stars an adelie penguin named Osborne (formerly Osbourne). The comic features several penguins as it takes place in Antarctica as well as regularly offering penguin facts.
- Percy and Pete are characters in the webcomic Hackles. These penguins are sysadmins in the fictional company BitCo.
- Mellville is Vice-Penguin of the country Pellmellia in the Graphic-Novel-of-a-Humorous-Persuasion series Lookit by Ray Friesen. He beleives it is because of him that penguins have become so popular recently, as he first burst on the scene in September of 2001, ignoring the several penguin cartoon characters that preceeded him.
Film
- In the major animated sequence of the film, Mary Poppins, Mary and Bert are served by a group of overeager penguin waiters. Afterward, Bert has an extended dance sequence with them, soon lowering his pants to imitate their stubby legs.
- The animated Don Bluth film The Pebble and the Penguin is centered around the mating ritual of the Adelie penguin.
- 3-2-1 Penguins! was a series of Christian animated videos for children. The series was produced by Big Idea Productions, the makers of VeggieTales, and its stories featured lessons from the Bible.
- Chilly Willy is the name of an animated character in Walter Lantz's series of theatrical shorts. ([3])
- The animated film Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers features a ruthless criminal penguin named Feathers McGraw.
- There were 4 penguins (Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private) featured as prominent (although not the main) characters in Dreamworks' 2005 animated film Madagascar. They were featured again as main characters in a short Christmas special, The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper. Private leaves the zoo to find a present for Ted the Polar Bear and is captured by an old NY lady. The other penguins must rescue him.
- One of the main villains of the movie Batman Returns was the Penguin who, in the film, was raised by penguins. In this movie he also formed an army of penguins to attack Gotham City. Their equipment included back mounted rockets and laser eye sights.
- The anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion featured Pen-Pen, a pet/mascot.
- The documentary March of the Penguins (2005) details a year in the life of a colony of Emperor Penguins mating, giving birth, and hunting for food in the harsh continent of Antarctica. It is 2005's Academy Award-winning documentary film. Official website
- The movie Billy Madison featured a penguin that was a nemesis of Adam Sandler's character.
- There was a penguin character named Wheezy in Disney's Toy Story 2. He would later make a cameo appearance at the beginning of the direct-to-video Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins.
- Martini the penguin is a major supporting character in the Christmas television special Olive, the Other Reindeer. He earns his living selling fake watches.
- Mr Forbush and The Penguins (Mr Forbush and The Penguins at IMDb)
- The penguin is Jack's power animal in Fight Club.
- The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin is a ten minute animated film based on the story of Cinderella, featuring a cast of medieval penguins. It was directed by Janet Perlman and produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
- Happy Feet is a CGI-animated movie featuring penguins, released under Warner Bros. It applies a musical treatment and a modified version of the ugly duckling fable to the lifecycle of the Emperor Penguins, with an additional plotline about the impact of human fishing activities on penguin (and other arctic animal) food sources. The fable theme plays against the high visual similarity of penguins of the same species to one another (at least from a human perspective) in emphasizing how one individual may stand out from the crowd.
- Blue Planet: Seas of Life features penguins in its antarctic segment.
- Scamper the Penguin (original title Chiisana penguin lolo no buken), a Japanese animated film featuring a penguin main character from 1988.
- In the 2004 romantic comedy, 50 First Dates Adam Sandler's character has a pet penguin named Willie.
- Cozy Heart Penguin a star of The Care Bears Movie.
- The upcoming Surf's Up, about surfing penguins.
- The upcoming Farce of the Penguins is a parody of 2005's March of the Penguins that was written by Bob Saget
Literature
- The children's book Mr. Popper's Penguins details Mr. Popper and his 12 performing penguins.
- Three children's books by Janet Perlman--Cinderella Penguin, The Emperor Penguin's New Clothes, and The Penguin and the Pea--retell classic children's stories with a penguin twist.
- Penguin Island by Anatole France
- Learning to Fly by Sebastian Meschenmoser
- H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness notably features giant blind albino penguins around an underground sea in Antarctica.
- Another literary penguin can be found in the children's book One Hot Penguin, by Jamie Rix
- Every Russian schoolchild knows and loves Maxim Gorky's reference to the "stupid penguin" in his Song of a Storm petrel
- And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, illustrated by Henry Cole. "In the Zoo there are all kinds of animal families. But Tango's family is not like any of the others." (The true story of a penguin family at the Central Park Zoo.)
- Pondus the Penguin is the eponymous main character in a 1968 photographed Danish children's book by Ivar Myrhøj.
Television
- Monty Python wrote two sketches about penguins. The first was about a pair of pepperpots watching one stand on top of their television. They discuss where it might have come from and before long, the penguin explodes. The other sketch involve them more directly, it has a documentary-style approach as to whether or not a penguin is smarter than a human being. It is followed by a Terry Gilliam animation about penguins replacing important figures in the world.
