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Mr. Popper's Penguins

FILM · 2011 · USA

Mr. Popper's Penguins

21 archived facts 3 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

  • Mr. Popper's Penguins — production image

21 Interesting Facts About Mr. Popper's Penguins

Interesting Facts (17)

  1. #001

    What drew Jim Carrey to the role was the chance to dance with penguins, much as Dick Van Dyke's character did in Mary Poppins (1964).

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  2. #002

    Real penguins were used in some of the filming, and most of the scenes took place on a refrigerated set.

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  3. #003

    Iceburgh, the mascot of the Pittsburgh Penguins, attended the film's June 18 showing, and Jim Carrey wore a Sidney Crosby jersey in one scene.

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  4. #004

    Every sentence Pippi speaks in the film contains at least one word beginning with "p," the first letter of her name. She later meets a police officer named Quint, who does the same thing with "q," the first letter of his name.

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  5. #005

    WILHELM SCREAM: A man is heard being knocked to the ground by penguins at the Guggenheim.

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  6. #006

    Tom's daughter is named Jane. Jim Carrey's real-life daughter is named Jane.

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  7. #007

    The book "Mr. Popper's Penguins" was retroactively named a 1939 Newbery Honor Book in 1971.

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  8. #008

    In the source book for the film, a penguin named Captain, who has black heart-shaped feathers on his front, was named after the famous explorer Captain Cook. Captain is the lead penguin. The penguin Lovey (with a black patch on the left side of its chest) got its name because it cuddles so much. The penguin Bitey (with a white stripe down the middle of its head) was named that way because it bites and bites. The penguin Stinky (white tail feathers) got its name because of its gas. The penguin Loudy (with rough white patterns around its eyes) was named that way because it is the loudest of the birds. The penguin Grumpy was named that way because it is the most accident-prone penguin in the flock.

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  9. #009

    While the penguins watch a movie on television, they are watching Charles Chaplin films. Mr. Popper tells the babysitter to put on Charlie Chaplin films to keep them occupied.

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  10. #010

    Jim Carrey performed one scene in slow motion. He did something similar in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994).

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  11. #011

    Noah Baumbach was originally set to direct.

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  12. #012

    Although Jeffrey Tambor receives fourth billing in the credits, he appears in only one scene, for two minutes.

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  13. #013

    Costume designer Ann Roth made her debut in theatrical films by designing the costumes for The World of Henry Orient (1964), which also marked the first film appearance of Dame Angela Lansbury.

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  14. #014

    The studio's first choice to direct the film was Noah Baumbach. He took the director's chair, but Noah Baumbach ultimately left the project due to creative differences.

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  15. #015

    In an interview, Jim Carrey said that using penguins was like Batman, and that although he played the Riddler in Batman Forever, the Penguin is also part of Batman's arch-enemy alongside Danny DeVito.

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  16. #016

    Ricky Gervais turned down the role of Tom Popper.

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  17. #017

    The penguins in Mr. Popper's Penguins are gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua). Gentoo penguins are native to the Southern Hemisphere and are found on the Antarctic Peninsula and on many sub-Antarctic islands, including the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, the South Shetland Islands and the Kerguelen Islands. They prefer ice-free coastal areas where they can build nests and have easy access to the ocean for feeding. They were chosen for the film for their distinctive appearance and impressive behaviour. Gentoo penguins can be recognised by the following: a broad white stripe extending across the top of the head; a bright orange-red bill; orange feet; and being the third-largest penguin species in the world. The producers used a combination of real gentoo penguins and CGI effects. Most of the live penguins featured in the film were trained birds raised at the Biodôme de Montreal. Interestingly, the original 1938 novel does not explicitly identify the penguins as gentoo. The decision to use gentoo penguins was made specifically for the film adaptation because they are visually distinctive and interact well on camera.

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Characters & Cast (1)

  1. #018

    Ben Stiller was initially set to play Mr. Popper. He reportedly dropped out of the film after original director Noah Baumbach left. Jack Black and Owen Wilson were considered as replacements.

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Deeper Meaning (3)

  1. #019

    The film features six main penguins, while the source novel had twelve. Most of them were named after historic naval captains: Cook, Nelson, Columbus, and so on.

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  2. #020

    In the source novel, Mr. Popper creates a vaudeville act called "Popper's Performing Penguins." This story element was considered as a film subject but was ultimately not used.

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  3. #021

    The film was released 73 years after the publication of the source novel of the same name by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater.

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

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