Treasure from my parents via sister Jean

My sister Jean gave me our parents' vintage Penguin ice bucket on our recent visit.    What a special item to share with a sister.    I was thinking about the design and presume penguins are soothing figures, and the elegance of the Art Deco design is just terrific.

Bar setup which includes my parents' Penguin ice bucket

The Martins' Penguin ice bucket from the 50's

For the generation that came of age after WWII, the West Bend Penguin was their ice bucket. It must have been cheap and easy to find because everyone had one. For the generation that grew up in the '60s and '70s, this was their parents' ice bucket. My parents Charlie and Margie Martin entertained regularly and I can still see the Penguin loaded with ice cubes ready to make adult beverages cold.  They loved to dance and I can remember a few couples waltzing in our living room.   They also played bridge and the Penguin was always present no matter the purpose of the party.   It was made by the West Bend Aluminum Company in West Bend, Wisconsin.

The item's official name is the West Bend Penguin Hot and Cold Server Ice Bucket.It appears to be aluminum and I guess I could serve soup in it (no thanks!).   It also came in a copper-colored version, which is much more rare. The sloping handles, which look like penguin wings, and the top handle are wood on mine, but other versions had Bakelite handles, either in brown or black. 


The Patent on the bucket is No. 2,349,099 and Des. 127,279. The design was filed March 13, 1941 and issued May 20, 1941; the patent was filed May 19, 1941 and issued May 16, 1944. Nonetheless, the bucket really had its heyday in the 1950s and early 1960s and are now returning in popularity.
 
There is a Penguin on display in the new Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans.


During a consignment shop visit, I picked up a Vintage Handwrought Aluminum Floral Round Serving Tray Platter.    It's a charming complement to the Penguin bucket
 

I look forward to telling my grandchildren about the little bucket and to serving them cold lemonade in the summer.

Thank you sister Jean!