A SET of beloved Jersey icons have returned to their familiar spot after public shock and outrage when they went missing for a few days.
Islander, David Doré, took to Facebook to say he was “shocked, appalled and horrified” to walk past The Little Shop in St Helier and spot something was amiss.
The penguins, that have brightened shoppers days for decades, had taken a detour from their usual route up and down the slide that sits in the shop window and were nowhere to be seen.
Many Islanders responded to Mr Doré’s post expressing deep upset, with one person saying “we need a petition to get them back ” and another saying “that’s sacrilege”.
Others shared tales they have of the penguins, with one saying “I know a guy who took a girl there on a first date… he said he was going to show her the Jersey penguins”.
Another said: “When my lad was young it was the highlight of going to town. Start a petition. We want the penguins back.”
Fortunately for concerned Islanders, it was not too long until they returned to their rightful place in the window display.
The shop’s owner Janice Barnicoat, said that the penguins were only removed temporarily due to a shortage of them as they are “so popular”.
Because Ms Barnicoat doesn’t use social media, she only found out about the panicked public reaction when someone texted her saying she was “in big trouble”.
While she had always understood they were popular, she explained she was taken aback by the reaction from the community.
She added they had always caught the attention of customers as she recalled how people, “normally men”, would stare at them through the window.
When she realised how much upset there was online over the missing penguins, she knew they needed to return home.
Now back in their rightful spot, several Islanders were relieved that the mystery of the missing penguins had been resolved, with comments including “phew” as well as “what a relief”, with one even saying they were glad as they’d worried it was a bad omen for them not to be there.
They said: “I’m convinced if the penguins are gone from that window something terrible will happen. It’s the penguins that bind us.”
Another said: “It’s the community toy that will stand the test of time!! May our penguins forever slide.”
