Penguins Names In Madagascar

[Jens Loco]

Although they only had around 10 minutes of screentime in the first movie, the penguins have proven to be Ensemble Dark Horses to the point that their part in the movies escalated, and then they received their own show, The Penguins of Madagascar and a solo movie that (debatably) tied the Madagascar canon to the series canon.

Penguins General The titular Badass Crew of penguins.

• Ambiguously Bi: All four had a female love interest at some point in the show, but there are also some... scenes... that suggest they probably aren't completely straight.
• Anti-Hero: Except for Private, all of them are mostly Type II or III. Kowalski also shows traits of Type I from time to time.
• Badass Adorable: They are small, cute penguins and complete badasses.
• Badass Crew: Of course.
• Beware the Silly Ones: All four can be incredibly silly in the funniest and weirdest ways. However, all of them can be quite dangerous when provoked.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: As goofy and silly as they are, they always end up getting their job done.
• Cloud Cuckoolander: Every single one of them.
• Four-Man Band:
• Only Sane Man: Skipper. He isn't really SANE, but he is the closest thing the group has.
• The Smart Guy: Kowalski, of the Mad Scientist type.
• The Pervert: Rico, of the Heroic Comedic Sociopath type
• Butt-Monkey: When it comes to being a diversion, or bait, Private tends to get the short end of the stick.
• Characterization Marches On: Early episodes portray them closer to their movie counterparts, with all of them believing Rico's doll is alive, unaware when the other animals express discomfort and being more Literal-Minded, and a tendency to have Cloud Cuckoo Lander moments. As the show progressed, each of them developed their personalities; only Rico believes his doll is alive, they are more socially aware, and only Skipper has bizarre thoughts mostly motivated by his paranoia.
• Four-Philosophy Ensemble:
• Skipper: The Cynic. Being constantly paranoid, Skipper always sees the worst in others, as well as the worst possible scenario.
• Kowalski: The realistic. While more on the cynical side of the spectrum, Kowalski's goal is always to see the most realistic and rational side of things.
• Private: The optimistic. Kind to everyone and always sees the good side of others when his teammates don't.
• Rico: The apathetic. The oddball of the group, Rico doesn't really express himself that much and is more prone to just following Skipper's orders.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble:
• Skipper: Choleric. Always takes the lead, is strong-willed, passionate, determined, hard-working, and confident, but also tends to be a bit of Drill Sergeant Nasty, stubborn, harsh, bossy, cynical, strict, and prone to seeing the worst in other animals.
• Kowalski: Melancholic. Analytical, loyal, witty, and more of a follower despite his higher position, but he also tends to see the worst in people and seems to be kind of insecure.
• Private: Phlegmatic. Cheerful, open-minded, optimistic, forgiving, polite, compassionate, but tends to be gullible, overly idealistic, and timid.
• Rico: Sanguine. Energetic, passionate, unpredictable, quirky, and eccentric big guy of the team, but also emotionally unstable, hyperactive, impulsive, and kind of psychotic.
• Good Is Not Nice: They are openly heroic and have good intentions... even if they are usually needlessly ruthless and have little concern for collateral damage. Only exception is Private, who fits the Beware of the Nice Ones trope more.
• Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Aside from Private, all of them fit this to an extent. Skipper always uses violence as his first resort, Rico is extremely Ax-Crazy and trigger happy and Kowalski does everything For Science!, even when it results in someone else getting hurt.
• Idiot Ball: The episode "Field Tripped" has the penguins targeting a young boy and his overworked teacher, thinking they're villains plotting to reveal their secret, even though they know that most children are harmless in any other episode. While the boy exposing them is a possibility, nobody took him seriously when he tried to tell someone and they ended up erasing the memory of the teacher (with a prototype) after she found the boy's notes, even though she was clearly laughing it off.
