Are penguins trying to take over the world or just pop culture?

Penguins are exploding.

Although not literally. That happened in a 1970 Monty Python sketch but is not known to occur in nature.

Instead, the small, flightless birds are invading pop culture with a chilling precision. They are taking no prisoners, if only because their lack of opposable thumbs makes it difficult to manipulate a Taser.

The latest evidence: "Surf's Up," an animated movie that documents how penguins invented and perfected the sport of surfing.

The penguin presence has been obvious in lots of other forms as well, from computer games to TV shows to comic strips. In many of these, the birds, no matter what type - Adelies or emperors, chinstraps or macaronis - are fussed over as lovable, cuddly and life-affirming, like Buddha reincarnated as a Beanie Baby.