The New Party, a left-leaning, eco-friendly third political party, is looking for a mascot. Apparently, many states in the country demand that political parties choose an animal mascot, so the New Party is contemplating the penguin. "Penguins are hardy creatures who can survive anything," explained one party member. "And in times of trouble they always stick together. Everyone loves penguins." We couldn't agree more. Certainly beats an elephant or a donkey.

As of press time, the MGM/UA animated feature "The Penguin and the Pebble" has yet to be released, and although I have not had the good fortune to see the much-anticipated film, I'm going to review it anyway. Of course, I can't in good conscience tell you outright if the film itself is good or bad, but I can give my opinion about these penguins, since I have seen them in the press release. How do the animated penguins measure up? First of all, I don't think these things even look like penguins. As far as I'm concerned, Hubie kind of looks like a mixture of Yogi Bear and Chumley, the walrus from the old Tennessee Tuxedo cartoons. Now don't get me wrong, I like Yogi and Chumley, but they never struck me as particularly penguinesque. Marina, the female penguin, looks like a combination of Leona Helmsley and Debbie Gibson. Despite Ms. Helmsley's reign as the tabloid "ice queen," I've always thought of her as more of a Northern Hemisphere kind of gal.

Also, what's with the accessories? Does a penguin really need a hat and a scarf, especially one as hefty as Hubie? I know, Chilly Willy donned a hat and a scarf, but Chilly was cute, cool, had good posture and didn't have a clown nose. He also didn't look like one of the McKenzie brothers from Second City TV's Great White North skits. Maybe I'm being a little harsh, considering I haven't seen the film yet. But given that millions of dollars and months of research went into the "Pebble and the Penguin", at least the creative forces behind the film could have made the penguins look like penguins! If yo'r tired of seeing penguins depicted as cute and innocent, then "The Wrong Trousers", an Oscar winning animated film by Nick Park and Steve Box, is for you. It is the delightful tale of Wallace, a middle aged inventor, and his faithful and clever dog, Gromit. their troubles begin when they take on a mysterious border, a penguin named Feathers McGraw.

There's nothing overtly evil in McGraw's appearance; his sinister character is brilliantly displayed with perfect subtlety. His is a penguin sans waddle--cold, calculating and direct. Although Feathers is the bad guy, he's fun to watch, as is the rest of this production. It took two years to make the 30 minutes of claymation in "The Wrong Trousers," but it was worth every second of effort. Also, catch "The Congress of Penguins," if you can. The film might still be lingering in a few art-house theaters. If not, you're bound to find it soon on video or on PBS.

"The Congress of Penguins" is a surreal, dreamlike, Antarctic travelog by German writer/director Hans Ulrich Schlumpf. The scenes with the penguins are inspired and magnificent. The film features large groups of Emporer Penguins "discussing" the fate of their world. The film does become a bit ponderous at times, and the penguins are underutilized, but this is still a thoughtful and provocative look at the world of penguins and man's relationship with their environment.