Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The rockhopper penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome) is a small crested penguin that inhabits small sub-Antarctic islands as well as the lower tip of South America. Some experts consider there to be three species: eastern, northern, and southern. Others, however, argue that these are just varieties of the same species. For simplicity’s sake in this review, I’m going with the latter.
Safari Ltd.’s rockhopper penguin toy dates all the way back to 1999. This, however, is the 2019 version, with a greatly improved colour scheme. It is black and white with faint yellow streaks on the insides of its wings, salmon pink feet, and black claws. The beak is brick red, the eyes are dark red, and the telltale crest has streaks of bright yellow running through it. Looks good!
The rockhopper derives its name from the fact that it must hop from rock to rock to get around on the jagged islands where it nests. This one looks like it’s about to take such a hop, as it’s leaning to the right with its head turned and its wings spread for balance. This makes it slightly over 5 cm tall and 7 cm wide. Real rockhoppers stand up to 50 cm tall, with males and females looking identical. So this toy can be whichever gender you want it to be.
The rockhopper penguin can be distinguished from other crested penguins by the long length of its black and yellow plumes and how they stick out to the sides of its head. This is well reflected on Safari’s toy. It also has the other essential characteristics: a stout and streamlined torso and a relatively short and thick beak that it uses to catch krill and small crustaceans.
This rockhopper’s beak is grooved, as are the digits of its webbed feet. The crest plumes and the slicked feathers on the body are fairly well defined, though admittedly not as intricately as on the Papo emperor penguin I reviewed here awhile back.
Overall, this is a nice little rockhopper penguin toy, sure to please most adults and certainly children. It can be purchased from most venues that stock Safari products. Thank you to Happy Hen Toys for the review sample!
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