# Christmas penguins **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 20, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923 "2015-12-20T14:40:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dhricenak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/47e85d/32.png) [@dhricenak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhricenak)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/1 "2015-12-20T14:40:45Z")
It’s the holiday season and penguins are all over the stores, on cards, wrapping paper, ornaments, everything. It seems to me that this “tradition” isn’t all that old but when and how did it start? I’ve tried every keyword combo I can think of on Google with no luck. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/2 "2015-12-20T15:37:41Z")
My guess would be The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper, a computer-animated short produced by DreamWorks Animation in 2005. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7Q55Kpz7fg) ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2015, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/3 "2015-12-20T16:05:23Z")
2005? There was a penguin in the 1970 Mickey Rooney "Here Comes Santa Claus " (which also had the hottest redhead Mrs Claus ever). Penguins have been infesting Christmas scenes for as long as I can remember. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/4 "2015-12-21T05:04:39Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > 2005? There was a penguin in the 1970 Mickey Rooney "Here Comes Santa Claus " (which also had the hottest redhead Mrs Claus ever). Link!? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/5 "2015-12-21T08:44:40Z")
I can’t link reliably from my tablet, but you could probably google it. Caveat: it was a Rankin Bass stop-motion special (think Rudolph), so you may be disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/6 "2015-12-21T08:50:40Z")
Missed the edit window: _Santa Claus is Coming to Town_, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/7 "2015-12-21T10:49:04Z")
Titles conflate in a old man’s mind. I blame the eggnog. ---
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/8 "2015-12-21T13:21:03Z")
Doesn’t Christmas penguins go back to the start of the Catholic Church? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/9 "2015-12-21T15:16:55Z")
Pen-guins! [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iccscUFY860) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/10 "2015-12-21T15:50:50Z")
> [@Hocus\_Pocus](#): > > Doesn’t Christmas penguins go back to the start of the Catholic Church? I don’t get the reference. As far as I know, penguins were unknown to Europeans before the Portuguese explorations of southern Africa in the 1480s and 1490s. The earliest reference to Christmas and penguins I could find is a rather gruesome one from the 1910 Antarctic expedition of Edward Wilson > [@](#): > > We were fast jammed in the ice all day again, and have seen many more young Adélie Penguins—23 in one batch. We got some of them for our Christmas dinner and I was skinning them today for our collection. > [http://raceforthepole.co.uk/journals/wilson/2010/12/22/thursday-22nd-december-1910-fast-in-the-pack-ice-again/](http://raceforthepole.co.uk/journals/wilson/2010/12/22/thursday-22nd-december-1910-fast-in-the-pack-ice-again/) Somebody named Robert Louis Tenorio apparently wrote and copyrighted a song called “Ronnie, the Christmas Penguin” about 1960. [link to the copyright records on Google Books](https://books.google.com/books?id=0zEhAQAAIAAJ&lpg=PA1861&ots=b9z3Zmi-B2&dq=%22ronnie%20the%20christmas%20penguin%22&pg=PA1861#v=onepage&q=%22ronnie%20the%20christmas%20penguin%22&f=false). It predates the 1970 TV movie by 10 years but can’t have had anything to do with the association of penguins with Christmas because it’s so obscure. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/11 "2015-12-21T15:54:28Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > I don’t get the reference. As far as I know, penguins were unknown to Europeans before the Portuguese explorations of southern Africa in the 1480s and 1490s. I believe the reference is that kids in Catholic schools often refer to the teaching nuns as ‘penguins’ because their habits are black and white. Only done behind their backs, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/12 "2015-12-21T16:42:51Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > Penguins have been infesting Christmas scenes for as long as I can remember. True enough, since there is an obvious association between penguins and winter weather. I do perceive, however, that there has been an _uptick_ in penguin-themed Christmas cards and displays in recent years. I don’t know that there’s any one cause. March of the Penguins, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, the Penguins of Madagascar–all helped to make penguins hip, and turn what had been a minor holiday association into something more. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/13 "2015-12-21T16:50:51Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > As far as I know, penguins were unknown to Europeans before the Portuguese explorations of southern Africa in the 1480s and 1490s. That’s not _exactly_ true. [Cite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_auk). ---
**Author:** ![Hocus\_Pocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/41988e/32.png) [@Hocus\_Pocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hocus_Pocus)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/14 "2015-12-21T17:00:05Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > I believe the reference is that kids in Catholic schools often refer to the teaching nuns as ‘penguins’ because their habits are black and white. Only done behind their backs, of course. Bingo (no pun intended…well, maybe just a little) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/15 "2015-12-21T17:28:36Z")
They’re not a “tradition”, just a cute motif. Like owls with Santa hats on, since owls in general have been trendy the past few years. Black and white and red (all over) is a pleasing color combo. ---
**Author:** ![Corner\_Case](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/corner_case/32/234_2.png) [@Corner\_Case](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corner_Case)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/16 "2015-12-21T19:01:59Z")
Penguins at Christmas are not a tradition. A tradition is an exploding penguin ([Youtube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgoRDYZQMrQ&t=2m33s), w/skippable ad). I always put our plush penguin up on the TV during the holidays, until we got a flat screen and he wouldn’t stay perched, oh and until my wife thought it was silly :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/17 "2015-12-21T21:17:52Z")
Penguins live in the antarctic. Santa lives in the arctic. I wonder at the connection. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/18 "2015-12-21T21:24:56Z")
Also, Coca-Cola was advertising using Polar Bears, and 2005 they introduced the polar bears running into penguins. > **[Coca Cola Polar Bears Party with Penguins - Postkiwi](http://www.postkiwi.com/2005/coca-cola-polar-bears/)** > > Coca Cola has a polar bear theme going in its advertising. Their most recent ad, however, has the polar bears interacting with penguins. Penguins, of course, live in the Antarctic, not the Arctic where the polar bears live. Still – why let geography... ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/19 "2015-12-21T21:29:59Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Penguins live in the antarctic. > Santa lives in the arctic. > I wonder at the connection. Because - Winter. Ironic that during Christmas it is early-summer where penguins really live. Cold, sure, but not wintry like some imagine. And they don’t have to contend with polar bears, either, except in the imagination. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923/20 "2015-12-21T21:30:42Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Penguins live in the antarctic. > Santa lives in the arctic. > I wonder at the connection. Snow. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-penguins/740923.md?page=2)