Rubber Ducks and Their Significance in Contemporary American Culture Lotte Larsen Meyer
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14 The Journal of American Culture Theme Issue Volume 29, Number 1 March 2006 Rubber Ducks and Their Significance in Contemporary American Culture Lotte Larsen Meyer ‘‘Duck mania started in 1970 when Ernie sang Why are rubber ducks so popular at this time ‘Rubber Duckie’ on Sesame Street.’’ This state- in the lives of both children and adults? The ment, part of a 2004 press release issued by the prevalence of the toy on so many levels raises Ettore company on its Web site, http://www. numerous important questions concerning its ettore.com, for its new shower squeegee which cultural significance. This article seeks to explore featured a yellow handle shaped like a duck, pro- rubber duck popularity by examining its causes vides useful historical information about the and dimensions and argues that the so-called current popularity of a simple toy: the small, ‘‘fun morality’’ child-rearing philosophy, which squeezable, yellow rubber duck. In the 35 years emerged in the 1960s, has contributed substan- since the song ‘‘Rubber Duckie’’ was released, this tially to the duck’s popularity. The philosophy in- toy has gained remarkable visibility and popular- fluenced not only parents, but also provoked ed- ity in contemporary American culture. Primarily ucators and organizations, such as the Children’s associated with children’s bathtime, rubber ducks Television Workshop which produced Sesame have simultaneously emerged from the tub into a Street, to inject ‘‘fun’’ into learning. Linking the variety of new settings. The toy has assumed a duck with fun eventually influenced many areas number of specific functions: a symbol for infants, of adult culture, including retailing, sports, and childhood, bathing, and bathrooms; a tool to the workplace. The article thus additionally ar- teach developmental and cognitive skills to in- gues that rubber ducks illuminate the interaction fants; a design on toddler’s clothing; a theme for between children’s culture and the larger adult baby showers and birthday parties; and a frequent popular culture.1 image and character in children’s books. Adults have discovered many creative uses for rubber ducks including artwork, protest actions, parody, Description and History sports connections, retail business names, and fundraising with duck races. Plain yellow ducks have been joined by ones outfitted as cowboys, In his book Toys as Culture, Brian Sutton- pirates and medieval knights, imprinted ones Smith points out that most toys share the char- bearing a child’s name or message (e.g., I ! acteristics of being miniaturized, highly stylized you) and ducks with celebrity or historical faces. (and markedly unrealistic) versions of what they Lotte Larsen Meyer is associate professor emeritus at the Hamersly Library, Western Oregon University, Monmouth, Oregon, where she was reference librarian and University archivist. She is chair of the Protest Actions and Issues section of the Popular Culture Association, which she founded in 1987. The Journal of American Culture, 29:1 r2006, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation r2006, Blackwell Publishing, Inc. Rubber Ducks and Their Significance Lotte Larsen Meyer 15 represent (Sutton-Smith 248–49), and rubber tially toxic chemical recently removed from many ducks are no exception. Overall bright yellow in models sold for infant use. No longer made of color, the ducks are always posed in a swimming rubber, the name ‘‘rubber duck’’ has nevertheless position, without legs or feet, with wings and tail endured, although other names are used as well, feathers only slightly suggested. Facial features including floaty, squeaky, squeezy, yellow, bath, include blue or black eyes (with or without eye- and tub duck. The toy has two variant spellings, lashes) and orange open-or-closed beaks. A small ‘‘duckie’’ and ‘‘ducky,’’ with the later being the hole on the underside allows air to enter so that most prevalent. when squeezed, a squeaking sound is produced. Different companies vary the tilt of the head, wing design, eyes, and beaks. To allay health con- Bathtime Fears and Fun cerns about mildew and bacteria buildup, models sold for infants often have watertight bottoms that are dishwasher safe. What sets rubber ducks apart from other toys Plain yellow ducks, now called classic or retro, is their specific purpose: to be used in a water set- are still the most common ones sold, although a ting. This restricts their use, for the most part, to new wave of occupationally costumed and colo- just one room of the house, the bathroom where red ducks have appeared. Yellow ducks are gender the bathtub is located (but also to backyard spas, neutral, a factor which may encourage their pop- swimming and wading pools). Instead of being ularity. In addition to numerous outfitted ducks, stored in toy chests, rubber ducks sit on bathroom holiday ducks (with appropriate costume) are sold shelves, a bathtub