How Tux became the Linus mascot

Linus Torvalds was visiting the National Zoo and Aquarium in Australia, looking for something fun to associate with Linux, and was bitten by a Fairy Penguin. Linus ended up really liking the flightless bird. One good thing about penguins is that they are flightless birds that can't crash, which is always a good thing for computer languages. In 1996, Larry Ewing was looking online, and found a photograph of a penguin that he liked, and created what we now know as Tux. James Hughes came up with the name Tux for the mascot, saying that it stands for "Torvalds UniX", although a lot of people associate penguins with tuxedos.
The character Tux was actually entered into a Linux Logo contest, but never won. So it is not considered the official logo for Linux, but is still considered the mascot. Over the last few years, many renditions of Tux have been created and are around the internet. For example, you can find a Linux game called Tux Racer, where the user guides tux down a ski slope on his belly, trying to catch fish and play against time.