• Interspecies Romance: Well, it IS a Madagascar tradition when you think about it...
• Skipper had a fling with a falcon named Kitka and has some Ship Tease moments with Marlene, an otter.
• Kowalski is in love with a dolphin named Doris.
• Private once had a crush on a human nurse.
• Rico's... "girlfriend"... is a human doll named Miss Perky.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Except for Private, who is a straight-up Nice Guy, these guys probably aren't the nicest animals in the Zoo and are prone to making selfish mistakes, but they are dedicated to helping animals in need and stopping evil animals and they care about each other deeply.
• Skipper is a sarcastic, tough, cynical and paranoid leader who constantly sees the worst in other animals and he tends to be mean to his co-workers as well. That said, he cares for all of them - while he often dismisses Private as "naive", even when he is being the Only Sane Man, he practically sees him as his son, he completely accepts Rico's quirks and while he isn't a huge fan of Kowalski's nerdiness and inventions that tend to end with disaster, he still respects him and is willing to help him out with everything.
• Kowalski is an Insufferable Genius whose obsession with science tends to end in a disaster. He also has trouble with expressing empathy, though that can be chalked up to him being socially awkward. That said, he might actually be the second nicest member after Private, as he seems to be quite polite to most animals in the Zoo, unless they do something he sees as stupid.
• Rico may be the Ax-Crazy loose cannon of the penguins, but he is quite the softie once you get to know him. Also, don't hurt his teammates. Just don't.
• Manchild: Mostly Private and Rico, who act more like teenagers at most than actual adults, but Kowalski is prone to throwing temper tantrums for stupidest things, and some of Skipper's thories can be... questionable.
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse: They are pretty small, even for their species.
• Predators Are Mean: Flips-flops between this and Predation is Natural. In real life, penguins are predators that regularly prey on, kill, and eat krill, squids, and especially fish, and the show reflects this with the penguins commonly eating fish, either that are still alive or have been made into sushi. Despite this, the worst they do to the non-fish zoo animals is Dope Slapping them (one episode has Kowalski build a time machine so Skipper can go back in time to slap a hippie). Besides their love to eat seafood dead or alive, the penguins are still heroic at heart and are willing to do what's right, even if their means of doing so can get questionable. They still label other predatory species such as Falcons, badgers, and especially leopard seals as dangerous.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Thanks to the Flanderization, Skipper is now an extremely paranoid leader who has prejudiced thoughts about mammals, Kowalski is a nerdy Insufferable Genius, Rico is their psychotic Dumb Muscle who lives to blow things up and while Private may be the most normal of them, he is still prone to making silly and naive mistakes, is a bit of a Cloud Cuckoo Lander, and has a more pronounced British accent.
• Rude Hero, Nice Sidekick: Skipper and Private in a nutshell.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Skipper (a tough leader who slaps his teammates whenever they do something wrong) and Rico (The Big Guy who loves explosions) are manly to Kowalski's (a socially awkward scientist) and Private's (a naive Nice Guy who looks on the bright side of things) sensitive.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Fish, of course, but they also enjoy snowcones.
• True Companions: They stick together no matter what.
• Undying Loyalty: While they have their arguments from time to time, these guys are constantly loyal to each other.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: The four are very close to each other, but they tend to have arguments extremely often.
• What You Are in the Dark: The penguins often steal things from humans that they need, either food, weapons, or toys but often make sure the persons are compensated in some way, either in money or food, even though the persons have no way of knowing they got stolen by penguins. Depending on the Writer, anyway, as in certain episodes, they don't really care about it.