ledge or in mesh bags nearby. for Valentines, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. For sale at toy, drug, discount, supermarkets, and Since the 1990s, duck variety has increased dra- speciality gift and bath stores (as well as at thrift matically, with colored, see-through, glow-in-the- stores and garage sales), and at a relatively low dark, and horned red devil duckies appearing on cost ($1.99–$3.99), the toy is widely accessible. store shelves. Squirter ducks, a subspecies of duck, Many children experience bath fears between have a hole in the beak to allow a stream of water birth and 2 years. Anxieties arise over the possi- to be squirted through. Not content to just float bility of being sucked down the drain or drown- passively in the water, flossy duck stores and ing, water temperature, being in an enclosed dispenses dental floss, disco duck lights up when space, shampoo in the eyes, and the loud noise tapped, and bath bug duck releases bath salts in of water gushing out the faucet. In their classic the tub. book Children’s Fears, published in 1935, Arthur Several misconceptions have arisen about rub- Jersild and Frances Holmes suggested that to al- ber ducks. Many assume they originated with leviate fears, crying, and statements like ‘‘I won’t Ernie’s ‘‘Rubber Duckie’’ song, but hollow rubber take a bath,’’ parents lure children ‘‘into contact toys date from the mid-nineteenth century; by the with a feared event by means of a strong counter- 1940s, the Rempel company of Akron, Ohio sold stimuli’’ ( Jersild 345), while a 1993 work on the several hollow walking rubber ducks. In her re- same topic, Stephen Garber’s Monsters under the cent history of the toy, Rubber Duckie: It Floats, Bed and Other Childhood Fears, suggests using Jodie Davis comments that the exact history of books (both fictional and informational) to floating rubber ducks ‘‘is shrouded in mystery’’ ‘‘introduce children to a scary world’’ (Garber 43). (Davis 14). Their origins, nevertheless, are rooted One counter-stimuli recommended by pe- sometime in the twentieth century after indoor diatricians and parents at the Web site http:// plumbing and bathtubs became commonplace. In www.babycenter.com is colorful bath toys. As the 1950s, rubber duck manufacturers replaced therapeutic toys, rubber ducks distract children rubber with poly-vinyl chloride plastic softened from their fears by making bathtime a playful and with the chemical diisonoynl phthalate, a poten- fun experience, while coaxing fearful or reluctant 16 The Journal of American Culture Theme Issue Volume 29, Number 1 March 2006 bathers to complete an important daily ritual. At (who did not want to take a bath), one piglet says the same time, the toys illustrate how play has ‘‘ducks are fun.’’ In Elizabeth Vogel’s informa- become a significant aspect part of children’s eve- tional book, Taking My Bath, a young boy points ryday activities, such as bathing. The essay ‘‘Fun to the things he’ll need for the bath, including Morality,’’ collected in Henry Jenkins’ anthology ‘‘my rubber ducky, just for fun.’’ The Children’s Culture Reader, describes how child-rearing literature since the 1960s has stressed the important psychological benefits of EducationalTool and BookTheme play. Marking a turn away from previous, more puritanical beliefs that play was inherently bad, new thinking stressed that the ‘‘. mingling of Bathtime can be an important opportunity for play with necessary routines is consonant with the a variety of educational experiences, as numerous view that the good and pleasant coincide . .’’ authors have suggested, and in this context rubber ( Jenkins 203). Jeffrey Moss’s famous 1970 Sesame ducks become useful tools. In her book, Infancy: Street song, ‘‘Rubber Duckie’’ popularized and A Guide to Research and Resources, Hannah spread the message that ducks, bath and fun go Nuba-Scheffler points out that bathing also pro- together with the line ‘‘you make bathtime lots of vides parents with ‘‘a valuable opportunity for fun’’ (Moss 121). By the 1990s, manufacturers sensory stimulation and the storage of informa- such as Toysmith produced ducks that carried the tion into a growing body’’ (Nuba-Scheffler 56). phrase ‘‘bathtime fun’’ on their package labels, As child-rearing guides encouraged parents to see while other companies used phrases such as ‘‘great the importance of play, rubber ducks gradually squirting fun,’’ ‘‘great family fun,’’ and ‘‘tubtime is become tools, ‘‘associated with harmless and funtime.’’ Along with bubble bath, bath paints, healthful motor and exploratory activities . .’’ and animal washcloth puppets, tub toys like rub- ( Jenkins 203) that teach a variety of developmen- ber ducks have become standard bathtime acces- tal and cognitive skills to infants ages 1–2 years. sories for many children. As they squeeze the As a tool, a toy provides a child with ‘‘a means to ducks, swim them through bubble bath, and pour self assertion and autonomy or mastery’’ (Sutton- water over them, their play and adventure lessen Smith 144–45).