In Which the Penguins Were Neither Smiling Nor Waving

I have no idea where the kids would have seen a commercial about Sea World, seeing as all we do now that I'm home with them is read and practice our letters, play whimsically in the mud, drink hot cocoa and do fayncee art projects. How they managed to memorize the PBS Kids line-up is beyond me. They probably picked it up at preschool. Ahem.

So, back to the Sea World commercial. Caed described Shamu's digs in detail to me yesterday morning, followed by a strong recommendation that WE GO THERE SOMETIME.

C: "I think that Sea World place is where you need to take me to vacation. Because you can hold penguins!"

Mom: "Um, what? Do you mean starfish? Do you remember when we held the starfish at Sea World when you were Dani's age?"

C: "No, I haven't been to this place before. I would 'member it. They have rides there. And that girl was holding a penguin."

Mom: "Well, I don't think it was a penguin she was holding. Maybe it was a pretend penguin, like a stuffed animal?"

C: "No, I'm SURE it was a penguin. But it did stay really still. It was probably a dead penguin. Or maybe it was a baby whale. No, I think it was a penguin, just a dead one."

I feel I owe it to Sea World to let them know that their marketing is fairly effective at the four year old level. But if you're trying to win the parents over, you might want to clarify the thing about the dead penguins.

Welcome to Sea World: As Real as it Gets. Except for the penguins. We've heard a few of them might be dead.

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So, um, anyone seen the commercial Caed's talking about? Can you solve the mystery of the dead penguin? What is it that the little girl is holding??

We are actually considering a little vacay in May. Sea World (Orlando) is in the running as long as I get confirmation that the penguins will all be up and waddling. Are you planning a vacation anytime soon? Any recommendations for great family vacation spots?