Rubber duck

A rubber duck or rubber ducky is a toy shaped like a stylized

duck, generally yellow with a flat base. It may be made of rubber or
rubber-like material such as vinyl plastic.[1] Rubber ducks were
invented in the late 1800s when it became possible to more easily
shape rubber,[2] and are believed to improve developmental skills in
children during water play.[3] The yellow rubber duck has achieved
an iconic status in Western pop culture and is often symbolically
linked to bathing. Various novelty variations of the toy are produced,
and many organisations use yellow rubber ducks in rubber duck races
for fundraising worldwide. Several modern rubber ducks

Contents
History
In popular culture
World's largest rubber duck
Races
North America
Australia
Europe
United Kingdom
Germany
Scientific studies
Oceanography
Glacial melting
See also
References

History
The history of the rubber duck is linked to the emergence of rubber
manufacturing in the late 19th century. The earliest rubber ducks were
made from harder rubber when manufacturers began using Charles
Goodyear's invention, vulcanized rubber. Consequently, these solid
rubber ducks were not capable of floating and were instead intended
as chew toys.[4]

Sculptor Peter Ganine created a sculpture of a duck in the 1940s. He

then patented it and reproduced it as a floating toy, of which over 50 A variety of rubber ducks
million were sold.[5]
Besides the ubiquitous yellow rubber duck with which most people are familiar, there have been numerous
novelty variations on the basic theme, including character ducks representing professions, politicians, or
celebrities. There are also ducks that glow in the dark, quack, change color, have interior LED illumination, or
include a wind-up engine that enables them to "swim". In 2001, The Sun, a British tabloid reported that Queen
Elizabeth II has a rubber duck in her bathroom that wears an inflatable crown. The duck was spotted by a
workman who was repainting her bathroom.[6] The story prompted sales of rubber ducks in the United
Kingdom to increase by 80% for a short period.

Rubber ducks are collected by enthusiasts. The 2011 Guinness World Record for World's Largest Rubber
Duck Collection stood at 5,631 different rubber ducks, and was awarded to Charlotte Lee.[7] In 2013, the
rubber duck was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame, a museum in Rochester, New York, along with the game
of chess.[8] Toys are selected based on factors like icon-status, longevity, and innovation.[9]

In popular culture
Ernie, a popular Muppet from the television series Sesame Street, has performed the song "Rubber Duckie"
multiple times since the series began. Ernie frequently spoke to his duck and carried it with him in other
segments of the show. On a special occasion, Little Richard performed the song.[10] C. W. McCall's hit song
"Convoy" (and the movie and novel it inspired) are narrated from the viewpoint of a character who replaced
the bulldog hood ornament on his Mack truck with a bathtub toy and used the on-air handle of "Rubber
Duck".

World's largest rubber duck

The world's largest rubber duck was created by Dutch artist Florentijn
Hofman in 2007, measuring 16.5 m × 20 m × 32 m (54 ft × 66 ft
× 105 ft) and weighing about 600 kilograms (1,300 lb).[11][12] Since
2007, several ducks of various sizes created by Hofman have been on
display in countries and territories such as Amsterdam, Netherlands;
Lommel, Belgium; Osaka, Japan; Sydney, Australia; São Paulo,
Brazil; Hong Kong, China; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; and Seoul, Korea;
until 14 November 2014,[13] and went on display in the United States
Florentijn Hofman's Rubber Duck
after 20 October 2013.[14] sculpture in Sydney, 2013

In 2013, China's "Great Firewall" blocks searches for "big yellow

duck" because Chinese activists were photo-shopping the Rubber
Duck sculpture into the Tank Man photo of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. If the term "Big Yellow Duck"
were searched, a message appeared stating that according to relevant laws, statutes, and policies, the results of
the search could not be shown.[15]

Races
Rubber duck races, also known as derby duck races, have been used as a method of fundraising for
organizations worldwide. People donate money to the organization by sponsoring a duck. At the end of the
fundraising drive, all of the ducks are dumped into a waterway, with the first to float past the finish line
winning a prize for its sponsor.

North America
There are hundreds of races held in the United States and
internationally. The largest race in the United States is the annual
Freestore Foodbank Rubber Duck Regatta in Cincinnati, Ohio. First
run in 1995, the Rubber Duck Regatta now features over 150,000
ducks raced to raise money for the organization.[16] Since its
beginning in 1995 the Rubber Duck Regatta in Cincinnati Ohio has
raised over $9 million, and over $1 million has been raised for each
year's race since 2014.

