Six Penguins

Made by Rex Winn

More penguins. Not sure I needed to post more. I know it says six and there are only five, but one baby departed early. I think I have made over 30 penguins, and I try to get a little better with every batch. If I do more, I think I need to bend a head or two!

When I posted the last bunch, my best friend mentioned she had to get a present for her niece. There were three. A friend from Vietnam found me. We haven’t talked in probably 15 years. He asked what I have been doing, and I sent him photos of my paper mache stuff around the house. He loved the penguins. There were three more.

The lesson I learned with these is don’t put a sculpture in a box when the bottom is not closed. I went to the post office to get boxes to mail them, carrying one to make sure they fit inside. I left the penguin in the box, walked outside. As I opened the door, the penguin fell out the bottom and shattered his foot. Back to the operating table!

7 thoughts on “Six Penguins”

  1. I love your penguins. I’m sure, without a doubt, that all 30 have been named! I was wondering…. do you do anything special when you mail one of them? I imagine that you package them securely so they don’t rattle around in the box (or break a leg or foot as they travel). Do you think that they will sweat or get too warm? Bubble wrap? Just wondering…..

    Reply
    • Thanks, Connie. I’m sure Leroy would help me name them, as he has the ones I have! He’s been a little lazy lately in telling me!

      I am lucky I have never had one break. I wrap the sculpture in bubble wrap and then put it in a thick plastic bag. I line the box with Styrofoam, at times carving out a section for the tail, head, and in the case of the giraffes I cut out spots in Styrofoam for their feet, head, and tail. I fill the inbetween spaces with those lightweight peanuts. The packing is light-weight, and a 10-inch piece box, packed, weighs about four pounds. Usually it is not the weight that is costly to ship, it is the size of the box. The penguins were in a box about 6″ taller than it needed to be, and it was $56 to ship to Florida. The weight was under ten pounds.

      I don’t think they get warm.

      Reply
      • Thank you! You gave me a lot of great information! I may have to ship Mrs. Eggstein to Ohio and wasn’t sure about her travel arrangements. Styrofoam is a great idea to use along with the bubble wrap. I hadn’t really thought about the weight versus the size of the box, but it makes sense. Leroy says Hi. Thanks Rex!

        Reply
        • By the way, I mailed three boxes today FedEx. The total was $53 for all three. The one box was huge, 2.5′ x 3′, one was smaller, and one medium. I could have fallen over when she gave me a lower price for three boxes than one box of two penguins that didn’t weigh five pounds! So ship UPS or FedEx.

          Happy to hear from Leroy. What a hero.

          Reply
          • Rex, thanks for the packaging ideas. I just received the bubble wrap that I ordered, and I’ll be using it today to ship my three wise men across the country. I hadn’t thought of using the foam, too – I will definitely try your method. I appreciate the tips!

            Reply
            • Those peanuts are great for protection, also. I have a ton of them because the stained glass comes with a box full of them.

Leave a Comment