The leader of a Badass Crew of Commando Penguins. He speaks in a crisp, hard-edged tone like a cool spy from a film noir movie. In the TV series, Skipper is somewhat abrasive with the other three penguins, often chastising them and Dope Slapping them to keep them in line.

• A Father to His Men: Genuinely seems to look out for and care about his men and has even pulled off a one-man Big Damn Heroes more than once.
• Afraid of Needles: In "Needle Point," he goes well out of his way to avoid getting a shot. He even lampshades this in "King Me". Skipper: Needles, I gotta get over that.
• Angrish: In "Herring Impaired", Skipper notices that his ship from his ship in a bottle kit is missing part of its hull. Believing that a piece is missing, he loses his temper and resorts to using his "angry words", which is effectively this - only the word "bouillabaisse" is clearly audible.
• Badass Adorable: In "Rock-A-Bye Birdie".
• Berserk Button:
• He doesn't go berserk, per se, but Skipper really doesn't like it when you call him fat, or any of its synonyms. He likes to claim it's muscle.
• His entire team shares this, but he especially doesn't like Hoboken, New Jersey, even ranting on how he would rather mutilate himself by pecking out his own eyes or rot in concentration camps than go to Hoboken.
• Or Denmark, considering it's heavily implied that he was blamed by Hans for being an alleged wanted fugitive on the run from them.
• He hates the lemurs going on solo missions.
• He has a strong disdain for Hidden Depths when it comes to the men under his command, verbally lashing out when he finds out that Private was once a professional Minigolfer.Skipper: I like my men One-Dimensional. Works better for me.
• Bruiser with a Soft Center: He might try to hide it behind a tough leader facade, but he loves his teammates.
• The Captain: He is the heroic commander of the penguins. His name, "Skipper", is a synonym for "sea captain".
• Character Catchphrase: "Kowalski, analysis!" Used when a situation has become particularly bizarre, and he needs Kowalski to explain it to him.
• The Comically Serious: He takes even his weirdest delusions extremely seriously.
• Deadpan Snarker: Skipper has a snarky sense of humor.
• Determinator: Skipper doesn't know the meaning of the word "surrender". When he puts his mind to something, nothing can stop him.
• Dope Slap: Used often on his comrades. Sometimes all three in one swing. He also likes to order one of his men to do this when he is too far away or can't be bothered to do it himself.
• Drill Sergeant Nasty: Has shades of this in "A Kipper for Skipper" where he subjects his comrades to all sorts of difficult and impossible tasks.
• Fantastic Racism: He occasionally makes less-than-complimentary remarks towards mammals. He especially dislikes humans. Despite this, he genuinely respects Marlene, and has openly said that she's smart, despite claiming that mammals have low intelligence. Same with Mason and Phill, two chimpanzees that Skipper regularly goes to for exposition on details he and his team can't read.
• Flanderization: While the most unchanged of the penguins, his opinion of the main characters in the movies (referring to them as hippies) has been expanded to a low opinion of all mammals in general.
• Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Choleric. Always takes the lead, is strong-willed, passionate, determined, hard-working and confident, but also tends to be a bit of Drill Sergeant Nasty, stubborn, harsh, bossy, cynical, strict and prone to seeing the worst in other animals.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus: In "Skipper Makes Perfect" when Skipper steals his file back from the Danes you can freeze on the file and learn some of what happened (most of which has been brought up at some point or other by Skipper already).
• The Hero: Occasionally, he and the others do come off as jerks, but they almost always save the day in the end.
• It's All My Fault: Done twice. The first time was when he poked a hole in Julien's bouncy house causing him to lose his crown (though he blamed part of it on Marlene for provoking him); the other, when one of the chimps causes him and the penguins to spin out and lose a race to the lemurs. In the latter episode, also he accepts full responsibility despite the fact he did nothing to cause it. He even said they would have his resignation in the morning because of his shame and guilt.
• Large Ham: Lots of dramatic closeups and exaggerated gestures accompany his powerful paranoia and give the impression that Skipper has trained at the William Shatner school of acting. His tendency to clutch a flipper to his chest when upset gives one the permanent suspicion that he's suffering from some heart condition.
• The Leader: He leads and commands the penguin team. He is closest to Type III, Headstrong.
• Like a Son to Me: While he refers to Private as a brother, his attitude is much more like that of a strict but loving father (who's training his son to be a commando/ninja/special-agent).
• Loves My Alter Ego: He fell for Arlene (Marlene in disguise due to chlorine accident) and became kinda Stalker with a Crush.
• Meaningful Name: Skipper is also the title of the captain of a ship or team.
• Never My Fault: The one time it was his fault, he pinned the blame on Private.
• Noble Bigot: Skipper has a rather condescending attitude towards mammals of all kind and constantly goes out of his way to put birds (penguins, specially) on a pedestal. Nonetheless, he and his team will always gladly help any animal in trouble, no matter their species, and also holds Marlene, an otter, in great respect and esteem.
• Noodle Incident:
• Whatever happened in Denmark is between him, Hans, and the Danes.
• In "Littlefoot" he mentions that for eight long years he hid in the Mexican jungle where he learned to play the guitar.
• The Nicknamer: He almost always refers to Julien as "Ringtail," Mort as "Sad Eyes" and Max as "moon cat."
• Odd Friendship:
• With Marlene. They are certainly friends and honestly respect and trust one another. Even though Marlene's friendly and level-headed nature clashes with Skipper's raving paranoia.
• With King Julien. The two were described as best friends by Dr. Blowhole, and Skipper's fellow penguins end up more or less agreeing.
• Officer and a Gentleman: Mostly Officer.
• Persona Non Grata: As stated above, he can't set foot in Denmark due to Hans the Puffin making him Public Enemy Number One.
• Politically Incorrect Hero: He's rather prejudiced toward mammals and doesn't think highly of them, but he still does everything he can to aid them whenever they need his help.
• Properly Paranoid: Played with. His suspicions are so wild and irrational that no normal person would have them, ranging from robot clones to space squids. He's always suspicious of new arrivals and has occasionally accused his friends of being brainwashed or enemies in disguise when they disagree with him. And yet he's often right. Then again, sometimes he isn't.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: The leader of the penguins and the best fighter, having several times fought and defeated the other three, all at the same time.
• Smart People Play Chess: He's shown playing chess with Marlene in "Crown Fools".
• Unusual Euphemism: Skipper has loads of these. "Hoover Dam!", "Lincoln's itchy beard!", and "Gandhi's nunchucks!"
• The Un-Smile: Skipper has at least once mentioned that it hurts to smile.

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