# Grape-kun (グレープくん)
**Grape-kun** (グレープくん) was a male Humboldt penguin kept at [Tobu Zoo](https://www.edgepedia.org/tobu-zoo) (東武動物公園) in [Saitama Prefecture](https://www.edgepedia.org/saitama-prefecture), Japan, who became an internet celebrity in 2017 after he was observed persistently standing beside a cardboard cutout of Hululu (フルル), an anthropomorphic penguin character from the anime series *Kemono Friends* (けものフレンズ), placed in his enclosure for a promotional collaboration[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun). He died in October 2017 at the age of 21[2](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2017/10/12/the-internets-beloved-humboldt-penguin-grape-kun-has-died) • [3](https://w.atwiki.jp/aniwotawiki/pages/37300.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Species and home | Male Humboldt penguin at Tobu Zoo, Saitama Prefecture[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun) |
| Name origin | From the purple wristband worn for individual identification[3](https://w.atwiki.jp/aniwotawiki/pages/37300.html) |
| Age | Born 1996; 21 years old in 2017, roughly 80 in human-equivalent terms against a species average lifespan of about 25 years[3](https://w.atwiki.jp/aniwotawiki/pages/37300.html) |
| Famous for | Bonding with a cardboard cutout of Hululu from *Kemono Friends* placed in his enclosure in late April 2017[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun) |
| Viral moment | A April 21, 2017 tweet of him staring at the cutout gained over 39,000 likes within 10 days[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun) |
| Death | Announced by the zoo on October 12, 2017[2](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2017/10/12/the-internets-beloved-humboldt-penguin-grape-kun-has-died) • [4](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/beloved-penguin-dies-beside-cardboard-cutout-he-loved/) |
| Afterlife | Immortalized in an official cutout depicting him together with Hululu[5](https://www.siliconera.com/danganronpa-tobu-zoo-collab-will-launch-in-july/) |
## Life before fame
Grape-kun hatched in 1996 and spent his first years at Hamura City Zoological Park in Tokyo, where he paired with a female named Midori[3](https://w.atwiki.jp/aniwotawiki/pages/37300.html) • [6](https://animalscene.mb.com.ph/promised-song-the-story-of-grape-kun-the-otaku-penguin/). When Tobu Zoo built its penguin enclosure, the two were selected to move there, arriving in 2007[7](https://m.jiemian.com/article/1681427.html) • [6](https://animalscene.mb.com.ph/promised-song-the-story-of-grape-kun-the-otaku-penguin/).
The pair did not last. Humboldt penguins usually keep a single mate for life, but in Grape-kun's third year at Tobu Zoo, Midori left him for a younger male and raised chicks with the new partner[7](https://m.jiemian.com/article/1681427.html). The zoo's penguin caretaker Eri Nemoto told local media that "Little Grape had a wife called Midori but she left him and found herself a new husband"[8](https://phys.org/news/2017-10-japan-zoo-death-love-struck-penguin.pdf). Afterward Grape-kun grew withdrawn, spent less time with the other penguins, and was pushed aside within the colony[7](https://m.jiemian.com/article/1681427.html). Staff also described him as a clingy bird with an unusual feeding habit: after an old foot injury and the kind treatment he received from keepers, he would not eat unless food was brought to his beak[3](https://w.atwiki.jp/aniwotawiki/pages/37300.html).
## The Hululu cutout and viral fame
In 2017 Tobu Zoo ran collaboration events with *Kemono Friends*, an anime whose animal-girl characters include Hululu, a Humboldt penguin[2](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2017/10/12/the-internets-beloved-humboldt-penguin-grape-kun-has-died). A cardboard standee of Hululu was placed in the penguin exhibit in late April 2017, and Grape-kun took up a position beside it[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun).
The story spread through social media. On April 21, 2017, Twitter user @sisukaton posted two photographs of Grape-kun staring at the cutout; within 10 days the tweet had gained over 39,000 likes and 30,400 retweets[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun). The zoo's official account posted its own photograph on April 25, noting that he had been staring at her since that morning[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun). Fans read the elderly, twice-rejected penguin's devotion to a two-dimensional character as a story of unrequited love, and animanga communities adopted him widely[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun).
