Private

### Likes

His brothers and friends, peanut butter winkies, , cupid, children, music, the "high one" with his teammates, *The Lunacorns*, cuteness, "More Than A Feeling" by Boston

### Dislikes

Skipper labelling him as just "the cute one," mean people, villains, his brothers in danger, Kowalski lying about destroying Jiggles, Kowalski's inventions (sometimes), using brute force

### Powers and abilities

Leadership
Expert Combatant
Secret Weapon: Adorability
Good at Mini Golf
Archery skill
Lockpick
Stealth attack
Karate

## Family

### Siblings

Skipper (adoptive brother)
Rico (adoptive brother)
Kowalski (adoptive brother)

### Enemies

The Fossa, Nana (formerly), Chantel DuBois, Dave and his octopi, Bada and Bing (sometimes), Joey (formerly), Dr. Blowhole, Savio, Clemson, Hans, Lemmy (formerly), Jiggles

> "*I know it has to be me this time. And I think you know it, too.*"
> ― Private to Skipper[source]
>
>

**Private** is a major character in DreamWorks' 2005 animated film *Madagascar* and its 2008 and 2012 sequels and the main protagonist of the 2014 spin-off, *Penguins of Madagascar*. Private is the youngest of the Penguins and was adopted by Skipper, Kowalski and Rico as a younger brother.

He is voiced by Christopher Knights in the films and James Patrick Stuart in the television series.

## Background

Before he was born, Private was abandoned as an egg. According to *Operation Penguin*, his father was a secret agent named Sam Fishy but his mother's name is unknown. His egg was eventually buried in a snow bank and began rolling down a hill, knocking down three penguin children, Skipper, Kowalski and Rico. Skipper, not willing to let a defenseless egg get smashed goes to save it, but ends up making it fall down a cliff.

The penguins, growing worried when they see the penguin egg endangered by a group of leopard seals, all fall down the cliff and enter the danger zone on the ship. Rico swallows the egg whole and carries it to safety with the rest of his brothers.

Shortly after they escape the leopard seals, Skipper accidentally slaps the egg, as its shell starts to crack. Soon, Private hatches in front of the Penguins and inquires if they are his family. Before Skipper responds, child Kowalski answers that Private has no family and that they were all going to die. However, Skipper instead slaps Kowalski and tells baby Private that they're all the family the baby penguin has. Eventually, they adopt him as their baby brother and names him Private.

### Personality

Unlike most of the Penguins, Private is a down-to-earth person and tries to get out the non-violent way of things, unlike his fellow penguins. Sometimes he can get impatient i. e. in one episode, Private starts to inhabit cabin fever while stuck with Mort, but does get out of it when Mort eats all of the food and they are able to escape.

He mostly starts picking up mostly his older brother Skipper, as he becomes more aggressive as the series goes on. Still though, Private still cares and loves his family until the ends of the earth, choosing his friends over love and having full faith in his brothers when Private is held captive by Dave. He also seems more friendly than the others and has habrored paternal instincts on younger life forms. Mostly this was shown in "Paternal Egg Stinct" when his brothers had threatened the unhatched Eggy with "pushing to hard."

Most of the penguins are protective over Private, despite being a valued member of their group. However, it was most likely due to the fact that Private had been endangered as an egg. They usually tend to cover his eyes from inappropriate images, or cover his ears when Skipper uses his "angry words".

However, the movie sees that Private wishes to be a meaningful and valued member of the Penguins' team and also desired that his brothers wouldn't write him off as "the cute one." However, despite this desire, Private still loved his adoptive family dearly, even showing great confidence that with his brothers, they would bring about Dave's downfall. He showed an honorable side, even willingly giving up his cuteness to help save the other Penguins, including his siblings.

### Physical Appearance

Private is a short, young penguin. He is about nine later ten years old (revealed in the film) and younger than all his other brothers. He has blue eyes and yellow, webbed feet and beak. Private has black wings white that covers his whole front down to his feet.

### Alter-Egos

#### Mr. Tux

In the television series, one of Private's many personas is Mr. Tux. He is proven to be an excellent golf player and is the nemesis of the Armadillo Kid.

## Appearances

### *Madagascar*

Private and the penguins escape from New York Central Park zoo and returning to Antarctica. However, they are caught, along with Alex, Melman, Gloria and Marty at Grand Central Station. While being transferred to the Kenya Wildlife Perserve. The Penguins commodere the ship but inadvertently cause the four's crates to fall into the ocean. When they get to Antarctica, Private voices his dismay for how barren and cold it is.

