He may not be a household name in the United States, but Uli Stein happens to be Germany's most popular cartoonist. His humorous and satirical comics appear throughout Europe and are read by millions. Among the most popular of Stein's characters is Dimi the penguin. Lately, Dimi has become much more than a cartoon character. It seems that Stein has taken his passion for hot air balloons and merged it with Dimi. The beloved character is now a seven story high hot air penguin balloon, making him the world's largest penguin since Chilly Willy's mysterious disappearence from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a few years ago.

Uli and Dimi can be found at balloon races and festivals throughout the world. So if you see a gigantic penguin flying in your neighborhood it's probably Dimi. And remember, you heard it here first.

In the tiny village of Geer in Belgium, near the border of Holland, you can find the world's only official penguin museum. At least that's what it's proprietor, Mr. Alfred David, says. A taxi driver by trade, Mr. David--or Monsieur Pingouin, as he prefers to be called--began his penguin obsession when an auto accident temporarily left him with a funny walk. His friends said he walked like a penguin. The rest, as they say, is history.

With his penguin collection in the thousands, Mr. David turned his home into a museum and he claims that over 40,000 people have visited his penguin shrine.

These days, the entire David family is involved in the museum, traveling thousands of miles a year in search of new penguin products. They also attempted to legally have their name changed to Pingouin, but the Belgian bureaucracy stood in the way.

But Alfred David will not be denied. In his will, Mr. David has stated that he must be buried in his penguin suit. What's more, his epitaph will read: "Here lies Alfred David Named Monsieur Pingouin." That'll show 'em. Alfred David's Penguin Museum is located at 17 Rue de la Boelle, 4255 Geer Belgium. If you should be in the neighborhood, drop by.