| Cut Bank Penguin | |
|---|---|
 The Cut Bank Penguin in 2024 | |
| Artist | Ron Gustafson |
| Year | 1989 |
| Location | Cut Bank, MT |
| 48°37′47.54″N 112°19′1.12″W / 48.6298722°N 112.3169778°W | |
The Cut Bank Penguin is a statue in Cut Bank, Montana. It is 27 feet (8.2 m) tall and weighs five tons,[1] and is of a cartoon penguin wearing a red hat on an iceberg. Text on the iceberg reads, "Welcome to Cut Bank MT, Coldest Spot in the Nation." The statue was built in 1989 by Ron Gustafson, who got the idea for it after the wind chill in Cut Bank hit −64 °F (−53 °C).[2] The statue's claim that Cut Bank is the "coldest spot in the nation", referring to just the lower 48 states, is still up for debate.[3]
In 2013, a similar-looking statue, nicknamed "Ernie", was built in Innisfree, Alberta, for the film Cut Bank;[4] it is not as tall as the Cut Bank Penguin, and the text on the iceberg reads "Welcome to Innisfree, Home of the Cut Bank Penguin."
- ^ "Penguin Colossus at Coldest Spot, Cut Bank, Montana". RoadsideAmerica.com. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ "World's Largest Penguin Statue, world record in Cut Bank, Montana". www.worldrecordacademy.org. 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ "Coldest Place in The Nation". NonStop Local Montana. 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
- ^ "Innisfree, AB, Canada - Ernie the Cut Bank Penguin". RoadsideAmerica.com. Retrieved 2024-05-21.