Sage Penguin Chooses a Book

Posted on August 24, 2022 by shadengk

The whistle of the kettle rang through the house where Sage Penguin was getting ready to enjoy three of his favorite things: hot tea, pizza with anchovies and a new book to read. Not everyone likes anchovies, but Sage does because he is a penguin, and penguins like fish. Sage walked to the kettle and poured the water over the tea leaves he had put in his mug. The smell of pizza warming in the oven told him that his dinner was almost ready. Now, Sage just had to choose a book.

He went over to his bookshelf where he kept all his unread books and looked at the titles. There were classics, mysteries, fantasies, and science fiction There were stories about sisters and their relationships and how brothers got along. There were stories with older siblings and younger ones. There were stories about only children and their adventures. There stories about families, love, and joy. And of course, there were stories about penguins.

Sage Penguin looked at “There Are No Penguins in Alaska.” The pictures encouraged him to use his eyes to find the penguin. He could even color the pages, but that would be hard to do while eating pizza.

Then he looked at “Polly Penguin Wants to Fly.” All penguins want to fly, he thought, most people, too. He decided to start the evening with Polly and see where her adventure would take him. If it was a good story, he would likely recommend it to Periwinkle Penguin.

The timer for the pizza went off, and Sage Penguin waddled to the oven. He pulled out the pizza, cut it into slices and put a couple of slices on his plate. Then he waddled to his dinner table, put the plate down next to the tea cup, and opened his book. This was going to be a great evening, he thought.

Sage Penguin is looking for a forever family. To adopt Sage you can head to our Etsy page or get Sage here. A portion of Sage’s adoption fees will go to help little penguins (and other birds) at the Royal Albatross Center in New Zealand.

Oliver Penguin Solves a Mystery

Posted on August 19, 2022 by shadengk

Oliver Penguin sat down at his dining room table, where he had placed a smattering of carrots, some cuts of celery, the saltiest of potato chips (They all talked like they had served on a merchant marine ship somewhere on the seven seas), a couple of flaps of pita bread, and some crispy, homemade tortilla chips that were so flaky, they couldn’t hold a job for longer than a couple of minutes. Still, he had the sneaky suspicion that something was missing from his amazing table.

The salt and pepper shaker sat in the center in all their crystal glory. The two brass candlesticks did their best imitation of gold and looked longingly at the porcelain plates they thought could help them earn a layer of karats or 24. The white, taper candles in the brass candlesticks were lit, they were higher than anything else on the table. A couple of purple lilacs, Oliver thought of them as lilac lilacs, but they were really purple, floated in two bowls of clear, diamond cut, glass bowls that were frosted in such a way, cakes, if there had been any, would have been jealous. The silverware gleamed with reflected candlelight. Yet, Oliver Penguin still thought there was something missing. What could it be?

He took inventory again: carrots, celery, cucumbers (He had forgotten to mention them, but they were there, they weren’t missing), potato chips, pita bread, tortilla chips… “AHA!” He put his wing to his forehead. “DIPS!” How could he forget the dips?

Oliver went back into the kitchen, grabbed the dips, put them in bowls, and brought them out to his table. Then he waited. His friends would be over soon; he couldn’t wait to see what they decided for the evening’s entertainment. Would it be a musical or a mystery? It was already a mystery, but when they decided, would it still be a mystery? Maybe they could find something with elements of both.

Oliver Penguin seeks a family that shares his love of dips, musicals, and true crime. You can adopt Oliver at our Etsy page or here on this website. He’ll bring his scarf with him.

Read another penguin story: Periwinkle Penguin Paints a Picture

Periwinkle Penguin Paints a Picture

Posted on August 17, 2022 by shadengk

Periwinkle Penguin was painting a picture from a book he read when he slipped and fell into the canvas. Now, you might think that he slipped and fell onto the painting because that’s usually how it happens. People, and penguins, for that matter, don’t slip and fall into paintings, as a rule. However, this time Periwinkle fell into his painting hand-knit sweater and all.

He looked out from the painting and didn’t see himself in front of the canvas where he normally stood. He looked all around him and didn’t see the room he normally saw. Instead, he saw all the colors he had used on this particular canvas. There was even some white space in the corner that he hadn’t gotten around to painting, yet. Periwinkle Penguin could not deny that he was inside his painting.

And what a wonderful painting it was. It had all the colors of the rainbow and several more colors he had mixed from his acrylic pigments, but mostly, it had a lot of blue. Periwinkle loved the color blue.

He decided that he might as well take a walk and see what he had created. After all, this was a perspective, from which he had never seen one of his paintings. He walked past the irises, blue of course, and by the butterflies, red, orange and black, and onto the green grass that was outside a cozy home, the lightest of blues with a red tile roof. Periwinkle sighed. This would make a wonderful house if it were real and not just a painting.

