Looming over the city of Pittsburgh was the presence of a mysterious creature. Reaching a height of nearly 40 feet and a width of 30 feet, citizens of all ages stared in awe at the ferocious beast. Some feared it, others looked toward it with joy. Flocking to Point State Park, people looked for answers, searching for what all the fuss was about. Giant, yellow and surrounded by unanswered questions, the infamous rubber duck of the Allegheny River is floating on.
On Sept. 27, the adorable addition to the city floated straight out of the bath tub and made its way along the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers, reaching the Roberto Clemente Bridge, where hundreds of onlookers welcomed the giant duck. Pittsburgh is the first city in North America to host this inflatable excitement. Before reaching Pittsburgh, the duck was stationed in Hong Kong.
Probably the biggest question asked by people, not only from our area, but anywhere in general is, “Why?” Personally, I wouldn’t ask for any explanations—a giant rubber duck is a giant rubber duck. I think a better question is, “Why don’t we always have a 40 foot tall duck floating for all to see?” But for those asking the former question, I think I can give you some answers.
Contrary to popular belief, this is not necessarily a recent event. In fact, the movement first started in 2007. Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman designed the beast, and each city hosting it builds their own duck based off of his original designs. The goal of the duck is to float throughout cities, bringing joy. According to an interview with Hofman, he stated that the duck has “healing properties” because it knows no frontiers, doesn’t discriminate and doesn’t have a political connotation. So basically, everything you’d want in a giant rubber duck.
While the duck seemed pretty lovable, some people didn’t agree. In 2009, while ported in Belgium, vandals stabbed the yellow giant 42 times. Un-bill-lievable! The motive was unknown, for the main goal is that it is supposed to bring joy to people. Perhaps it looked at them the wrong way. Other than this minor setback, though, the movement has been quite the success.
Whatever you may think of this giant rubber duck, people have really been quacking about it. This beautiful creature has brought the community together in more ways than one, creating large gatherings at both the Roberto Clemente Bridge and the Point. It can also be argued by superstitious folks that it was a good luck charm for the Pittsburgh Pirates, in which case maybe it should stay here forever. While the next stop for the charming yellow giant is unknown, I am sure it will make a splash.