Operation: Blackout was an Elite Penguin Force event that began on November 14, 2012 and ended on December 6, 2012, even though it was originally planned to end on December 4. Rumors had already started in 2011 due to the 'Behind the Scenes' video by Club Penguin containing footage of an employee working on a computer with big, black bold letters on the screen saying Operation: Blackout. On October 11, 2012, Polo Field indirectly teased the event on his personal Club Penguin blog, posting about listening to a track that the team was working on for November. The event was confirmed on Herbert's, Polo Field's and Billybob's Twitter accounts. Operation: Blackout was the first time Herbert made an appearance as a mascot.