MelissaA
Brenton
Shilpa Karhik
Rubber Duckie, You're The One!
April 20th 2007 00:25
We're all familiar with the popular concept of the floating bathtub toy known as the Rubber Duck, although these days some ducks are too hoity-toity for simple bath time fun as discussed in a previous post about quirky Valentine's Day gifts.
Rubber ducks can be found in a variety of sizes, shapes, colours and even outfits. A popular icon, they are owned by people of all ages and not just children any more.
So what exactly is the story behind the now not so humble rubber duck? (We'll call him RD for short.)
The only thing clear about RD's origins, is that he is inevitably linked to that of early rubber manufacturing and development around the late 1800's. The earliest rubber ducks were made from harder rubber and lacked squeakers.
Many, many decades later, Ernie from Sesame Street, popularised the RD with his song "Rubber Duckie" and linked RD more closely to babies, toddlers and bath tubs.
In 2001 a popular British tabloid newspaper reported that Queen Elizabeth II has a rubber duck that wears an inflatable crown in her bathroom. The duck was spotted by a workman who was repainting her bathroom and later reported it to The Sun newspaper. The story prompted sales of rubber ducks in the United Kingdom to increase by 80% for a short period.
The Guinness World Record for World's Largest Rubber Duck Collection numbered 2,587 unique rubber ducks in 2006.
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