So yesterday we went downtown to see a giant, yellow rubber ducky. And when I say giant, I mean giant. Like 40 foot tall kind of giant. They actually had to deflate it from its usual 50 foot high level so that it could fit under the bridges as it sailed down the Allegheny from Millvale to the Point.
The giant rubber duck is an art project/cultural touchstone/rallying point of society designed by Florentijn Hoffman, a Dutch artist that presumably came up with this project while visiting one of Amsterdam's hash bars.
Getting the rubber duck is sort of a big deal, as Pittsburgh is the first city in the United States to be blessed by the duck's presence. The first rubber duck display was in 2007 in France. Most recently, it was in Hong Kong.
People downtown were ecstatic to see the rubber duck. Docked and floating just up the Allegheny from the Point's fountain, it was like a mini Arts Festival type of crowd there on Sunday. The merchandise booth was doing a very healthy amount of business. You could a duck T-shirt, duck stickers, duck books....all with the placid (yet kinda sorta hint of evil) face of the yellow rubber duck.
It was cool to see the kayakers floating around the duck, like remora around a shark. I just hesitate to see the size of Ernie that should be accompanying him. I, for one, would like to welcome my Muppet overlord.
To say nothing of the size of his evil life-partner, Bert.
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