The Five

The Five Puffins

My favourite animal is the puffin, but when it comes to its presence in pop culture, it is limited. 

I’ve always wondered why the bird hasn’t been given its day in the sun in pop culture, but it hasn’t.

As a kid, one of my goals was to get my character, Psycho Puffin, into mainstream media. I drew puffins so often that I can whip one out in under two minutes.

When it comes to Psycho Puffin now, he’s become a character in a novel I’ve mapped out and started writing back in 2013.

There have been glimpses of popularity, especially during the Canadian federal election of 2008, where the Conservative Party decided to have a puffin poop on the shoulder of then-Liberal leader, Stephane Dion.

The most common place for puffins also seems to be children’s movies or programs. It’s somewhat hard to find any adult-related references, but I’m sure something will break soon.

5. Source: Puffin Rock (2015)
Puffin: Oona and Baba
Why: The show is an exclusive on Netflix and shares the cute adventures of Oona and her puffling sib Baba. Irish fan favourite, Chris O’Dowd, narrates the show.
4. Source: St. John’s Maple Leafs/St. John’s IceCaps (1992)
Puffin: Buddy the Puffin
Why: Whilst on a trip to Newfoundland in January 2004, I learned about St. John’s local mascot. A novel approach to the game of hockey.
3. SourceThe Swan Princess (1994)
Puffin: Puffin
Why: He provides the sage advice to turtle, Speed, and the frog, Jean-Bob, in their attempts to free Princess Odette from citadel confines.
2. SourceElf (2003)
Puffin: Arctic Puffin
Why: “Hey Buddy, do you want to pick some snowberries?” / “Not now Arctic Puffin!”
1. SourceHappy Feet 2 (2011)
Puffin: The Mighty Sven
Why: “Poppa-oom-mow-mow!” It’s the Mighty Sven, voiced by Hank Azaria, who has a second-coming vibe about him. He uses his powers for goody.

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