### *Penguins of Madagascar: The Movie*

During the battle at the Aquarium in Shanghai, China, Dave kidnapped Private along with the other penguins. After witnessing Dave the full power of the medusa serum, he accidentally alerted Dave of his presence by yelling "crikey," a term Private used earlier when he and the other penguins were initially captured by their one time. Though discovered, Private swears to Dave that when his brothers come, they'll bring about disaster to his operation. Dave realizes that Private's brothers are coming to them and decides to use it as his advantage. When Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico are captured as well. However, Private escapes before using the paperclip that he swallowed earlier and later rescues the North Wind, but they run away to come up with a new plan, which causes Private to go save the other penguins

## *The Penguins of Madagascar*(Television series)

Private appears as one of the titular main protagonists of the 2008-2015 television series. However, instead of being voiced by Christopher Knights, he is voiced by James Patrick Stuart.

## Relationships

### Skipper

Skipper is one of Private's three older brothers and sometimes still treats Private like a child, which sometimes aggravates him. Throughout the film, Private gets fed up with his brother's overprotectiveness and tries desperately to show Skipper that he is more than the cute "little guy" everyone sees him as. Eventually, Skipper realizes that Private is a very valued member of the team and that it isn't what you look like that counts but what you do is what matters.

### Kowalski

Private values Kowalski as his elder brother and looks up to him as a hero (according to "Raccoon Unmasked") However, it is revealed that after Private was hatched, Kowalski unintentionally upset the baby penguin by saying they were all going to die as he had no family. Despite all of that, Private and Kowalski have a very close relationship and get along, putting a lot of trust in each other, shown in "Invention Intervention," when Kowalski asked for Private to keep the invisible ray a secret. However, despite not telling Skipper, Private still urged for Kowalski to tell Skipper that the Invisible ray was of Kowalski's doing and not Doctor Blowhole.

### Rico

Private first meets Rico when he was hatched from an egg in Anarctica, and they grew up as brothers. In the television series, Private knows Rico so well, as according to him, Private knows Rico sees chain saws as a solution to everything. Another point in the series was when Private thought Rico was going to die, he gave Rico a hug and also nearly cried because of Rico nearly being killed by it.

However, there are several times when they don't get a long but this is hardly ever seen.

### Uncle Nigel

Private loves his uncle Nigel very much, and he appears to be his only biological relative he has ever known. He was the first to know his uncle was a secret agent trying to find the Red Squirrel. At first, he thinks his uncle is insane, just like Agent Rockgut from "The Red Squirrel". However, Private believes Nigel when he sees Red for himself and tried to convince Skipper, Rico, and Kowalski that his uncle beat the Red Squirrel. Nigel believes that Private is tough and only acts like a buffoon in front of enemies.

Private lets his uncle leave with this impression and stops Skipper from telling Nigel that Private actually is a softy.

### Barry

Barry is a cute yet deadly Dart Frog, who Private initially did not get along. The young penguin doesn't actually hate the dart Frog, despite it poisoning Rico, Kowalski and eventually, Skipper. Throughout most of the episode, Private is scared of the untouchable frog and believes Barry needs something. However, inventing a suit that Barry cannot penetrate with his poison, Private gives the little frog a hug. The hug causes Barry to change into a nicer person and they become friends.

### Marlene

Private and Marlene appeared to have known each other since she came to the zoo after she was taken away from the aquarium she once came from. Though hardly having screen time in the series, Marlene and Private are actually very good friends.

The most significant episode they share is "Badger Pride" where Marlene tries to get Private to overcome his fear of badgers, and no matter how much he tries to get out of it, the more Marlene wants him to overcome this silly fear. After the badgers are revealed to be easily insulted and not so friendly, Private gives her a garlic bag that will "ward off evil badger spirits". However, she is chased by Stacy and Becky and Private goes to save her by shooting the machine and uses it to shoot at them tennis balls. .

## Gallery

***DreamWorks Films*** has a collection of images and media related to ***Private***.
## Trivia

* According to "Wishful Thinking," his name is Private, as are his rank, and secret shame.
* Afraid of badgers, and distrusts them, as mentioned in "The Hidden," "Badger Pride," etc.
* Loves watching the show, Lunacorns, the Madagascar's version of *My Little Pony*.
* Attended community college. Private hoped to one day be president, as revealed in *Europe's Most Wanted*.
* Constantly calls Captain Chantel Dubois a "terrible woman."
* It was revealed in *Merry Madagascar* that Private was cross-eyed until he met Cupid, one of the reindeer.
* Hero and protagonist of the film, Penguins of Madagascar: The Movie. because it focuses on his feelings and his story and saving all the other penguins.
* As of the episode, "Concrete Jungle Survival," Private is now 'Private, First Class'
* Most of the penguins, namely Skipper, think Private puts on an adorable and phony British accent. (Hard Boiled Eggy). However, its revealed in "A Visit from uncle Nigel" that Private's accent is real.
* Private is the only penguin whose age is revealed, which is ten. Private also appears to be around the human equivalence age of a teenager.

## External Links

* Private at Madagascar Wiki
* Private at Heroes Wiki