Emperor Penguin, adult and chick (AAA)

Welcome, once again, to my “Winter Wonderland” series! We started in the great white north, now we shall go to the frozen south of the world: Antarctica, responsible for such icy greats as the Ice Age. It is also an area where terrestrial mammals aren’t present, thus the major terrestrial animals are penguins, having adapted to the cold climate over millions of years. These cold weather specialists hunt fish in the freezing waters, and many species of penguin exist in the Antarctic, the furthest south that any appear. These animals are iconic, and have had many figures made of them. Here, we look at a pair created by AAA.

As often with AAA, the specific species is not listed, just being called “Penguin”. In this case though, the species is obvious: the emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri), the largest of the living penguins, and beautifully adapted for living and hunting in the deep, cold waters of the Antarctic.

Let’s look at each figure individually, starting with the adult. The colours are more or less spot on, though some of the orange on the head is a bit over done, and a few more black marks should be present, but otherwise good. It’s pose is grand, as if scanning the horizon for potential predators, guarding it’s flock. It is a decent size, measuring 3.6″ high and 3″ wide, working well with a lot of lines.

Now to the youngster. While it avoids just being a shrunken version of the adult, the colours are off, as it has the colours of the adult, where it should have a mix of light grey, white and black. It works brilliantly as a pair with the adult, as it is small, measuring 1.9″ high and 1.5″ wide, a good size for a juvenile. It’s pose is similar to the adult, maybe it’s trying to copy it’s parent (aww!!!)

As with many AAA figures, it’s older nature makes it a bit dated, with better figures being produced in the time, but this is still a rather sweet pair. The adult is the better, as the chick could do with a repaint. Kids will love it, and I think collectors will see a charm to it. It is discontinued, so eBay is your best. If you like it, grab it. Onto the next step in our Winter Wonderland!