A Wish for Wings That Work

A Wish for Wings That Work is a 1991 children's book by Berke Breathed, the creator of Bloom County and Outland. In it, the strip's central character, Opus the Penguin, is disappointed because he can't fly. After some failed attempts at using a flying machine bought off TV, he writes a letter to Santa Claus and asks for wings that work. Near the end, Santa's sleigh crashes in the lake and it's up to Opus to save him from the icy lake.

Also in 1991, Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television arm adapted A Wish for Wings That Work into an animated special that first aired on CBS on December 18, 1991. Although the special was fairly well-received by critics, Berke considers it an Old Shame. It is the only Animated Adaptation of the Breathedverse to date.


 * Art Shift / Roger Rabbit Effect: A variant. In one scene, Opus has a dream sequence that lifts footage from the 1937 film Lost Horizon.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?: "So what if they're small? Some women prefer small wings!"
 * Eye Pop: Lampshaded; this happens to Opus twice, and after it does, he rubs his eyes and says "ow!"
 * Jaw Drop: All three of the ducks and Bill after Santa gives Opus a Santa hat.
 * Shout-Out: Quite a few, after all, this is Bloom County.
 * The Stinger: After the Amblin Television and Universal Animation logos, there is one more scene of the pig pretending to be a rhino, who says "DON'T GET COCKY!". Then Opus's buttocks fall out of the sky and plop in the snow.
 * Santa Claus: Of course.
 * Title Drop: "…some penguin wings that work."