Rubber duck 599738 225929101 2008-07-16T01:48:32Z 71.139.3.20 {{otheruses}} [[Image:Rubber duck.jpg|thumb|A yellow rubber duck.]] [[Image:Five different rubber ducks.jpg|thumb|Some variations on the standard rubber duck. Clockwise from left: a miniature rubber duck, a purple [[devil]] rubber duck, a rubber duck dressed as a [[reindeer]] for [[Christmas]], a rubber duck in [[sunglasses]], and a black "dead" rubber duck that floats upside down.]] A '''rubber duck''', or '''rubber ducky''', is a [[toy]] shaped like a [[duck]] that is made of [[rubber]] or rubber-like material such as [[vinyl]] [[plastic]]. Rubber ducks are generally yellow. Almost all modern rubber ducks are made out of [[vinyl]] [[plastic]] rather than [[rubber]]. Most commonly, rubber ducks are designed to be used as floating [[bathtub]] toys, but not all rubber ducks are bath toys. Some rubber ducks are [[doll]]s or play figures similar to other squeeze or squeak toys typically given to children and sometimes [[dog]]s. Rubber ducks can be found in various colors, sizes, shapes, and outfits. Rubber ducks have achieved status as a popular icon and, while still primarily considered a children's toy, are used by people of all ages. Rubber ducks may be equipped with a [[squeaker]] that makes a whistling or squeaking sound. More rarely, the toy may have a squeaker that makes a sound resembling the quack of a real [[duck]]. Bath toy ducks sometimes have a hole in the bill that allows the toy to take in and then squirt water, emulating the actions of real ducks. ==History== The origin of the rubber duck is not known, but its history is inevitably linked to the emergence of [[rubber]] manufacturing in the late 1800s. The earliest rubber ducks were made from harder rubber and lacked squeakers. The yellow rubber duck has achieved an iconic status in American [[pop culture]] and is often symbolically linked to bathing or bath tubs and bubbles and to babies and toddlers. [[Jim Henson]] popularized rubber ducks in 1970, performing "[[Rubber Duckie]]" as [[Ernie]], a popular [[Muppet]] from ''[[Sesame Street]]''. The song had two follow-ups, "Do de Rubber Duck" and "DUCKIE," and Ernie frequently spoke to his duck and carried it with him in other segments of the show. The song "Rubber Duckie" and many of the characters of the show were done by Jim Henson. As the rubber duck has grown in popularity over the years, many variants are sold, including "devil ducks," "dead ducks," and "bride and groom" ducks. In [[2001]], [[The Sun (newspaper)|The Sun]], a [[United Kingdom|British]] tabloid newspaper reported that [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]] has a rubber duck in her bathroom that wears an inflatable [[crown (headgear)|crown]]. The duck was spotted by a workman who was repainting her bathroom.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/uk/newsid_1581000/1581293.stm Queen goes quackers at bath time]</ref> The story prompted sales of rubber ducks in the [[United Kingdom]] to increase by 80% for a short period. Rubber ducks are collected by a small number of enthusiasts in countries including the [[United Kingdom]], [[Canada]], [[Germany]], [[Japan]], [[Singapore]], Australia, [[New Zealand]], [[United States]], and the [[Netherlands]]. The [[2007]] [[Guinness Book of Records|Guinness World Record]] for World's Largest Rubber Duck Collection numbered 2,583 unique rubber ducks was awarded to Charlotte Lee of Duckplanet.com. The rubber duck can be referred to informally as a "rubber duckie" or a "rubber ducky." Amongst collectors of rubber ducks, the spelling "rubber duckie" has achieved prominence, but both spellings are considered acceptable. ==Races==<!-- This section is linked from [[Marsden, West Yorkshire]] --> Some charities have run rubber duck races in which hundreds or thousands of rubber ducks are dumped into a river, pool, or other body of water and then floated down a race course marked off with buoys. The first one to float past the finish line is the winner (similar to the game [[Poohsticks]]). The rubber ducks are then retrieved and used again later. Due to environmental concerns, sites for duck races must be chosen with care. There are hundreds of races held in the USA and internationally. The largest race in the United States benefits the Freestore Foodbank in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]]; over 100,000 ducks are raced to raise money for the organization. One of the more famous rubber duck races is the Great Knoxville Rubber Duck Race[http://www.knoxvilleduckrace.com/]. 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. In 2006, the [[River Liffey]] in [[Dublin]] hosted the world's largest duck race, with 150,000 ducks. 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, New Territories 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 for the auspicious occasion. Rubber ducks are used in small quantities as herding targets for radio controlled [[model yacht]]s, the objective being to move all of the loose ducks into a floating pen. ==Oceanography== {{main|Friendly Floatees}} During a Pacific storm on [[January 10]] [[1992]], three 40-foot containers holding 30,000 [[Friendly Floatees]] plastic bath toys from a Chinese factory were washed off a ship.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Earth in Space|volume=7|issue=2|date=1994-10|pages=7–9, 14|url=http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/ducks.html|title=Pacific Toy Spill Fuels Ocean Current Pathways Research|author=Curtis C. Ebbesmeyer and W. James Ingraham Jr.|accessdate=15 November|accessyear=2006}}</ref> Two-thirds of the ducks floated south and landed three months later on the shores of Indonesia, Australia, and South America. The remaining 10,000 ducks 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 ducks 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 ducks had been monitored by American [[oceanographer]] [[Curtis Ebbesmeyer]]. Anyone who finds a duck can claim a $100 reward from First Years Inc{{Fact|date=February 2008}}. ==References== {{reflist}} {{cite web |url= http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/31/eveningnews/main566138.shtml |title= Rubber Duckies Map The World |accessdate= 7-14-08 |accessdaymonth= July |accessmonthday= 14 |accessyear= 2008 |author= CBS |date= 7-31-03 |year= 2003 |month= July |day= 31 |publisher= CBS |language= English }} ==External links== {{commonscat|Rubber ducks}} * [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=464768&in_page_id=1770 Thousands of Rubber Ducks travel the oceans for years] * [http://www.limeyinbermuda.com/photos/rubber_duck_derby/ Photos of a rubber duck derby] * [http://www.duckplanet.com Duckplanet.com: A popular website about rubber ducks and rubber duck collecting] * [http://www.ducktravels.com/ Duck Travels: A rubber duck that has been travelling around the world for several years] * [http://www.rubberduckworld.com/ Rubber Duck World: An online rubber duck retailer] [[Category:Toys]] [[Category:Bathing]] [[cs:Gumová kachnička]] [[da:Badeand]] [[de:Quietscheentchen]] [[es:Patito de goma]] [[id:Bebek karet]] [[nl:Badeend]] [[ja:ラバー・ダッキー]] [[no:Badeand]] [[nn:Badeand]] [[pl:Gumowa kaczuszka]] [[fi:Kylpyankka]] [[sv:Badanka]] [[zh:橡皮小鴨]]