Get ready to celebrate a splashing fun day – January 13 is National Rubber Ducky Day! 🎉 This quirky holiday honors none other than Rubber Duckie, the beloved bath-time buddy of Sesame Street’s Ernie and Big Bird. First waddling onto the scene in a 1970 episode, this cheerful yellow companion has been making waves ever since.
But did you know? The humble rubber ducky has a history that floats back to the late 1800s. Originally envisioned as a chew toy, it paddled through the tides of time, evolving from rubber to plastic, especially during the World Wars when rubber was as precious as gold!
The first patent for this buoyant buddy was hatched in 1928 by Landon Smart Lawrence. His ingenious design? A ducky that always bobs back to an upright position, no matter how wavy the bathwater gets! And let’s not forget the artistic touch of Russian Sculptor Peter Ganine, who sculpted a duck that’s pretty much the doppelganger of our modern rubber duckies.
Fast forward to 2001, and the rubber ducky makes a royal splash in Britain. Why? The Sun revealed that even Queen Elizabeth II had a rubber duck in her bathroom – and it wore an inflatable crown! 👑
The crowning moment for these cheerful chirpers came in 2013 when the rubber ducky was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame, joining an exclusive club of only 52 other toys.
So, on January 13, grab your rubber ducky and let’s quack open the celebrations for this iconic, floaty friend! 🦆💦🎈
The now world-famous giant rubber duck, by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, has sailed into the Port of Los Angeles. The six-story-tall bath toy has made its west coast debut to take part in their Tall Ships Festival parade. The duck has also appeared in Australia, Belgium, Japan, New Zealand and Brazil. Earlier this year, versions of the massive inflatable duck were in Asia, including Beijing’s harbor and Taiwan, where the duck actually exploded and fell apart while on display.
Did you know that the City of Fairfax Regional Library has a Rubber Ducky collection?
Go on a scavenger hunt to discover more than 200 ducks hiding throughout the building and are on display. The Rubber Ducky is the library’s mascot.
And, finally, a little history lesson:
And, the final word…
