80
| SUNRAYS
DECEMBER 2013
ONLINE:
SCTXCA.ORG
P
ENGUINS! PENGUINS! I LOVE
PENGUINS!”
My name is Marian Phillippi, bet-
ter known by my nine grandchildren
as Grandma Penguin! I am frequently
asked, “When did you start collecting
penguins and why?”
I reply to these questions by saying that
my husband, Terry, actually started my
collection in 1981. He returned from a
business retreat in Aspen with a present
for me―a darling porcelain pitcher in
the shape of a black and white penguin.
Little did I know how one pitcher would
change my life! I was always intrigued
by penguins, thinking them cute in their
black and white tuxedoes. I enjoy watch-
ing them and they make me laugh; I love
the fact that they mate for life.
My family, including my parents and
five daughters, recognized my interest in
penguins and, starting that same year,
they all bought me penguin ornaments
for our Christmas tree. So the collection
began! I now have hundreds of penguin
ornaments that fill my tree each year,
along with hundreds of plush penguins
in every shape and size. Many have
animated parts, such as “Happy Feet,”
which dances to music and moves with a
remote control. (By the way, all of these
penguins only get to come out of the attic
at Christmas time.)
The Collection
Through the years, my friends and real
estate clients started giving me penguins
as they discovered my collection. I have
penguins from Hong Kong (in red Mu-
rano glass), Venezuela (a handmade little
wooden house with two small penguins),
Chile (a small, wooden hand-carved pen-
guin), England (several made of crystal),
France (also made of crystal), Italy (made
of Murano glass, as well as a Mardi Gras
Mask), Mexico (cowhide skinned bottle),
Christmas
in Black
&White
Photos and text by Marian Phillippi
“
Marian Phillippi has been collecting penguin-focused items since 1981. Above, Marian stands
by her original oil painting entitled “Blame it on Global Warming!”
