This holiday celebrates two American icons. Sesame Street’s Muppet’s and a rubber duck named Duckie. Both are popular and invented in the USA. The 1973 Sesame Street calendar listed Duckie’s birthday as January 13 – hence the 13th for the holiday!
Ernie’s and Duckie’s Friendship
During their 1st season in 1970 they introduced Duckie – a toy rubber duck. Ernie sang a friendship song to his toy duck while taking a bath. Near the end Duckie joins in, squeaking in time with the music. They released Sesame Street’s theme song that year on a record. The Rubber Duckie song was the flip side
Song reached #16 on the Top 100 chart for 1970
Nominated for a Grammy
The original Duckie is now part of the Smithsonian. Shown at the National Museum of American History.
Rubber Ducks Invention
Rubber for manufacturing began mid-19th century. It was a popular material for toys. There were ducks, but they did not float nor squeak. They were chewing toys for children!
Landon Smart Lawrence is recognized for creating the rubber duck in 1928. His drawing shows a duck in the floating design supplied when he applied for his patent. He had designed a system of weights that allowed toys to stay upright in water.
In the mid-20th century, it morphed into the shape and color we are familiar with today. There was another patent in 1949 issued to Peter Ganine. He was a sculptor and is credited with the version we are all familiar with today. Sadly, today’s rubber duck is no longer rubber but plastic.
Rubber Ducks helping adults to connect
I noticed a parked jeep with a collection of rubber ducks. I discovered it is a ‘thing’ among jeep owners. Some carry a supply of rubber ducks to leave on other parked jeeps. The ducks are then displayed on the front dashboard.
Allison Parliament is given credit for starting this ‘thing’. During COVID she started leaving ducks for a friend to find. She then started to leave them on Jeeps in parking lots. An owner saw her and suggested she share what she was doing on social media.
The act went viral and Jeep owners created social media groups to share their experiences. It was a way to connect with others that caught on. The tradition continues today.
None would ever have imaged the impact this cute toy would have. A place in the Smithsonian, a hit song or helping strangers to build camaraderie. There are duck races that raise funds for charities plus the joy of childhood play time in the bath. That’s what we are celebrating today.
Friendships = Fun
Relationships are important. I try to inspire ways to support them in my posts. It starts with a connection and if nurtured it can continue to grow. There are different ways to communicate: verbally, in writing, and through actions. Normally writing is stressed in these posts. But all ways are encouraged. Thanks for reading to the end. Keep connecting.
Paper Crafted Bliss 