- A sinister penguin was the short lived mascot of Bud Ice, starring in commercials in 1996 themed "Beware the Penguins". The bird would appear either first in disguise, or from hiding (for example, in a hollowed out bookshelf speaker in one commercial) and take hold of an unsuspecting victim's Bud Ice, while eerily singing "Dooby Dooby Doo". The mascot did not last long after a menswear company sued, and Budweiser soon after pulled the ads in favor of a mascot that would better tie in with their products. Many speculate that the bird was actually referencing the line "Strangers in the Night" sung by Frank Sinatra, this has never been confirmed but is likely, as it is the closing line of the song.
- Futurama featured a whole colony of Penguins in 'The Birdbot of Ice-Catraz'. Leela finds them extremely cute, like 'If Kittens and Puppies could have babies.'
- An episode of The Simpsons featured penguins in the "Antarctica" warship when Homer steers a ship into International waters. His vessel found itself surrounded by ships from the United States, Canada, China, and etc. including Antarctica. In another episode Lisa peeps into a penguin habitat closed for repair surprising the penguins flying in the room. Once they notice her, they resume their usual "undercover" behavior.
- The Swiss television programme Pingu featured the adventures of a young penguin and his family in 5 minute episodes; the program proved popular in a diverse group of countries including its native Switzerland, New Zealand, Japan and the UK.
- Bugs Bunny encounters a lost penguin in the Looney Tunes short "8 Ball Bunny" and assists it in its travels to Antarctica. The penguin goes on to make a cameo appearance in the Looney Tunes-inspired film Space Jam in 1996.
- Tony Kornheiser performs the "Penguin Dance" frequently on the show PTI. He likes to claim that the dance is sweeping the nation, to the dismay of his partner Michael Wilbon.
- Penguins were also featured in the television show Count Duckula; one episode showed the penguins as a crew of pirates on the high seas and creating a mutiny, while another episode showed them all as servants and butlers for (appropriately)a bellicose walrus, though becoming hostile when they were not paid.
- A skit on the Australian show Ronnie Johns mentions 'A Penguin will choose a partner and mate for life. You probably don't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend. The Penguin is happier than you and the Penguin is better than you'.
- The Red Dwarf episode Quarrantine featured a penguin glove puppet called "Mr. Flibble".
Fashion
- Original Penguin is a brand of apparel, worn by Adam Brody in the popular television show The O.C..
Sports mascots
- Penguins are the namesake of the Pittsburgh Penguins (mascot's name: "Iceburgh") of the National Hockey League, their farm team in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and the sports teams of Youngstown State University (mascot's name: "Pete").
- The school mascot of New England Conservatory of Music (Boston, MA) is the Fighting Penguin.
- The mascot of North Otago RUFC is 'Bluey' the penguin, due to two penguin colonies located in Oamaru, one of which is Blue penguins
Places
- Penguin, Tasmania is a town in Tasmania, Australia, located at 41°7′0″S 146°4′15″E / 41.11667°S 146.07083°E (Map Quest).
Audio CDs
- Frobisher, the talking alien penguin from the DWM comics, has appeared in several of the licensed Doctor Who audio plays produced by Big Finish, including The Holy Terror and The Maltese Penguin.
- Sack Trick's second album, Penguins on the Moon, is the tale of four heroic penguins who journeyed to the moon in search of a more habitable climate.
- dredg's fifth album El Cielo features a song called "Triangle" with repetitious lyrics asking "We live like Penguins in the desert, why can't we live like tribes?"
- Woob's Woob1194 album features Emperor Penguins on the album cover.
- Italian progressive rock band Murple's 1974 album Io Sono Murple tells the story of a penguin named Murple who leaves his home in Anarctica and encounters the Evil Man.
- Pigloo is a French band which base their songs on penguins. Their videos also feature animate penguins.
Penguins and polar bears
Despite what commercials and other sources may show, the likelihood of a meeting between a penguin and a polar bear without human intervention is vanishingly small. This is because the two species are found on opposite hemispheres. Polar bears inhabit the northern hemisphere, while penguins mainly inhabit the southern hemisphere. This is a misconception that is fueled by popular culture such as movies and television. A prominent example of this takes place in a holiday 2005 ad campaign by Coca-Cola featuring the partying penguins and the polar bears watching from afar. This can also be sparked by the popular joke, sometimes shown on the wrapper of a Penguin biscuit, which asks, "Why don't polar bears eat penguins - Because they can't take the wrapper off."
References
- ^ Buenos Aires Herald. March of the Penguins..
- ^ Template:Es icon Clarín. 18 January 2006. Un combate entre "pingüinos" por la estratégica secretaría de Agricultura.