Tux (mascot)

Tux is a penguin character and the official brand character of the Linux kernel.[1]
Originally created as an entry to a Linux logo competition, Tux is the most
commonly used icon for Linux, although different Linux distributions depict Tux in
various styles. The character is used in many other Linux programs and as a general
symbol of Linux.

Contents
History
Origins
Tuz 2009
Linux for Workgroups 2013
Uses and reception
Tux, as originally drawn as raster
Video games
image by Larry Ewing in 1996.
Female Tux versions in video games
Tux in popular culture
Other uses
List of video games with Tux
Gallery
See also
References
External links

History

Origins
The concept of the Linux brand character being a penguin came from Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux. Tux was created by Larry
Ewing in 1996 after an initial suggestion made by Alan Cox[2] and further refined by Linus Torvalds on the Linux kernel mailing
list.[3] Torvalds took his inspiration from an image he found on an FTP site,[4] showing a penguin figurine looking strangely like the
Creature Comforts characters made by Nick Park. The first person to call the penguin "Tux" was James Hughes, who said that it
stood for "(T)orvalds (U)ni(X)".[5] However, tux is also an abbreviation of tuxedo, the outfit which often springs to mind when one
sees a penguin.

Tux was originally designed as a submission for a Linux logo contest. Three such competitions took place; Tux won none of them.
This is why Tux is formally known as the Linux brand character and not the logo.[6] Tux was created[7] by Larry Ewing using the
first publicly released[8] version (0.54) of GIMP, a free software graphics package. It was released by him under the following
condition:

Permission to use and/or modify this image is granted provided you acknowledge me [email protected] and The
GIMP if someone asks.[9]
According to Jeff Ayers, Linus Torvalds had a "fixation for flightless, fat waterfowl"
and Torvalds claims to have contracted "penguinitis" after being gently nibbled by a
penguin: "Penguinitis makes you stay awake at nights just thinking about penguins
and feeling great love towards them."[10] Torvalds' supposed illness is a joke, but he
claims he was bitten by a little penguin on a visit to the National Zoo & Aquarium,
Canberra, Australia.[11] Torvalds was looking for something fun and sympathetic to
associate with Linux, and a slightly fat penguin sitting down after having had a great
meal perfectly fit the bill.[12]

In an interview Linus commented on the penguin bite:

I've been to Australia several times, these days mostly for

Linux.Conf.Au. But my first trip—and the one when I was bitten by
a ferocious fairy penguin: you really should keep those things locked
up!—was in 93 or so, talking about Linux for the Australian Unix
Users Group.[13]
Linus Torvalds's "favourite penguin
picture," used as inspiration for Tux.

The story behind Tux, Canberra

Zoo

Tuz 2009
Tuz, a Tasmanian devil wearing a fake penguin beak, was the brand character of the 2009 linux.conf.au conference. It has been
chosen by Linus Torvalds as the logo for version 2.6.29 of the Linux kernel[14] to support the effort to save the Tasmanian devil
species from extinction[15] due to the devil facial tumour disease.

The image was designed by Andrew McGown and recreated as an Inkscape SVG by Josh Bush,[16] and released under Creative
Commons license CC-BY-SA.[17]
Tuz, the Tasmanian devil (2009).

Linux for Workgroups 2013

For the Linux 3.11-rc1 release, Linus Torvalds changed the code name from "Unicycling Gorilla" to
"Linux for Workgroups" and modified the logo that some systems display when booting to depict a Tux
holding a flag with a symbol that is reminiscent of the logo of Windows for Workgroups 3.11, which
was released in 1993.[18]

Tux logo in the

"Linux for
Workgroups"
release (2013).

Uses and reception

In some Linux distributions, for example Gentoo,[19] Tux greets the user during booting with multi-processor systems displaying
multiple images of Tux, one for each processor core.

Video games
Tux has taken on a role in the Linux community similar to that which Mario holds in the Nintendo community. The character has
been featured in open-source look-alikes of other mainstream games, such as Tux Racer, Extreme Tux Racer, Tux Math Scrabble,
TuxWordSmith Tux Math, SuperTux, SuperTuxKart, and Tux Paint. See also List of video games with Tux below.

Female Tux versions in video games

Some games that star Tux also include explicitly female penguin characters, allowing the players to play as one of those characters
instead of Tux. One such female penguin is Tux's friend "Gown". Gown is variously depicted as being a pink version of Tux (XTux)
or as having a somewhat less fat appearance and wearing items of clothing such as a red and white short skirt and a hair bow (e.g.
TuxKart and A Quest for Herring).

In SuperTux and SuperTuxKart, there is a different female penguin called "Penny" who is purple and white (SuperTuxKart once had
Gown and still has a map called "Gown's Bow"). In the arcade game Tux 2 there is a female penguin called "Trixi", and in FreeCiv
the female leader name for the Antarctican civilization is "T
uxette".