He turned and slipped again, but this time he slipped right out of his painting and back in front of it. The sun was going down outside, and Periwinkle Penguin could see all of the other canvases he had painted. Each one had a version of a place to live, but they were missing the most important element – his family. Periwinkle smiled and looked forward to the day when someone would adopt him and take him on some real adventures.

Periwinkle Penguin is available for adoption on our Etsy website or from us directly. All of our handmade stuffed penguins help real penguins (and other birds) at the Royal Albatross Centre in New Zealand through a donation of a portion of their adoption fees.

Queenie Penguin Predicts Future

Posted on May 2, 2021 by shadengk

In 2018, Jenya made Queenie Penguin. Our cosplayer was dressed in a green hood and had a quiver on his back.

In 2019, my parents took our place at the Salem Holiday Market in Oregon. They ran the booth so that penguins could be adopted in time for the holidays. When they reported that Queenie had been adopted, I was excited, and that was it. We wished Queenie well with the penguin’s new forever family.

On May 15, 2021, Jenya and I are opening an indoor archery range. We found a space at Lincoln City Outlets that would allow us to shoot four lanes in the beginning with the opportunity for expansion. The space was previously occupied by a store called “Justice.”

As a store opening gift, mom gave us Queenie Penguin. She said she knew we would need Queenie for our next adventure because we were already talking about an archery range in 2019. When Jenya opened up Queenie’s passport and read it, we were amazed. Queenie loves archery, night clubs and justice. I guess we’ll have to play some techno music just to complete Queenie’s space. Stop by to say “Hi” to Queenie and see if he has a prediction for you. I bet it’ll have something to do with fun and hitting your target.

Peppy Penguin Finds a Home

Posted on July 5, 2020 by shadengk

When we get word, either from Etsy or from our website, that one of our plushie penguins has been adopted, the first thing we do is we find the penguin. Our stuffed penguins are free range, so it can be a little difficult to locate the penguin in question. They’re very social and very curious. However, recently, they’ve been in the rookery that has formed on the back of our couch and arm chair. Peppy was hanging out with Franklin and their big sibling (who is still waiting to find a name). She was so excited to hear that she was going to Alaska, but she thought she might need a sweater.

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Pirate Plushie Penguins for 2017’s D23 Expo

Posted on June 28, 2020 by shadengk

In honor of Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean attraction turning 50, the Disney Expo 2017 held a contest for Pirates-related art. I convinced Jenya that we should try to win the prize using penguins in the “Take a Wench for a Bride” scene. I knew Disney was going to change the scene, sooner rather than later, but they hadn’t made an announcement. Jenya looked at some other scenes, but thought these outfits made for the funniest penguins. Because of the timing of the contest, Jenya had to make the pirate plushie penguins before the results about moving forward were in. We weren’t chosen, but we had all the penguins.

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Penguin Sweaters for Stuffed Penguins

Posted on June 21, 2020 by shadengk

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Patch says, our friend @checkerspenguin needs this sweater, because it's winter in New Zealand. What do you think, Checkers?

A post shared by Jenya Engkilterra (@penguin_emporium) on Jun 17, 2020 at 4:25am PDT

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Willow and Patch both got penguin sweaters recently. Patch was being a model for our friend Checkers Penguin, who lives in New Zealand where it’s winter. The neat thing about these sweaters is that they are made from a pattern used for actual penguins. But why would penguins need sweaters?

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Penguin Plushies and Patreon: Joy, Travel, Friendship, Penguins

Posted on April 28, 2020 by shadengk

Jenya makes some amazing penguin plushies. She’s done a variety of designs from the original white and black and white penguins to the more realistic ones. There’s even a penguin pillow and the flat friends. She makes these penguins by hand, and the 3D penguins come with passports. (Flat friends do not.) So, if you’re looking for a unique gift, check out the stuffed penguins we have available here and on Etsy. A portion of the proceeds from each penguin goes to help either the Royal Albatross Centre or the Penguin Place.

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Roly Poly Penguins Debut on Patreon

Posted on March 30, 2020 by shadengk

My wife has spent the last couple of weekends knitting. She works at a hospital and has been using knitting as a way to relieve stress. During that time, she made some Roly Poly Penguins! These penguins are so funny and soft. They are also great for those who enjoy experiencing tactile stimulation. They are just the right size for an adult hand or two child sized hands.

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Penguins Available for Adoption at Salem Holiday Market 2019

Posted on December 11, 2019 by shadengk

All of our penguins are handmade and unique. So, if you like one, you need to contact us and let us know or get to Salem Holiday Market 2019 between Dec. 13 and 15. You can get a coupon off entry, and if you join our Patreon, you get $1 off every $10 you spend!