The annual Aspen Ducky Derby was first run by the Rotary Club of
A rubber duck race in Freiburg,
Aspen, Colorado, in 1991. The derby now features 30,000 ducks and
Germany
takes place each August in Aspen's Rio Grande Park. Through its
past 20 years, the Aspen Ducky Derby has raised more than $2.3
million to benefit 65 nonprofit groups.[17][18][19]

In Fort Wayne, Indiana, for over 30 years the Weigand Construction Duck Race takes place in the summer at
Johnny Appleseed Park to support the organization SCAN, whose mission is to eliminate the abuse and
neglect of children in northeast Indiana through family services, education and community partnerships.[20]

One of the more famous rubber duck races is the Great Knoxville Rubber Duck Race.[21] This race received
attention when the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that it was a lottery, which stopped the race for a few
years. After the state amended its constitution to allow lotteries with special exceptions, the race was
reinstituted. The Derby Duck race sees over 40,000 ducks race to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of
Tennessee Valley.

A famous rubber duck race is the Halifax Duck Derby.[22] This race has 10,000 rubber ducks in the Halifax
Harbour along Bishops Landing. There is a grand prize of $1 million Canadian dollars; other prizes include a
trip to anywhere in Canada, large-screen TVs, and more. This race has been very successful in raising money
and awareness for its organizations.

The Lumsden Duck Derby is a Labour Day tradition in the town of Lumsden, Saskatchewan, 31 kilometres
(19 mi) northwest of Regina. Founded in 1988 to help the town raise funds for a new ice rink,[23] nowadays
the Derby races 25,000 rubber ducks down a stretch of the Qu'Appelle River and features a grand prize of
CAD$1 million.[24] The town makes a day out of it, with a pancake breakfast, bands and other entertainments,
kids' activities, and a "parade to the post."[25]

The Estes Park Rotary Duck Race raises money for sixty-eight different charities. Contestants must choose
which charity to donate their money to when they buy their ticket.[26]

Australia

The Great Brisbane Duck Race is held on the Brisbane River each year to raise funds for the PA Research
Foundation.[27] The 100-metre (330 ft) race saw 30,000 rubber ducks enter the race in 2011. The PA Research
Foundation also holds a Team Duck Race Challenge where groups are invited to raise funds and participate in
either the motorised or non-motorised Team Duck Race with a large 26-centimetre (10 in) tall rubber duck that
teams can decorate, brand, and modify.

One other race was conducted in Australia in January 1988. It was run from the "High-level bridge" to the
"Low-level bridge" near Katherine, Northern Territory on the Australia Day long weekend. Acting on behalf
of the town's Bicentennial Committee, Royal Australian Air Force officers Andrew Cairns and Jock
MacGowan constructed the release cage from PVC pipe, purchased and numbered the ducks, printed tickets,
and even arranged a helicopter flypast.
Europe

United Kingdom

In Stockbridge, Edinburgh since 1988, the Stockbridge Community

Festival has held the annual Stockbridge Duck Race to raise money for
local charities. 1000 rubber ducks are released into the Water of Leith at
the Stockbridge to float downstream to the finishing post at the Falshaw
Bridge. The 2010 race was memorable for a sudden rain shower at the
finish line.[28] The 2011 race was held on 3 July with proceeds going to
local charities Stockbridge House & St. Columba's Hospice.[29]

For over 25 years, Bibury in Gloucestershire has hosted an annual Duck Hebden Bridge Duck Race, West
Race on Boxing Day. The charity event, which attracts thousands of Yorkshire
spectators, is split into two races; one featuring the iconic yellow ducks,
the other featuring the more realistic decoy ducks, both held on the River
Coln.[30]

On 31 August 2008, the Great British Duck Race was held near Hampton Court Palace in London. The race
broke the world record for the number of ducks used together, with a total of 250,000. The ducks used in the
race were a bright blue color, after stewards in the previous year faced problems from spectators throwing their
own ducks into the water.[31]

Each year, on Easter Monday, a duck race is organised in Glenridding by the local mountain rescue team to
raise funds. Another is the Manchester Duck Race, held at Spinningfields on the River Irwell each Good
Friday, with several thousand ducks.

Germany

Every July a charity race called "Entencup" is held in Nuremberg.[32]

The beneficiary changes each time, among them the Nuremberg Zoo.

Scientific studies

Oceanography

During a Pacific storm on 10 January 1992, three 40-foot containers

Rubber ducks on the grave of
holding 29,000 Friendly Floatees plastic bathtub toys from a Chinese
German humorist Vicco von Bülow,
factory were washed off a ship, containing blue turtles, yellow ducks,
paying tribute to one of his best-
red beavers, and green frogs.[33] Two-thirds of the toys floated south known comedy sketches
and landed three months later on the shores of Indonesia, Australia,
and South America. The remaining 10,000 toys headed north to
Alaska and then completed a full circle back near Japan, caught up in the North Pacific Gyre current as the so-
called Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Many of the toys then entered the Bering Strait between Alaska and
Russia and were trapped in the Arctic ice. They moved through the ice at a rate of one mile per day, and in
2000 they were sighted in the North Atlantic. The movement of the toys had been monitored by American
oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer.[34] Bleached by sun and seawater, the ducks and beavers had faded to
white, but the turtles and frogs had kept their original colours.
Between July and December 2003, The First Years Inc. offered a $100 US savings bond reward to anybody
who recovered a Floatee in New England, Canada or Iceland. More of the toys were recovered in 2004 than
in any of the preceding three years. However, still more of these toys were predicted to have headed eastward
past Greenland and make landfall on the southwestern shores of the United Kingdom in 2007.

