Linux is free and Linux is fun and Linux can do a lot of very cool things with cheap hardware. For that reason, Linux is becoming the cool OS on campus and a growing choice with young Web Entrepeneurs. Take aim at these early adapters and the rest will follow. They'll have someone to show them how things are done and Linux will get easier. Cute shouldn't be a problem, either.
Penguins are very cute.
Everybody loves penguins. Maybe put a CD-ROM drive in its bill and call CD's herring. Maybe even put a red hat on it and have that strange Caldera dancing dude do a few steps. Sounds cute to me. We do have a problem with S.U.S.E, though.