Penguin Power!

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About the Image

In honor of World Penguin Day, I thought this would be the perfect post to share!

Meet the absolutely adorable “Lil Penguin” avatar, brand new from Bad Unicorn at the current round of Kustom9. If your penguin is feeling a little feisty (and let’s be honest, whose isn’t?), you can also grab the playful “Pesky” Set Add-On while you’re there. The add-on includes a cozy beanie and backpack, complete with a HUD that lets you mix and match six fun colors. Even the protest sign is texture-changeable, offering six different slogans to suit your penguin’s mood!

The icy backdrop is fully PBR, so make sure you use a PBR-enabled viewer to see all the chilly magic in its full frosty glory.

Full credits are below the story. Store and event SLurls are available on the Store & Event Links page.

The Story

On a chilly, blustery afternoon, a little penguin stood bravely atop a drifting iceberg, her tiny flippers clutching a hand-painted sign that read “Penguins Rise Up!” Her pink knit hat was pulled snugly over her head, and a matching pink backpack, slightly too large for her, sagged gently against her back, filled with homemade protest signs and a thermos of warm fish soup.

The iceberg bobbed quietly in the vast, frozen sea. Most penguins had huddled together back on the main colony, skeptical of her mission. “One penguin can’t change the world,” they said. But she believed otherwise, especially today. It was World Penguin Day, after all, a day meant to celebrate her kind and remind the world that penguins mattered too.

As she straightened her sign for the tenth time, a sudden movement caught her eye. Padding softly across the ice came an Arctic fox, his fur as white as the clouds above, his nose twitching curiously.

The little penguin stiffened. She had never met an Arctic fox before. Weren’t they from the north? She clutched her sign a little tighter.

The fox sat down a few feet away, his blue eyes gleaming with interest. “What’s all this about?” he asked in a voice that was surprisingly gentle.

The little penguin took a deep breath and lifted her beak proudly. “I’m standing up for penguins,” she declared. “We deserve better fishing rights. No more sharing our best spots with greedy seals! No more melting icebergs without a plan! We need to rise up and make our voices heard! Today is World Penguin Day, and I want to make sure nobody forgets us.”

The Arctic fox tilted his head thoughtfully. “You’re quite the brave one,” he said. “Most creatures your size would have gone home by now.”

The penguin’s cheeks flushed pinker than her hat. “Someone has to do it,” she said firmly. “Even if I’m the only one standing here today.”

The fox smiled. After a moment, he rummaged through the snow with his paw and found a flat piece of driftwood. With a bit of ice-carved precision, he scratched out a sign of his own: “Support the Penguins!” Then, he planted it next to hers.

Together, the tiny penguin and the Arctic fox stood side by side on the lonely iceberg, their signs fluttering bravely in the wind — two small figures in a great big world, refusing to be overlooked.

And somewhere, deep in the frozen distance, a ripple of change began.

CREDITS

Penguin

Bad Unicorn Lil Penguin (@ Kustom9)
Bad Unicorn “Pesky” Beanie (@ Kustom9)
Bad Unicorn “Pesky” Backpack (@ Kustom9)
Bad Unicorn “Pesky” Protest Sign (@ Kustom9)