Dawn of Tux, the Linux Penguin.

I was unaware that the familiar Linux Penguin logo is named Tux. This logo (or mascot, or both, depending on who you ask) got its start in the mid-1990s, when people started debating the idea of what would make for a suitable Linux logo. The ideas ranged from various lampoons of other OS logos to various symbols of animals , such as a lion, tiger, or other such powerful creatures, and even a fox. Somewhere along the line, it was discovered that the father of Linux, Linus Torvalds, just happened to like penguins. Soon after, in about 1996, Tux was born in a contest for the best penguin logo. The winning Tux artist, Larry Ewing, reportedly used the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) to draw and paint the logo character. The name Tux is apparently an acronym for Torvalds UniX, which also links right in with penguins looking like they wear tuxedos, so the name stuck. But all this did not happen right away. It took a couple of years for Tux the Penguin to become firmly entrenched as the logo and mascot of Linux that he is known as today. Now that he is here, it seems unlikely that he will ever go away, unless Linux itself goes away.