Penguin Merchandise: Pictures, Books, Stuffed Animals And Penguin Wallpaper

The penguin is ranked by many people as one of the most adorable creatures of the animal world. The animal is a fairly small and stubby flightless bird whose black and white plumage resembles a tuxedo. Because of their cute image, wobbly pace and upright posture, penguins have also turned into popular animal icons. These adorable animals are portrayed in various films, animations and illustrations such as "Happy Feet," "Pingu," "Madagascar" and "Surf's Up."

Although they are incapable of flying, penguins are perfectly suited for life in the sea. Since their wings have evolved into flippers, penguins are excellent swimmers and can reach up to 12 kilometers per hour. Some penguins can even reach 27 kilometers per hour, especially if they are swimming away from a predator. Furthermore, they also have small waterproof feathers and webbed feet to aid them during diving and swimming.

There are about 20 species of identified penguins, the most popular being the Emperor and Galapagos species. The largest penguins are the Emperors, with adults having an average height of 1.1 meters and an average weight of 35 kilograms. The smallest penguins are the Fairy penguins, or Little penguins, with adults having an average height of 40 centimeters and an average weight of 1 kilogram.

Mumble, from the movie "Happy Feet," is perhaps one of the most popular and adored penguins today. The movie is presented as an entertaining musical about the struggles of an unusual young penguin named Mumble. Mumble is born into a colony of Emperor penguins who must sing their "heartsong" in order to win a soul mate. However, Mumble cannot sing and tap dances instead.

Following the huge "Happy Feet" success, more people paid attention to penguins and their life in the wild. Then, more penguin merchandise and "Happy Feet" items emerged, since everybody wanted little penguins of their own. Soon, toy shops and gift shops were flooded with "Happy Feet" stickers, shirts, keychains, pictures, room wallpaper and posters, books, penguin stuffed toys and Mumble plush toys.

Stuffed animals are made to closely resemble real adult penguins and chicks, which is why they are popular among children and adults as well. Penguin plush toys usually come in small to medium-sized soft toys, although there are some toy shops that offer large and battery-operated plush toys.

There are many stunning penguin stuffed animals based on the hit movie "Happy Feet.” Small penguin plush toys include Emperor penguin chicks that look very much like baby Mumble. Official "Happy Feet” merchandise also includes battery-operated dancing stuffed animals of baby Mumble and Gloria, which will surely delight every fan.

There are hundreds of other options for merchandise available in online stores for every penguin lover. These include shirts, books, coloring and activity books, DVDs and soundtracks of movies and documentaries, figurines, pictures and even costumes for children. A penguin lover will certainly find various interesting penguin-themed novelties in the internet, even something as trivial as a cookie cutter, soap dispenser, wallpaper pattern or shower curtain hook.

Any penguin fan can inundate themselves with various merchandise dealing with the black and white animals. The fascination with penguins is sure not disappear anytime soon, so anyone with associated collectibles will use them for a long time to come.


Sources:
"Penguin." Wikipedia.org. 26 Oct. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penguin

"Penguins in Popular Culture." Wikipedia.org. 26 Oct. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penguins_in_popular_c ulture

"Happy Feet." Wikipedia.org. 26 Oct. 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Feet

"Penguin Facts." PeguinsOnParade.com. 26 Oct. 2007. http://www.penguinsonparade.com/penguins.html.