For a penguin, Opus is shaped very oddly. In the earlier days of the strip, Opus looked very typical for a penguin. However, as he began to develop, he began to become quite a bit pudgier and his nose grew to an enormous size. In one Sunday strip, Binkley even notes that Opus looks more like a puffin than a penguin, to which Opus responds that Binkley looks like a carrot. Opus also wears a red bowtie which is occasionally replaced by a necktie when Opus is seeking a political position (which is then forcefully removed when he loses).