The Penguin Corrections Department

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A review of four children’s picture books on Nov. 13 referred incorrectly to the little penguin who is the main character of one of them, “Penguin Problems.”  In the book he is unnamed; he is not called Mortimer. (That is the name of another penguin in the book.)

The New York Times Book Review

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Chilly Willy, Chill Wills

In an article on television icons of the 1950s in Monday’s Arts & Leisure section, a photograph of Chilly Willy, the anthropomorphic penguin character who was second only to Woody Woodpecker in popularity among devotees of Walter Lantz cartoons, was mis-labeled Chill Wills.  Chill Wills was a character actor known for his rough voice and Western twang who provided the voice of Francis the Mule in a series of popular films.  The times apologizes to Mr. Mule.

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Francis, a mule not a penguin.

In an article in last Sunday’s Lifestyle section penguins were likened to Mormons and Muslims for condoning polygamy.  Penguins are in fact serial monogamists, like American college students, changing mating partners once each year.  The Times regrets its error.

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An editorial in last Sunday’s Times referred to Beethoven’s nine symphonies as the crowning achievement of the Western musical canon.  In the view of scholars who study the musical tastes of marginalized peoples, Rufus Thomas’s “Do the Funky Penguin, Part I” and “Do the Funky Penguin, Part II” have surpassed Beethoven’s fourth and eighth symphonies, which nobody used to listen to anyway.  The Times apologizes to Mr. Thomas and his penguin.

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A consumer product review in last Saturday’s special, glossy Christmas pull-out shopping section referred to the “Playful Penguin Race” toy as a hazard because the penguins are so darned cute and small children might eat them.  After consultation with the manufacturer’s lawyers, The Times stands corrected and can verify that the Playful Penguin Race toy provides hours of innocent fun to children ages 3 to 65.  One “D” battery required (not included) and it would help if you’d feed your kids regularly so they don’t try to eat plastic toys.

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