Tux in popular culture

In a Froot Loops commercial, Tux appears as a squeaky toy, the "secret weapon" to distract a pack of dogs pulling a
sled containing the villain.[20]
In the comics Hellblazer, in issue 234 "Joyride, part 1", a Tux plush toy makes an appearance, set on the side of the
road where a little girl was killed in a hit-and-run accident.
Tux appeared as a character during one arc in thewebcomic User Friendly.

Other uses
In 1999, Corel Linux Deluxe included a free Linux Penguin (Tux) toy.[21]
Since around 2001, there was a Linux-basedweb server named TUX, which was deprecated around 2006.
In 2006, Tux had an uncredited use in theAl Gore's Penguin Armyvideo.
In 2007, Tux was used by the Germancutlery producer WMF in the Sealion set for children.[22]
In 2008, Tux has also been made as a virtual pet under the name Tux Droid by Kysoh for Linux and Windows, has
many features including reading tweets fromTwitter and checking the weather.
Since 2009, TuxGuitar, a free guitar tab reading/editing program, features u Tx holding a guitar as its brand
character.[23]
In 2010, a prototype of a Tux monument with wings was presented in the Russian city ofTyumen by the local Linux
user community.[24][25]
The avatar of Electronica artist Ephixa is based on Tux (around 2011).
In April 2016, Tux was adapted to a designer toy called a Gwin and was distributed byOctober Toys. The toy was
redesigned by different artists and sold in short collectible runs through the October T
oys website and other
collectable vinyl toy sites. October T
oys has since ceased operations.

List of video games with Tux

Several computer games, mostly free and open source and/or for Linux, have included Tux, including:

OpenArena: contains a character named "Penguin," who is a man dressed in a costume resemblingux. T
Pingus: A Lemmings clone in which the lemmings are replaced by penguins in reference to ux. T
FreedroidRPG: An ARPG featuring Tux as the main protagonist who has to save the world from a robot apocalypse.
Team Fortress 2: A team-based FPS that has an in-game T ux doll, which was awarded to Linux players from
February 14 to March 1, 2013. [26]

SuperTux: a platform game inspired by Super Mario Bros.

Tux Kart and SuperTuxKart: Kart racing games similar to theMario Kart series.
TuxMathScrabble: Math version of the popular family game starring T ux.
TuxWordSmith: Scrabble in over 80 languages starring Tux.
Tux Paint: A drawing program for young children, most likely inspired byKid Pix.
Tux, of Math Command: a free software math tutoring arcade game.
Tux Typing: a free software educational game designed to teach typing.
Tux Racer/Extreme Tux Racer: A game similar to snowboarding video games, in which the player controls Tux
sliding downhill on his belly rather than humans snowboarding down a track.
FreeCiv: A Civilization clone; the leader name of the Antarctican civilization is "T
ux". In addition, the Colossus is an
enormous Tux statue, depending on the tile set selected.
WarMUX: A turn-based strategy game inspired by Worms, featuring many free and open source software brand
characters, including Tux.
Frozen Bubble: A free software puzzle game, featuring Tux-esque penguins.
LinCity-NG: A free software strategy game that allows you to build a uTx statue.
There is a Pet (creature who will fight alongside your character) in the online game DragonFable that is a penguin
named "Linus". Along with the tagline on the pet, he is shown to be a version ofux. T
Open Surge, in a test level by Celdecea

Gallery
Tux variants
Vectorized from Gloss look Tux High quality 3d- Modern flat look Modern flat look Classic flat:
the pixel image look variant in monochrome Emblem
source

Classic flat: look Simple vector Tux Crystal 1st Tux Crystal 2nd Slackware
3D variant revision revision version of Tux

Tux from TuxGuitar PaX version

of Tux

Appearances of Tux

Tux as the player Tux on the fork of the Eight Tux displayed, A Tux rangoli by students
character protagonist of cutlery set Sealion for representing eight at GNUnify'13, Pune
SuperTux children by WMF (2007). processors running the
Gentoo Linux installation
CD.