**A visit from the voice actress.** On May 20, 2017, Chikuta Ikuko, who voices Hululu, visited Grape-kun at the penguin house and shared the experience with a picture on Twitter, a post that drew over 13,000 retweets and 19,000 likes in the following five months[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun). The zoo sold limited "Grape-kun in love" juice and penguin goods for the collaboration, and a live broadcast on niconico carried the story to a wider audience[7](https://m.jiemian.com/article/1681427.html).
The bond survived even routine zoo operations. In September 2017, after the collaboration had ended, the Hululu standee had to be evacuated ahead of an approaching typhoon; the zoo tweeted an apology to Grape-kun, and he was reunited with the cutout once the weather passed[9](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2017/9/18/at-tobu-zoo-grape-kuns-affection-is-stronger-than-a-typhoon).
## Death and tributes
On October 10, 2017, the zoo announced that Grape-kun had been removed from display after keepers noticed changes in his physical condition[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun). On October 12 the zoo posted that he had died, with a message thanking supporters and "Hululu, who watched over him until the very end"; within 24 hours the announcement gathered over 118,000 retweets and 92,000 likes[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun). [CBS News](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbs-news) reported that he died on October 12 beside the cutout[4](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/beloved-penguin-dies-beside-cardboard-cutout-he-loved/), while Know Your Meme records the zoo's tweet as saying he had passed away the previous day[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun).
Mourning followed on several channels. Fans posted tribute artwork, visitors left flowers and Grape-kun-related offerings at a memorial stand at the zoo[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun) • [4](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/beloved-penguin-dies-beside-cardboard-cutout-he-loved/), and Mine Yoshizaki, the character designer of *Kemono Friends*, dedicated an illustration of Grape-kun to Tobu Zoo, a post that received over 46,000 retweets and 78,000 likes within three days[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun).
## Legacy
Grape-kun remained part of Tobu Zoo's public identity after his death. He was later immortalized in a new official cutout depicting him together with Hululu[5](https://www.siliconera.com/danganronpa-tobu-zoo-collab-will-launch-in-july/), and the zoo has continued to host anime collaborations in the years since, including a *Danganronpa* event scheduled for July 4 to September 27, 2026[5](https://www.siliconera.com/danganronpa-tobu-zoo-collab-will-launch-in-july/). His story is frequently retold as an example of an animal's response to loneliness and companionship, and the episode remains one of the best-known cases of a zoo animal becoming a social media phenomenon[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun).
## References
1. [Grape-kun, Know Your Meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grape-kun)
2. [The Internet's Beloved Humboldt Penguin "Grape-kun" Has Died, Crunchyroll News](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2017/10/12/the-internets-beloved-humboldt-penguin-grape-kun-has-died)
3. [グレープ君(フンボルトペンギン), アニヲタWiki(仮) atwiki](https://w.atwiki.jp/aniwotawiki/pages/37300.html)
4. [Beloved Penguin Dies Beside Cardboard Cutout He Loved, CBS New York](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/beloved-penguin-dies-beside-cardboard-cutout-he-loved/)
5. [Danganronpa Tobu Zoo Collab Will Launch in July, Siliconera](https://www.siliconera.com/danganronpa-tobu-zoo-collab-will-launch-in-july/)
6. [Promised song: The story of Grape-kun the Otaku penguin, Animal Scene Magazine](https://animalscene.mb.com.ph/promised-song-the-story-of-grape-kun-the-otaku-penguin/)
7. [那只沉迷纸片人的企鹅"葡萄君"，去世了, 界面 · 财经号](https://m.jiemian.com/article/1681427.html)
8. [Japan zoo mourns death of love-struck penguin, Phys.org](https://phys.org/news/2017-10-japan-zoo-death-love-struck-penguin.pdf)
9. [At Tobu Zoo, Grape-Kun's Affection is Stronger than a Typhoon, Crunchyroll News](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2017/9/18/at-tobu-zoo-grape-kuns-affection-is-stronger-than-a-typhoon)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Animals › Vertebrates › Birds › Seabirds and waterbirds*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license