Doggie sweaters hit the penguin market

Just when you thought the only poor animal forced into a sweater was dogs or the occasional cat ... meet the sweater-clad penguins.

They have ribbed varieties of body length jumpers in bold solids and even the feminine stripe.

For the more metro penguin, there's a turtleneck option (mock-turtleneck styles are in the works).

MSNBC reports that these blue penguins were garbed in sweaters to stay warm -- obviously -- and to prevent them from grooming themselves. These penguins affected by the oil spill in New Zealand earlier this month.

According to MSNBC, Skeinz, a knitting shop, commissioned its knitters to get busy making penguin sweaters for the cause.

Penguins wearing sweaters isn't a new concept. The photos of penguins in sweaters in this post are actually from previous oil spills. And frankly, these penguins look a lot happier and comfortable in their sweaters than dogs ever will.