Penguins

Mct penguins — A penguin orchestra in *Muppet Classic Theater*.

Summer Penguin flying an aircraft — Summer Penguin in *Muppet Babies* (2018).

Vlcsnap-105274 — Penguins in *Little Muppet Monsters*.

SS-Elmo-Penguins — Elmo surrounded by the *Sesame Street* penguins.

Penguins-MWoOz — *The Muppets' Wizard of Oz*

The-X-Factor-UK-(2011)-08 — Performing on the UK's *X Factor* in 2011.

TheMuppets-(2011)-Finale-Penguins — The penguins in *The Muppets*.

Bohemianpenguins — Penguins sing "Bohemian Rhapsody".

GloriaEstefanThePenguin — Gloria Estefan on *The Muppets*.

PenguinFilmography — A penguin shows off its versatility via résumé.

TMTM-PenguinChoir — A penguin choir in *The Muppets Take Manhattan*.

The Penguins are mostly nameless and undifferentiated from one another. Generally playful and wacky in nature, they have appeared in many Muppet productions (sometimes in places where penguins are not commonly seen). They are best known for tossing themselves into the air. The Muppet Penguins usually communicate with sounds that penguins would make, but they have spoken a few times. In The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, the Muppet penguins are referred to by Scooter as "unisex" (gender androgynous or applicable to male and female), reflecting the fact that they function as a collective, identical and indistinguishable.

“What my father figured out was if you can't get out, you just either blow something up, or you eat something, or you just throw penguins in the air.”
—Brian Henson^[1]

The Muppet Show[]

Brian Henson built the very first Muppet penguin, which was used by Frank Oz for the "Lullaby of Broadway" on The Muppet Show episode 304.^[2] He was given the name Winky Pinkerton in episode 308. He was the only penguin in the cast until four penguins popped up in episode 320's "Hawaiian War Chant." The complete group of penguins appeared for the first time in episode 321, in which one of them is the first Muppet affected by the Cluckitis. In episode 424, a supposed penguin affirms that he's a flamingo disguised with a tuxedo. Groups of penguins include the Pilgrim Penguins and the Endangered Species Chorus Line.

Other Muppet Productions[]

Penguins are featured as musicians in the orchestra pit in a few Muppet productions. In Muppet*Vision 3D, Nicky Napoleon and His Emperor Penguins appeared in both puppet and animatronic form. The penguins also provided the background music for Little Muppet Monsters.

Charlotte the Penguin appeared in The Animal Show episode "Penguin & Kiwi." In the episode "Indian Elephant and Human," it is shown that a penguin serves as a camera operator for the show.

Nellie Penguin also made an appearance on an episode of Mopatop's Shop.

On The Muppets, Miss Piggy kept a baby penguin, whom she named Gloria Estefan, after smuggling her back from a vacation in Argentina.

The 2018 Muppet Babies series introduced Summer Penguin as a main character in the Muppet Babies group.

In Muppets Haunted Mansion, penguins are featured as part of the broader ghostly ensemble as well as one of Constance Hatchaway's husbands. This penguin, dressed to play the role of the Marquis de Doome from the attraction and performed by Eric Jacobson, squawks a description of their death so grisly that the other husbands call it something that can't be said on a family show.

Sesame Street[]

Shivers the Penguin, a Caroll Spinney character, made a few live appearances in the early 1980s. However, it would not be until season 23 that an entire array of Muppet penguins would have a more recurring prominence on Sesame Street. These penguins, first appearing in a "Fairy Tales Today" sketch, are different puppets than those on The Muppet Show, possessing orange eyelids and light gray beaks. A team of penguin softball players appeared in Episode 4072, while Episode 4112 featured a graduating class of penguins. An entire episode of Elmo's World was dedicated to the Antarctic bird, including one Caesar Penguin. Telly sang a song about having "Six Penguins in My Shirt" in a Season 39 episode.

An Elmo the Musical segment features Elmo as a pilot flying a penguin bride-to-be to her wedding. (First: Episode 4307)

Rosita and her abuela throw a fiesta for their visiting friend, Polly the Penguin, in Episode 5025.

Other named penguins include Blubba, Busby, Camille, Kurt, Penelope, Shecky, Sue, and Zero.

International Sesame Street

A blue-billed penguin named Georges appears on 5, Rue Sésame, the most recent French Sesame Street co-production.

Filmography[]

Merchandise[]

A pair of Penguins Action Figures were released by Palisades Toys in 2005.

Sources[]

↑ Brian Henson Introductions
↑ The Muppet Show Fan Club Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 4

[1] Brian Henson Introductions

[2] The Muppet Show Fan Club Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 4

[1]

[2]

Muppet Wiki