See also
List of computing mascots
Category:Computing mascots
BSD Daemon, the mascot of various BSD releases
Glenda, the Plan 9 Bunny, the mascot of Plan 9 from Bell Labs
Puffy (mascot), the mascot of OpenBSD
Konqi, the mascot of KDE
Mozilla, the mascot of Mozilla Foundation
Kiki the Cyber Squirrel, the mascot of Krita
Wilber, the mascot of GIMP
Tux Droid

References
1. Linux Logos and brand characters(https://web.archive.org/web/20040401161253/http://www
.linux.org/info/logos.htm
l). linux.org
2. Re: Linux logo (http://lkml.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9605/0237.html)
. Ussg.iu.edu (1996-05-02). Retrieved on
2013-07-04.
3. Re: Linux Logo prototype(http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9605/0855.html) Archived (https://archive.is/
20120530044051/http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9605/0855.html)30 May 2012 at Archive.today.
Ussg.iu.edu (1996-05-09). Retrieved on 2013-07-04.
4. Re: Linux logo (https://lkml.org/lkml/1996/5/6/44). Lkml.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-04.
5. Re: Let's name the penguin! (was: Re: Linux 2.0 really _is_ released..)(http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kerne
l/9606.1/0175.html) Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20070701044314/http://www .ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/k
ernel/9606.1/0175.html)1 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Ussg.iu.edu (1996-06-10). Retrieved on 2013-07-04.
6. The History of Tux the Linux Penguin (http://www.sjbaker.org/wiki/index.php?title=The_History_of_T
ux_the_Linux_P
enguin). Sjbaker.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-04.
7. Larry Ewing. "Notes on creation" (http://www.isc.tamu.edu/~lewing/linux/notes.html). Retrieved 31 July 2007.
8. Bunks, Carey (2000). Grokking the GIMP (https://web.archive.org/web/20070718104011/http://gug.sunsite.dk/docs/
Grokking-the-GIMP-v1.0/node14.html). New Riders. ISBN 0-7357-0924-6. Archived from the original (http://gug.suns
ite.dk/docs/Grokking-the-GIMP-v1.0/node14.html)on 18 July 2007.
9. Larry Ewing. "Linux 2.0 Penguins" (http://www.isc.tamu.edu/~lewing/linux/). Retrieved 25 June 2006.
10. Delio, Michelle (13 March 2001)."The Story Behind Tux the Penguin" (https://web.archive.org/web/2012082901245
2/http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2001/03/42209). wired.com. Archived from the original (https://www.wir
ed.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2001/03/42209)on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
11. " "Tux" the Aussie Penguin"(https://web.archive.org/web/20060507115127/http://www .linux.org.au/linux/tux). Linux
Australia. Archived fromthe original (http://www.linux.org.au/linux/tux) on 7 May 2006. Retrieved 25 June 2006.
12. "Why a Penguin?" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100815081131/http://www .linux.org/info/penguin.html). Linux
Online. Archived from the original (http://www.linux.org/info/penguin.html)on 15 August 2010. Retrieved 19 May
2009.
13. Buchanan, James (2007-08-22)Linus Torvalds talks future of Linux (page 3)(http://apcmag.com/linus_torvalds_talks
_future_of_linux_page_3.htm). APC Magazine
14. Linus' git commit from Rusty Russell(https://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commit;h=8032
b526d1a3bd91ad633dd3a3b5fdbc47ad54f1). Git.kernel.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-04.
15. The kernel gets a new logo(https://lwn.net/Articles/323966/). LWN.net (2009-03-17). Retrieved on 2013-07-04.
16. One Bush who has designs on LCA2009(http://www.itwire.com/opinion-and-analysis/open-sauce/22491-one-bush-w
ho-has-designs-on-lca2009?start=1). Itwire.com (2008-12-30). Retrieved on 2013-07-04.
17. file Documentation/logo.txt from Linux kernel source code(https://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.
git;a=blob;f=Documentation/logo.txt;h=a2e62445e28ee523c02f5f93f80c06a431e369e3;hb=8032b526d1a3bd91ad63
3dd3a3b5fdbc47ad54f1). Git.kernel.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-04.
18. Linux for Workgroups (http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Linux-for-Workgroups-Linux-3-11-s-feature-set-now-
confirmed-1917712.html), The H Open, 2013-07-15
19. "Gentoo Forums :: View topic - Tux at top of screen during boot?"(https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-689963-start
-0.html). Forums.gentoo.org. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
20. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu0KKEuY11s
21. Corel Linux OS Deluxe, Corel Corporation, 1999.
22. Werner, Max Jonas (15 January 2007)."Tux-Besteck von WMF" (http://www.linux-community.de/Internal/Nachrichte
n/Tux-Besteck-von-WMF) (in German). linux-community.de. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
23. The website of TuxGuitar (http://tuxguitar.herac.com.ar/). Tuxguitar.herac.com.ar. Retrieved on 2013-07-04.
24. The first Linux monument in history unveiled in Russia(https://web.archive.org/web/20110722172609/http://lazarenk
o.me/news/linux-monument-unveiled)on lazarenko.me (archived)
25. Тюменские пользователи Linux собираются поставить памятник пингвину(https://web.archive.org/web/2011051
1125301/http://www.tumix.ru/info/news/?news=12058736) on www.tumix.ru (2010)
26. "Team Fortress 2 Welcomes Linux" (http://www.teamfortress.com/linux/). Valve. Retrieved 15 February 2013.

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ux_(mascot)&oldid=891243838"

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