グレープ君 グレープくん とうぶどうぶつこうえんコンビ
A male [[Humboldt penguin]] who lived at "Tobu Zoo":http://www.tobuzoo.com/global/english/ in Saitama Prefecture. Grape-kun obtained Internet fame in 2017 for his interactions with a cardboard cutout of [i][[Kemono Friends]][/i]' [[humboldt_penguin_(kemono_friends)|Hululu the Humboldt Penguin]] character placed in his enclosure as part of a promotional event, prompting many to consider Grape-kun an old friend of hers, a secret admirer, or as being hopelessly in love with her while being stuck in the third dimension, the latter leading many animanga fans to sympathize with the penguin. He became a sensation, receiving many visitors and a plethora of online fanart depicting him alongside Hululu and even a visit from Hululu's anime voice actress, [[Chikuta Ikuko]].

He was distinguishable from other Humboldt penguins at the Tobu Zoo by the purple [[armband]] on his left flipper.

According to zoo staff, Grape used to have a wife called Midori (distinguished from her green flipper band, [i]midori[/i] being the Japanese word for that color), but at some point she abandoned Grape-kun and found a new lover— a rather exceptional occurrence in a species that usually forms lifelong pair bonds, and a source of suggestion as to why Grape-kun grew so attached to the Hululu cutout.

Grape-kun passed away from a sudden illness on October 12, 2017, at the age of 21. A temporary message board was set up near his enclosure for visitors to leave parting words, and many additionally left gifts such as artwork and flowers.

h4. See also

* [[list of real life animals]]

h4. External links

* "Japanese zoo penguin falls in love with cutout of cute anime penguin girl | SoraNews24":[http://en.rocketnews24.com/2017/04/30/japanese-zoo-penguin-falls-in-love-with-cutout-of-cute-anime-penguin-girl/]
* "Japan Puts Anime in Zoo and Penguin Adopts a Waifu | GoBoiano":[http://goboiano.com/japan-puts-anime-in-zoo-and-penguin-adopts-a-waifu/]
* "Japan’s anime-loving penguin turned to comfort of a 2-D girl after being scorned by his 3-D wife | SoraNews24":[http://en.rocketnews24.com/2017/05/23/japans-anime-loving-penguin-turned-to-comfort-of-a-2-d-girl-after-being-scorned-by-his-3-d-wife/]
* "Japanese zoo mourns anime-loving celebrity penguin | BBC News":[https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-41608350]
* "Beloved Japanese Penguin Dies Beside Cardboard Cutout Companion | CBS New York":[https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/10/19/beloved-penguin-dies-beside-cardboard-cutout-he-loved/]
* Tweets from the "official Tobu Zoo Twitter account":[https://twitter.com/tobuzoo7]:
** "Initial documentation of the cardboard-cutout attraction phenomenon":[https://twitter.com/tobuzoo7/status/857022102204932096]
** "Grape-kun's name and age":[https://twitter.com/tobuzoo7/status/857076876463947776]
** "Discussing Chikuta Ikuko's visit":[https://twitter.com/tobuzoo7/status/864385194509213696]
** "Midori":[https://twitter.com/tobuzoo7/status/867610870200713216]
** "Announcement of Grape-kun's passing":[https://twitter.com/tobuzoo7/status/918633438919368704]
grape-kun