The Penguin nearly always carried an umbrella with him. The umbrella was never a normal umbrella, and had built-in weaponry such as guns, missiles, laser guns, flame-throwers, and acid spraying devices. He usually carried an umbrella with the function to transform its top into a series of spinning blades. This could be used as a mini helicopter or as an offensive weapon.
History
The infamous umbrella of The Penguin came into play during his first appearance. Penguin carried the umbrella to art galleries, stealing paintings and slipping them inside the handle. After capturing Batman, Penguin offered to show Batman his collection of umbrellas. A huge assortment decorated his hideout, and The Penguin seemed to rather an enjoy a particular one which he'd purchased in Spain. However, The Penguin most often used a pistol as a weapon of defense. The umbrella's offensive weaponry did not come into play until later stories. The Golden Age Batman is later shown to keep one of Penguin's umbrellas in The Batcave, one that fired poison gas from its tip. Apparently, the Penguin's father died of pneumonia in a rain storm and his "over protective mother" made him carry around an umbrella with him everywhere. This, after becoming a criminal, grew into his main weapon.
Behind the scenes
In other media
Batman (1960s series) and (1966 film)
The Penguin, master of the umbrella, had many secret weapons hidden in these rain protectors...
- Umbrellas appearing in the Batman (1960s series) and (1966 film)
Episode Info Detail
- 2-27 Bat Detector in handle
- 1-04 Batbrella made especially for Batman, contains a secret radio transmitter in handle
- 2-17 Boxing Glove
- 2-18 Boxing Glove during fight
- 1-21 Bullet proof with hook to capture a crook
- 1-21 Cement filled to knock out the duo
- 1-22 Diversionary umbrellas used to cover theft of the wedding gifts
- 2-43 Gas
- 1-03 Giant umbrella used to deliver smaller umbrella
- 3-04 Glass cutting tip, with a bomb
- 2-17 Grand Order of Occidental Nighthawks (G.O.O.N.) squad uses them as swords
- 2-27 Gun
- 1-21 High-Powered Demagnetizer Coil and Secret Radio Detector
- 0-00 Jet Pack version to drop in on Wayne and Kitka
- 3-04 Knife/razor in tip
- 1-33 Knockout Penguin Gas
- 2-28 Knockout gas
- 1-04 Knockout gas
- 1-33 Many umbrellas surround and block the duo's way
- 1-21 Shoot's colored dry ice to dispel the steam during a steam room kidnaping
- 3-05 Sparkler & Parachute
- 1-33 Spear comes out of the end
- 1-03 Trick umbrellas given to customers to cause confusion
- 1-33 Used as swords
- 1-04 Used to cross to the penthouse apartment with the Penguin-Line
- 3-01 red knockout gas
- 3-01 used as a parachute
- 1-34 used to drop onto the balcony of Miss Natural Resources
Batman/Superman Hour
In the Batman/Superman Hour, The Penguin's arsenal of umbrellas included an umbrella that shot bullets like a machine-gun, an umbrella with a shooting dagger tip, and an umbrella that fired gas. In The New Adventures of Batman, The Penguin had an umbrella that fired gas once triggered by squeezing a soft, round handle, an umbrella with built in jets to help Penguin escape, and a mirrored umbrella to deflect energy beams.
Batman: The Animated Series
See The Penguin (Batman: The Animated Series) for a complete list of umbrellas used by The Penguin in the show.
Batman Returns
The Penguin with his deadly trick umbrellas
The Penguin used several umbrellas in Batman Returns, that looked like ordinary umbrellas with deadly hidden devices:
Order of Appearance
- Flamethrower: A normal black umbrella that shoots bursts of fire from the tip
- Sword: A normal black umbrella that unsheaths a razor sharp blade from the tip
- Swirl: A Black and white umbrella that had a hypnotising pattern when spun and fired blanks to scare Max Shreck into helping him.
- Helicopter: A normal black umbrella that has secret switch on the handle that can change the top of the umbrella into helicopter blades for flight.
- Firearm: A normal black umbrella that gave an a normal gun shot, but could change into a rapid fire machine gun. Penguin used this one to escape from a jeering crowd.
- Animal Umbrella: Also known to the Penguin as his "cute one." A red and white umbrella (Carosel coloured) that plays hypnotic music and has models on animals dangling from the top and whirls round like a merry go-round. He was going to use this to hypnotise the children he kidnapped to follow him and be drowned. It is seen again when the Penguin is near death and makes one last attempt to kill Batman. He was hoping to pull out one of his weapon umbrellas, but grabbed this particular one by mistake before falling to the ground dead.