The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper

The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper is a computer-animated short produced by DreamWorks Animation, and the first Christmas-themed production spun off from the Madagascar films. The 12-minute film showcases the adventures of the four penguins, sometimes known as the Madagascar Penguins (or, as their series on Nickelodeon officially calls them, The Penguins of Madagascar), who live in the Central Park Zoo and are trained as spies. The short premiered in theaters on October 7, 2005, in front of the film . It was directed by animation veteran Gary Trousdale, produced by Teresa Cheng, and written by Michael Lachance.

Synopsis
In the story (which takes place before the events of the original Madgascar film), the youngest penguin on the team, Private, slips out of the zoo on Christmas Eve to find a present for a lonely polar bear named Ted. While roaming the streets of Manhattan, he is captured by Nana, who has mistaken him for a chew toy, which she purchases as a present for her vicious dog, Mr. Chew. The other three penguins, Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico, rescue Private from the old lady's apartment and trap Mr. Chew in a Christmas stocking. At the end of the film they invite Ted to their home. But he had already invited guests, resulting in a massive sing-a-long to a parody of "Jingle Bells".

Availability
Right after the short's original theatrical release, it was included as a bonus feature on the original DVD release of the first Madagascar movie on November 15, 2005, and later as part of a DVD titled Party with the Penguins, sold only as part of a two-disc DVD set with Merry Madagascar at Walmart stores starting November 19, 2009, in the USA. When Merry Madagascar was reissued as a retail DVD release, the short was included as a bonus feature. It was later featured on the DreamWorks Holiday Collection compilation DVD and Blu-ray, released on October 30, 2012.