Help me fulfill my penguin dreams!

November 15, 2009 4:45 PM

Help me feed my penguin addiction!

I love all things penguin. I have two pairs of penguin pajama pants, a couple of pairs of penguin socks, a pair of penguin boots from Doc Marten and a penguin beanie baby. What else should I have? Cool > cutesy. For the sake of this question, let's say that price is no object.

Clothes, art, stickers, shoes, food all acceptable. What have I not thought of?

posted by youcancallmeal to shopping (47 comments total)

Jewelry!
posted by bearwife at 4:47 PM on November 15

Visit Antarctica.
posted by carmicha at 4:47 PM on November 15

As an example, stuff like this and this from Etsy is what I have in mind.
posted by youcancallmeal at 4:51 PM on November 15

Penguin switchplate.
posted by coppermoss at 4:51 PM on November 15

Operating systems.
posted by COD at 4:53 PM on November 15

Adopt a Penguin, of course!

Penguin trapped t-shirt.

Penguin birthday cakes!

March of the Penguins.

Growing up Arctic - Penguin episode.

Defendin' De Penguin Wii game.
posted by Sassyfras at 4:54 PM on November 15

Snowglobe penguins
posted by dzaz at 4:54 PM on November 15

Sorry, here: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11876501&sourceid=1500000000000003260350&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=11876501
posted by dzaz at 4:54 PM on November 15

Penguin Webkinz
posted by Sassyfras at 4:55 PM on November 15

A favorite of my penguin-loving friend
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 4:55 PM on November 15 [1 favorite]

I think this hat is pretty cute.
posted by june made him a gemini at 4:56 PM on November 15

Another snowglobe penguin option here.
posted by bearwife at 4:57 PM on November 15

Mr. Popper's Penguins
posted by dersins at 4:59 PM on November 15 [2 favorites]

Opus, from Bloom County.

Speaking of which, I might still have my bootleg Opus earring. Send me a MeMail if you want me to send it to you (provided I find it).
posted by O9scar at 5:01 PM on November 15

We have awesome, awesome flannel sheets with penguins on them. In a quick search I'm not finding a link to any that look like ours (they're not very cartoony or kid-like), but there are a bunch of different kinds out there, and one is sure to make you happy.
posted by rtha at 5:02 PM on November 15

How can you NOT make these appetizers, found them a few months ago.... I'm in love.
posted by lemonade at 5:09 PM on November 15 [7 favorites]

patapata pen-chan is endless hours of entertainment, cool, and cute.

pen-chan is attached to an iceberg that twists on to the sink and his flightless little wings flap while the water runs. The Amazon picture is a little disappointing, but I guarantee you will like this. I live in a house with a pen-chan on the toilet, and everyone comments on it, and a lot of people buy their own to take home.
posted by whatzit at 5:13 PM on November 15

Costume
Puppet
Rubber Penguin Duck
Cookies
Candles
Cake
Purse
Tea Timer
Business Cards
Wallpaper
*sigh*
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:16 PM on November 15 [5 favorites]

I've always had a special fondness for "Playboy Penguin" from the "8 Ball Bunny" Bugs Bunny Looney Tunes episode. ("Penguins is practically chicken, and I loves chicken", and the penguin crying tiny ice cube tears at the South Pole — heh!). Maybe you can find memorabilia for that character.

Cute question, and I hear you on the preference of cool over cutesy. I collect swan stuff, and a friend of mine warned me I might not want to tell too many people about that because they'd start giving me all kinds of swan crap, and most swan stuff is tacky. When I really started keeping an eye out for swan stuff I saw what she meant — God, those horrible plastic swan planters and 80s-era pink ceramic swans. However, part of the fun of collecting is the fact that what you are collecting is so rare. If it were too easy to collect something, your collection would soon grow out of bounds and there'd be no fun in it anyway. So the best thing to do is just keep an eye out wherever you go. A few years ago I found an awesome swan candelabra in a thrift store for $5, and on two different occasions in two thrift shops I found a set of four swan napkin rings (and to think I almost didn't buy the first set because there were "only four").

I also recommend that you consider making your own penguin stuff, because that really opens up your options. You can interpret your penguin-ness in your way in your choice of medium: origami, cross-stitched pillows or pictures, hooked rugs, sewing clothes out of penguin fabrics etc. I'm planning on making a swan stained glass panel for my bedroom closet window, cross-stitching a pair of pillows with a design based on the famous Walter Crane Art Nouveau swan wallpaper, and stencilling a swan on my mailbox.

Google search seems to have a few penguin crafts on offer. Some are really tacky, of course, or for kids, and you'll have to pick through and see what turns your crank. I like this penguin needlework from Etsy.
posted by orange swan at 5:22 PM on November 15 [1 favorite]

If you're at all inclined toward kid-friendly MMOs, Club Penguin. Predictably, there are endless branded toys, books, and clothes.

I am not the CP fan that my daughter is, but I'm partial to the ninja penguin.
posted by gnomeloaf at 5:38 PM on November 15

Well, you should be using QQ for instant messenging. Asia is probably where you want to look for cutesy animal things. If you want to get an idea about what's out there, search China's ebay for "penguin" (企鹅). This link may or may not preserve the search. And then, if you find something you want to buy (and money is indeed no object), check out TaoBaoFieldGuide for information about international purchasing and shipping.
posted by msbrauer at 5:45 PM on November 15

Etsy is lousy with penguins.

