Linus Torvalds, who came up with the concept for Linux's penguin mascot Tux, claimed he became infected with "penguinitis" after having been gnawed by a penguin at a zoo. "Penguinitis makes you stay awake at nights just thinking about penguins and feeling great love towards them," he explained. Apparently the Swedish owner of the Web site Mony's Curry contracted a more virulent strain, because her bafflingly comprehensive Penguin House suggests she hasn't experienced a non-penguin-related thought in years.

In addition to dumb jokes and "Christmas Penguins," Mony's Curry contains a tattoo gallery. Most of these obsessives, including Mony, pledged their indelible devotion to the '50s cartoon character Chilly Willy, but a few honored their fellow sufferer of the tragic "penguinitis" affliction by getting Tux tattoos.

- Andrew "Garbage Day" Miller (@DarbageGay)