These toys were the subject of Donovan Hohn's 2011 book Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys
Lost at Sea.

Glacial melting

In August 2008, NASA'S Jet Propulsion Laboratory undertook studies of Greenland's Jakobshavn Glacier to
determine how interior glacial meltflow during the summer influenced its movement. A sophisticated football-
sized probe that had a GPS device, pressure sensor, thermometer and accelerometer was lowered by rope into
one of the glacier's moulins. The probe's equipment was designed to find structures such as waterfalls inside
the ice. Unfortunately the probe went silent, so ninety rubber ducks marked in English, Danish, and Inuit with
the text "science experiment" and "reward", along with an email address to contact if found, were also put into
the moulins and it was hoped that the ducks would eventually exit and be found by hunters or fishermen
around Baffin Bay.[35][36] As of 2012, none of the ducks were found or returned, possibly due to being
trapped in large aquifers later discovered inside the ice.[37]

See also
Hook-a-duck
Rubber duck debugging

References
1. "Rubber Duck" (http://www.toyhalloffame.org/toys/rubber-duck). National Toy Hall of Fame.
Retrieved 30 September 2014.
2. "The history of rubber duck" (https://www.stneotsmuseum.org.uk/articles/the-history-of-the-rubb
er-duck/). St Neots Museum. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
3. "Rubber Duck | National Toy Hall of Fame" (https://www.toyhalloffame.org/toys/rubber-duck).
www.toyhalloffame.org. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
4. "Rubber Duck" (http://www.toyhalloffame.org/toys/rubber-duck). National Toy Hall of Fame.
Retrieved 31 March 2016.
5. "Peter Ganine; L.A. Sculptor". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 13 August 1974.
6. "Queen Goes Quackers at Bath Time" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/uk/newsid_1581000/
1581293.stm). BBC News. 5 October 2001. Retrieved 17 August 2009.
7. "Largest collection of rubber ducks" (http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/large
st-collection-of-rubber-ducks). Guinness World Records Limited. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
8. D'Zurilla, Christie (7 November 2013). "Toy Hall of Fame inducts chess, rubber duck; snubs
Army men, 8-Ball" (http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-sh-toy-hall-of-fame-rubber-duck-chess-201
31107-story.html). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
9. Gallman, Stephanie (7 November 2013). "Chess, rubber duck squeak into National Toy Hall of
Fame" (https://www.cnn.com/2013/11/07/living/national-toy-hall-of-fame-2013/index.html).
CNN. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
10. "Sesame Street: Little Richard Sings Rubber Duckie" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWC
EG6lV0ek). Children's Television Workshop. 2 January 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
11. "Reuze gele badeend" (http://www.standaard.be/cnt/DMF20130502_00563759). De
Standaard. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
12. Sophia Sun. "Rubber Duck" (http://hk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/6%E5%80%8B%E4%B8%8D%E5%
8F%AF%E4%B8%8D%E7%9F%A5%E7%9A%84rubber-duck%E8%A7%A3%E7%A2%BC-1
12521565.html;_ylt=AnAH5UFScqvUJl6_3qby4m6W6mJH;_ylu=X3oDMTNob2FuNWRpBG1
pdANkdWNrbmV3cwRwa2cDMmY0OWY3NjctOTk2Ni0zNGRiLWE5MmYtN2E2N2FjYzRlZD
FmBHBvcwMzBHNlYwNtZWdhdHJvbgR2ZXIDYTExYTM3ZTAtYWUyMS0xMWUyLWJiYjYtN
DRjNWExN2FkZjkz;_ylg=X3oDMTFqY2k4Y2lnBGludGwDaGsEbGFuZwN6aC1oYW50LWhr
BHBzdGFpZAMEcHN0Y2F0AwRwdANzZWN0aW9ucw--;_ylv=3). Hk.lifestyle.yahoo.com.
Retrieved 1 May 2014.
13. "First Day of Florentijn Hofman's Rubber Duck Exhibition in Hong Kong" (http://www.nextstoph
ongkong.com/2013/05/first-day-of-florentijn-hofmans-rubber-duck-exhibition-in-hong-kong/).
14. "Giant Rubber Duck Makes Splash in Hong Kong Harbor" (https://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wire
Story/giant-rubber-duck-makes-splash-hong-kong-harbor-19098462#.UYP2KSvwLuE). ABC
News. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
15. Didi Kirsten Tatlow (4 June 2013). "Censored in China: 'Today,' 'Tonight' and 'Big Yellow
Duck' " (http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/04/censored-in-china-today-tonight-and-
big-yellow-duck/). The New York Times.
