Florentijn Hofman shared one giant duck with the world almost 10 years ago. Now this duck has returned with a friend and we wonder what they quack about all day. 🦆
We’re sure that you’re familiar with the classic rubber ducks. Maybe you had your own and played with it in the tub as a kid. Or perhaps you’ve even visited the Amsterdam Rubber Duck Store and experienced that child-like wonder all over again.
Now imagine if those little yellow buddies were giant. (We’re talking 18 metres tall, giant.) Well, you can thank Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman for making this dream a reality.
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He’s bringing his two inflatable ducks around the world for all to see and enjoy. So far, they’ve made stops in the Netherlands, France, and Brazil.
The ducks are quack (back) after 10 years
However, this isn’t the first time Hofman has brought these ducks to the world. In 2013, the installation was of one giant duck. Now, naturally, he felt we needed two of them.
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The goal of the installation is to scratch that childhood itch. In the words of Hofman himself, “I hope it will bring as much pleasure as it did in the past and in a world where we suffered from a pandemic, wars and political situation, I think it’s the right moment to bring back the double luck.”
And yes, the ducks have names. Well, kind of. 😉 They’re named after the Chinese characters “xi” for happiness and “peng” for friends. How ducking cute is that?
Man (duck) down
Natuurlijk, people were very excited about the two ducks bobbing around in Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong.
Yet, to the heartbreak of many spectators, one of the ducks deflated hours after his swim up the harbour. Kind of ironic, considering the fact that part of the whole appeal of this new installation was to have two ducks for “double the happiness”, as Hofman tells Reuters.
A video shared widely online shows the moment one of the two giant rubber ducks anchored in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour deflates. pic.twitter.com/01ccKKRGHu
— South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) June 10, 2023
After investigation, it was discovered that one of the ducks deflated because it was overstretched due to the heat. Did you think a cute little (big) art installation could make you forget about the looming threat of climate change? Think again!
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But, for now, the duck is back (or, the duck is quack), and we can continue to escape our thoughts. So let us all look at these giant buddies and think of happiness and friends!
Who knew something so giant could be so ducking adorable? (Sorry, we just love these duck puns. 😉)
Did you manage to catch (quack) the installation? Let us know in the comments!