Southern Rockhopper Penguin - Rockhoppers in Popular Culture

Rockhoppers in Popular Culture

Rockhopper penguins are the most familiar of the crested penguins to the general public. Their breeding colonies, namely those around South America, today attract many tourists who enjoy watching the birds' antics. Historically, the same islands were popular stopover and replenishing sites for whalers and other seafarers since at least the early 18th century. Almost all crested penguins depicted in movies, books and other media are ultimately based on Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome.

In film and video

• Several of the characters in the film Surf's Up, are Rockhoppers.
• Rocko, voiced by James Belushi in the Don Bluth film The Pebble and the Penguin, is a Rockhopper.
• Lovelace, voiced by Robin Williams in the 2006 and 2011 films Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two is a Rockhopper
• Fidgel from the Big Idea Productions video series 3-2-1 Penguins! is a Rockhopper.
• A Rockhopper, voiced by Carlos Mencia, is in the Bob Saget film parody Farce of the Penguins.

In computer and video games

• The characters Ivan and Tobi from the Konami video game Sexy Parodius are actually a pair of Rockhoppers.
• Hopper is the name of a Rockhopper Penguin in the Nintendo video game series Animal Crossing.
• Rockhopper is also the name of a pirate penguin in the MMOG Club Penguin.
• The Rockhopper penguin is an adoptable animal in the 2006 PC game, Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania. A fictional joke version of it, the "Killer Penguin", appears as a lab accident in the game's sequel, Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals. It is depicted as able to kill any animal, including dinosaurs.
• A Rockhopper Penguin is featured on the official logo for Lunar Linux operating system.

In music and literature

• The cover of the Fleetwood Mac album Penguin features a Rockhopper. The penguin subsequently became Fleetwood Mac's mascot.
• Rockhopper IV is the name of a spaceship in Alastair Reynolds's 2005 science fiction novel, Pushing Ice. The ship's logo is a penguin, genus unspecified.

Other

• The Rockhopper Penguin is the official mascot of Swiss Airforce's Pilot Class 2009 (PK 09). www.lineup09.ch