Silver Spring: It’s Penguin Fever and You’re Going to Like It

March 31, 2010

Silver Spring: It’s Penguin Fever and You’re Going to Like It

It’s been impossible for me to ignore the ubiquitous penguins of Silver Spring. We turned a corner the other day at Cedar and Ellsworth, and there, plopped in the middle of the median, stood a waxy, penguin-like statue, its head cocked to the side, giving us the eye.

“What the heck?”

They’re hanging out at the metro, too. The uber-confusing “Transit Info” signs posted around the giant construction zone that is the current Silver Spring Metro are adorned with fat, little cartoon penguins donning construction hats. (See image left. Yeah, that fat little bugger.)

This isn’t the arctic, it’s Maryland.

A little digging online, and I discovered that this whole penguin craze was started by artist Sally Callmer, who made this:

Yep. That’s a penguin mural. A 100-foot penguin mural.

Callmer submitted it in the 1980’s to a Washington Metro Transit Authority (WMATA)- sponsored public art contest. According to this Montgomery County government newsletter, the mural was first installed at the Silver Spring metro in 1989. The original plan was to display the mural for one year (so says silverspringdowntown.com) “however WMATA later decided to purchase the work and display it permanently.” So the thing went up at the entrance to the metro and was soon seen by every single person who went in and out of that metro on a daily basis. AND Penguin Fever spreads…)

But after more than a decade, time and weather took its toll on the mural. But, lo and behold, the county, now all penguin lovers, started a “Pennies for Penguins” campaign in 2004 to restore it. The estimated price tag: $30,000.

(More disturbing- the article I just cited says Silver Spring’s unofficial mascot actually has a name! “Monty the Penguin” [groan] Please tell me “Monty” isn’t short for Montgomery County?! Turns out it is:

Over the years, the birds inspired the Silver Spring Library to create a penguin mascot named Pepé — an inflatable version of Pepé sometimes rears his head at the library — and led to pedestrian safety signs featuring a penguin crossing the street to be scattered throughout the downtown.

The Silver Spring Regional Services Center has used Pepé’s buddy, Monty, as a marketing tool.)

So anyway, the county foisted this 2004 “Pennies for Penguins” fundraising drive on area schoolchildren and started selling penguin swag:

While school children will be asked to have “Pennies for Penguins” drives, others will have the chance to support the drive, not only by donating cash, but by purchasing a variety of penguin items, such as mugs ($5 each), t-shirts and posters ($10 each).

And everyone went nuts for the little arctic critters. Here’s a Gazette photo of the local 2006 Thanksgiving parade:

(I think that’s Pepe.)

So the fundraiser was a success and Callmer is still today working on the restoration. It’s good timing, since the metro remains a huge, gaping wound at the moment.

So that’s the bizarre penguin saga… Love it or hate it. It’s there.  At least one blogger/hockey fan has had enough of feeling the sting every time he sees them (they remind Silver Spring Singular of the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Makes sense.)

I guess I don’t mind. I am partial to otters, but they don’t make for great floats.

Then again, there’s still one more option out there if you don’t like the penguin mascot- Team Acorn. (I hear they’re looking for members…)

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