It’s World Penguin Day so MM have collected together the good, the bad and the downright beaky of our favourite flippered friends.
While the choices are bound to have ruffled some feathers, it was a close call for the final five, which left the penguin waiters from Mary Poppins and the military-esque Madagascar penguins out in the cold.
So p-p-p-put up those Happy Feet as we countdown the top 5 penguins.
5. Mumble
The Fred Astaire of the penguin world tap-danced onto the silver screen in the BAFTA award-winning Happy Feet in 2006.
With his unusual twinkling blue eyes, this tiny Emperor Penguin was the first of his kind to be missing a heartsong – which the species use to attract their mate.
But nothing was going to get in the way of Mumble meeting his true love Gloria as he put on those dancing flippers.
From the moment he hatched, Mumble was a flipping good dancer and proved that true love knows no boundaries as later he went on to have a son, Erik, with his childhood sweetheart.
One of Mumble’s most memorable dancing moments was when he and Gloria brought together the colony of penguins in a slick dance routine to the 1979 Earth, Wind and Fire disco hit Boogie Wonderland.
4. Wheezy
The most musical of the top five, Wheezy stole the hearts of audiences worldwide in 1999 when he appeared in Disney Pixar’s Toy Story 2.
With a sob-story fit for the best of the nation’s talent shows, Wheezy was found on the shelf by Woody with a broken squeaker after being left there by protagonist Andy’s mum.
Left alone and forgotten without a voice to be heard, Wheezy is the penguin that brought hope to the unsung talent around the globe as he took to the stage to sing Randy Newman tune You’ve Got a Friend in Me, following the replacement of his squeaker by Mr Shark.
Unfortunately, that was the last time we would see Wheezy and his red dickey bow as he was later sold in a yard sale which Woody mentions in the 2010 threequel.
His squeak however continues to touch the hearts of rubber penguin fans far and wide.
3. Chilly Willy
Cartoon veteran Chilly Willy, first appeared alongside Woody the Woodpecker in 1953.
Created by animation pioneer Walter Lantz, Willy lived in Alaska where he spent much of his time trying to keep warm while often coming face-to-face with his rival Smedley the dog.
The pair, however, were often known to reconcile at the end of episodes leaving viewers with a feeling to warm even the chilliest of Willy’s cockles.
He went on to become the second most popular character at Universal Studios after his rival Woody and his career spanned almost two decades, starring in 50 animations and a series of comics.
Willy and his woolly hat remain just as popular today as 61 years ago as fans continue to dedicate websites to the pancake-loving penguin while he rakes in the YouTube views.
2. Feathers McGraw
The villainous Feathers McGraw appeared in Nick Park’s 1993 Boxing Day animation The Wrong Trousers which went on to win an Academy award in the animated short film category.
The pesky penguin first arrived at 62 West Wallaby Street on Gromit’s birthday and embarked on a quest to separate Wallace and his pet pooch.
Of course, McGraw was never going to be a match for Wallace’s faithful companion Gromit and his plan to use the eccentric inventor’s robotic trousers in a diamond robbery is foiled.
Despite being arrested and sent to ‘prison’ at the local zoo, McGraw will always be remembered for his trademark rubber-glove-on-the-head ensemble – a look you can easily recreate with a pair Marigolds to stay on trend this World Penguin Day.
1. Pingu
Created by German animator Otmar Gutmann, this BAFTA award-winning plasticine penguin was originally made for Swiss TV and first came to British shores in 1986.
Almost 30 years later, Pingu and his Antarctic family continue to fill our screens with the dramas of toddler life as well as his adventures with his best pal, Robby the seal.
Some of Pingu’s best work came in the episode New Arrival when Pingu welcomed his chick sister Pinga into the world, bringing a tear to eyes across the world.
His comic timing was perhaps best showcased in the classic series one episode Little Accidents, which finds Pingu stranded in a bar, desperate for the loo before he returns home only to find he can’t reach the toilet.
Due to the toilet humour, this particular episode was banned everywhere except from in the UK.
Pingu’s monolingual performances in ‘penguinese’ meant that his career continues to thrive around the world.
And for those who like videos of penguins falling over (who doesn’t), here’s a couple of our favourites:
Images courtesy of Antartica Bound and Aardman animations via Youtube, with thanks
