What is the name of the Linux kernel mascot?

The Linux kernel’s mascot is Tux, a cartoon penguin associated with Linux since the 1990s.

The character was created by Larry Ewing in 1996 using the GIMP image editor. Linus Torvalds had suggested a penguin as a friendly symbol for Linux, reportedly influenced by a penguin encounter at a zoo in Canberra, Australia. Tux’s name is commonly explained as a blend of “Torvalds” and “Unix,” although it also evokes a penguin’s black-and-white tuxedo.

Tux is technically the Linux kernel’s mascot or brand character, rather than a conventional software logo. Different Linux distributions and open-source projects have reused or redesigned the penguin in their own artwork. Tux also appears in projects such as SuperTux, Tux Paint, and Tux Racer.

A common mix-up is Wilber, which is the mascot of GIMP, or the BSD Daemon, associated with BSD operating systems. GNU has its own gnu-head logo and is a separate free-software project.