As of April, John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids is the home of the “World's Most Popular Penguin”: Phil. Phil competed for his first time in the annual March Of The Penguins Madness competition and took his place as the third winner in the Iceberg Hall of Heroes. He was the first from North America to win, as the past two winners came from Poland and the U.K.

Phil was born last spring, making him almost a year old. His parents, QB and Hogan, raised him alongside his sister, Pebbles. When he was just six weeks old, zookeepers noticed he was acting sluggish and not eating much. It was discovered that he had anemia, a condition where one doesn’t produce enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin (protein found in red blood cells) to carry oxygen throughout the body. Veterinarians were able to successfully transfer blood from Phil’s father into him, and Phil was able to recover quickly. Now he is known for his hearty appetite and unique hairstyle of feathers on top of his head, which looks like a comb-over.

The March Of The Penguins Madness (MOTPM) is an online event run by Penguins International, a non-profit organization based in Colorado. The group's goal is to protect penguins of all species, raise awareness for penguins in need, and use donations to fund scientific research dedicated to protecting the animals. Every March since 2023, MOTPM receives hundreds of penguin nominations to compete in a bracket for the title of World’s Most Popular Penguin; only forty-eight nominees make it to the bracket.

The nominations come from zookeepers, aquarists, and other institutions caring for penguins. Through social media apps and the MOTPM website, viewers and supporters are able to vote on their favorite penguins. Phil’s win brought lots of positive publicity to John Ball Zoo and penguins, specifically Magellanic penguins, which are a near-threatened species.

After winning, Phil received many treats and enrichment activities along with his new title. John Ball Zoo is proud of Phil’s success and hopes that with all the publicity of the competition, people will become more aware of the threats against penguins and the vulnerability of their species.