Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Well, it turns out that my previous review was in fact my 100th for the Animal Toy Blog and I completely overlooked that fact! So I guess I’ll celebrate with #101 instead. My subject is the Papo emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) with chick, yet another generous sample from Happy Hen Toys, bless them.
As many of you are no doubt aware, the emperor penguin of Antarctica and the surrounding islands is the biggest of all penguins and the fifth biggest bird in the world, with both males and females achieving up to 45 kg/100 lbs in weight and standing slightly over three feet tall. This toy is about 7.5 cm tall, which is nearly three inches. It is standing fully erect with its head facing directly ahead and its wings held down at the sides. Sticking out from between its legs is a perfectly adorable little chick with its wings spread and its head gazing upward at its parent.
The adult’s head and eyes are glossy black with downturned pink streaks running along its curved beak—which always gives these penguins a dour appearance. The front of the neck has the familiar pale yellow collar with bright orange patches on the sides. The front plumage is shiny white, the back is a mixture of black and very dark grey, and the feet are black with dark grey claws. As for the chick, it’s got a white head with black eyes and beak and a black and dark grey body.
The surface of the head is smooth, but the body is covered in dense insulating feathers. The short, paddle-shaped flippers have rows of tightly-packed, scale-like feathers along the edges and the stubby feet end in short curved claws. Finally, the potato-shaped body and sheer bulk of the adult penguin makes it immediately recognizable as an emperor. The chick is also covered in fine fluffy feathers in spite of its small size. Quite the impressive sculpting job indeed!
The emperor is not only the biggest penguin, but also probably the toughest due to its breeding habits. Adults trek far inland to mate, after which the mothers carefully transfer their newly laid eggs onto the top of the fathers’ feet. The mothers then journey to the ocean to feed while the fathers remain to endure the long, dark, frigid Antarctic winter, incubating the eggs under their warm feathery skin. A few days after the chicks hatch, the mothers return and the fathers finally get their turn to go off and feed for the first time in months. The parents continue to brood and feed in shifts until the chicks are old enough for themselves to huddle together for warmth. The parents stop feeding their offspring altogether once moulting begins. Then at last, all the penguins trek back to the ocean together.
Judging from how small this chick is, I’d say that it’s newly hatched and the adult is its father. An appropriate review for Father’s Day, methinks. Mind you, one can just as easily interpret it as a mother who recently returned and took over brooding duty. The choice is entirely yours.
With other fine, feathered friends:
The emperor penguin and chick are an adorable and impressive pair, and probably one of the best representations of the species available in toy form. Well worth acquiring. They are currently available from Happy Hen Toys.
I was half expecting a sea horse for Father’s Day but this one works too.
This is also my representative of the emperor penguin. I bought the entire Colorata Penguins box set, but this is one of a couple species that I didn’t retain from it, instead going with the Papo figure shown here.