Good stuff:
Ornaments
Eraser
Penguin with scarf
Phone Charm
&ref=sr_gallery_6&&ga_search_query=penguin&ga_search_type=all&ga_page=11&order=&includes[]=tags_exact">Pendant
Woodblock Print
Needle Felted Plush
Bag
posted by Alison at 5:51 PM on November 15

Here an amended link for the penguin pendant.
posted by Alison at 5:52 PM on November 15

The best flannel sheets ever. I have this exact set and I adooooore them and I don't even like penguins!
posted by banannafish at 6:01 PM on November 15

May I suggest Penguin Place for everything penguin. Got my wedding cake topper, among other things, from there. (You may enjoy the Proliferating Penguins coffee mug.)

I'm not available for collections, however.
posted by azpenguin at 6:01 PM on November 15 [1 favorite]

The infamous penguin waffle maker.
posted by kendrak at 6:03 PM on November 15

Glass penguin figurine?

I adore penguins. I have 2 small clear glass penguin figurines with little gold wings and beaks. They were my grandmother's, so they're extra special.

How about a new home on the golf course in the town of Penguin, Tasmania?

Penguin ice bucket?

Penguin chair?
posted by shinyshiny at 6:05 PM on November 15

A DVD of Aardman's The Wrong Trousers, featuring a penguin villain.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 6:12 PM on November 15

My adopt a penguin ask me

Anything Linux? / Tux

Sanrio's BAD penguin, Badtz maru and Sanrio's CUTE GENTLEMANLY penguin, Tuxedo Sam
posted by NikitaNikita at 6:15 PM on November 15

Oh, and I also have a penguin martini shaker (example) (although he's a little unwieldy for mixing drinks. shh. dont tell him. i keep him for his looks.)
posted by NikitaNikita at 6:17 PM on November 15

Wine: The Little Penguin and Penguin Bay. MeMail me if you're interested in the Penguin Bay and can't find it near you...
posted by knile at 6:58 PM on November 15

Bamboo Jewelry (not actually made of bamboo) has some penguin stuff. It's mostly earrings and pins, but a couple of necklaces, too, and they make gorgeous stuff.
posted by darksong at 7:00 PM on November 15

If you like live ones as well, how about an experience?

Our aviary has "Penguin Encounters" for $40. We were just at the aviary on Friday, and saw an adorable "Penguin Painting" show where they put down paint and let the penguins run through it onto canvas. Then the paintings are for sale in the gift shop. I can't imagine that this would be unique to our aviary - and would suspect that seeing your painting made would have more meaning for you. (So if price is truly no object, consider a road trip part of that price...)
posted by librarianamy at 7:15 PM on November 15

Original Penguin?
posted by maishuno at 7:19 PM on November 15

Williams Sonoma has this water carbonator
posted by purpletangerine at 7:39 PM on November 15

If you like video games, I bet you'd like Pengo, Pen Pen TriIcelon and Tux Racer.

Have you seen those Penguin mints? What about Antoinette Portis' great illustrations for that A Penguin Story childrens book, or Joelle Jolivet's art for 365 Penguins? (And there's Penguin Publishing, of course.)

If I liked penguins like you do, I'd get some penguin tattoos.
posted by box at 7:47 PM on November 15

Be careful what you ask for! When I began collecting penguin stuff back in 1975, they were hard to find. Almost 35 years later, I have a house full of penguins (everything....you name it) and an attic stuffed with boxes filled with more penguins. About 85% of them were gifts. I say that as I'm sitting here wearing penguin socks drinking tea out of a penguin mug.........yet, of course I still had to favorite your post.

To answer your question, some of my favorites are prints/paintings, some penguin jewelry, a penguin "beverage" dispenser that squirts out of its beak about a shot's worth of liquid when you press its head (!), and a framed cover of an old Baltimore phone book with an illustration of penguins from the Baltimore zoo (or aquarium?) on it.

Enjoy your collecting - they are truly irresistible, aren't they?
posted by ourroute at 8:05 PM on November 15

Penguin Humidifier.

So much cuter than you're expecting.
posted by Simon! at 8:41 PM on November 15

Just tonight we broke out our 1L Penguin wine pitcher for a dinner party. These used to be the standard serving vessel for cheap house wine in Argentine restaurants.
posted by dr. boludo at 8:57 PM on November 15

[self-post]: Penguin bumper stickers.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 10:51 PM on November 15

Penguin decal, adorable on the toilet tank!
Penguin stationary!
Lots more penguin things on Etsy.
Badtz-Maru is Hello Kitty's penguin friend.
And you know of Pingu, I assume?
posted by twistofrhyme at 12:59 AM on November 16

A classmate's younger brother was in love with penguins, and asked her to get him something penguin-related when she and I went to India to study abroad. We were utterly perplexed, until one day when traveling I found a plastic plant container in the shape of a penguin. I'd scan in my photo, but alas it seems to have flown off.

So, do you know anyone who is going abroad? Could make a good story.
posted by metabrilliant at 7:07 AM on November 16

Penguin biscuits!
posted by Lebannen at 7:58 AM on November 16

Seaworld has Penguin Encounters where you get to meet real live penguins, check out the habitat behind the scenes, etc. I did it last month and it was so totally cool (pun intended). :)
posted by _Mona_ at 12:39 PM on November 16

i bought this toy (or something very similar) for a penguin-obsessed college friend once. I second the warning about becoming known as a collector of x object - for me it's moose and I can't get away from the damn things now.
posted by naoko at 9:53 PM on November 16

undies
posted by little e at 5:53 AM on November 24

Beer: Brewdog Tactical Nuclear Penguin is being released.
posted by knile at 3:35 PM on November 28