16. "2011 Rubber Duck Regatta // Buy A Duck // Freestore Foodbank" (http://freestorefoodbank.or
g/rubberduckregatta/). Freestorefoodbank.org. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
17. http://www.aspendailynews.com/section/entertainment/148516
18. John ColsonThe Aspen TimesAspen, CO Colorado (23 March 2009). "The importance of
Aspen's Ducky Derby" (http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20090323/NEWS/903239981/1077
&ParentProfile=1058&title=The%20importance%20of%20the%20Ducky%20Derby).
AspenTimes.com. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
19. "Ducky Derby" (http://www.duckyderby.com/). Ducky Derby. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
20. "Weigand Construction Duck Race" (https://www.weigandconstruction.com/weigand-differenc
e/philanthropy/). Weigand Construction Co., Inc. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
21. http://www.knoxvilleduckrace.com Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20040803231316/htt
p://www.knoxvilleduckrace.com/) 3 August 2004 at the Wayback Machine
22. "Halifax Duck Derby > Home" (http://www.duckrace.com/halifax). Duckrace.com. Retrieved
24 March 2012.
23. Yanko, Paul. "Duck Derby" (http://www.virtualsk.com/current_issue/duck_derby.html). Virtual
Saskatchewan On-Line Magazine. Virtual Saskatchewan. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
24. "Lumsden Duck Derby – Home" (http://www.duckderby.ca). Lumsden Duck Derby. Retrieved
26 June 2013.
25. "Town of Lumsden – Attractions & Events" (http://www.lumsden.ca/lumsden/pages/attractions.p
hp#duck). Town of Lumsden. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
26. "Charities in final sales push for 2017 Duck Race" (http://www.eptrail.com/ci_30945829/charitie
s-final-sales-push-2017-duck-race). Retrieved 27 April 2017.
27. "Home" (https://web.archive.org/web/20120409235239/http://www.greatbrisbaneduckrace.org.a
u/). Great Brisbane Duck Race. 14 February 2007. Archived from the original (http://www.greatb
risbaneduckrace.org.au/) on 9 April 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
28. "The Stockbridge Duck Race – and the winners are..." (https://www.theguardian.com/edinburg
h/2010/jul/05/stockbridge-duck-race-video-2010) The Guardian. 5 July 2010. Retrieved
20 August 2011.
29. "Stockbridge Duck Race 2011" (http://www.edinburghspotlight.com/2011/05/event-stockbridge-
duck-race-2011-sunday-3rd-july). Edinburgh Spotlight. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 20 August
2011.
30. http://www.escapetothecotswolds.org.uk/events/view/93/bibury-duck-race
31. "World record duck race turns Thames blue" (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/ho
waboutthat/2657011/World-record-duck-race-turns-Thames-blue.html), The Telegraph,
accessdate: 1 May 2014
32. http://entencup.de/
33. Curtis C. Ebbesmeyer and W. James Ingraham Jr. (October 1994). "Pacific Toy Spill Fuels
Ocean Current Pathways Research" (https://web.archive.org/web/20061005100806/http://www.
agu.org/sci_soc/ducks.html). Earth in Space. 7 (2): 7–9, 14. Archived from the original (http://ww
w.agu.org/sci_soc/ducks.html) on 5 October 2006. Retrieved 15 November 2006.
34. CBS (31 July 2003). "Rubber Duckies Map The World" (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/
07/31/eveningnews/main566138.shtml). CBS. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
35. Zabarenko, Deborah (1 September 2008). "Can rubber ducks help track a melting glacier?" (htt
ps://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-glacier-idUSN1746514020080921?feedType=RSS&fe
edName=environmentNews&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0). Reuters. Retrieved
9 December 2016.
36. Klotz, Irene (13 July 2010). "Rubber duckies to the rescue in glacial research" (http://www.nbcn
ews.com/id/26857674/ns/us_news-environment/t/rubber-duckies-rescue-glacier-research/).
NBC News. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
37. Mohan, Geoffrey (12 January 2015). "Ice researchers capture catastrophic Greenland melt" (htt
p://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-catastrophic-greenland-melt-20150112-stor
y.html). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 December 2016.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rubber_duck&oldid=1018420278"

This page was last edited on 18 April 2021, at 00:37 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.