"Rubber Duckie, you're the one..."
A white variation as seen on the cover of the "Ernie Sings" record single.
A print ad from 1954 for the toy duck that would become Ernie's Rubber Duckie.
Rubber Duckie as a "celebrity veejay" on Shalom Sesame.
Rubber Duckie is Ernie's toy duck and most treasured possession. Ernie has expressed his fondness for his duckie in several songs, most famously "Rubber Duckie", but the duck has also figured in "Put Down the Duckie," "D-U-C-K-I-E," "Do De Rubber Duck", and "The Honker-Duckie-Dinger Jamboree". In Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, Ernie trades Rubber Duckie to Mr. Hooper in order to get a present for Bert for Christmas.
On the show, Rubber Duckie is "played" by a toy duck originally manufactured by the now-defunct company Alan-Jay Plastics, Inc. Sold under the name "Waddles", the duckies were initially painted white, with orange highlights on the wings, feet, neck, and top feathers; its bill was dark orange. This version was used by Ernie in several early segments, as well as on the cover of the Ernie's Hits album. Eventually it was replaced by a more vibrant, solid yellow duckie, which retained the orange beak.
In storybooks, Rubber Duckie is sometimes pictured as being more of a pet than a toy; he often has eyes that seem to focus, as if he were more-or-less alive. For example, in the 2002 book Look and Find Elmo, Rubber Duckie is visited by dozens of his "duckie friends", who play with him in Ernie's bathtub. His friends include Grubby Duckie, Lucky Duckie and Duckleberry Swim. Rubber Duckie's anthropomorphization goes as far back as 1977, when Joe Mathieu drew him in a state of fear in The Sesame Street Mix or Match Storybook.
History[]
A Rubber Duck is, as you might have guessed, a toy made out of rubber in the shape of a duck. It would bob happily atop the water in which you bathed, staring at you with happy eyes.
Though known to many as Ernie's toy on Sesame Street, the rubber duckie existed as early as the 1920s. These days, rubber ducks are actually made out of a thick vinyl, as it is cheaper and more durable than rubber. Most come with a nozzle (usually at the bottom) so that if you squeeze the duck, it will squeak a happy noise at you.
Other Rubber Duckies[]
Ernie is not the only Muppet to have a Rubber Duckie. In a sketch where Gordon makes a friend for Ernie, the new friend mentions that he also has a rubber duckie (First: Episode 0038). Big Bird has one in Episode 1210, packs one in Follow That Bird, and is seen taking a bird bath with one in Big Bird's Busy Day. In Sesame Street, Special, it's revealed that Hoots the Owl has a rubber duckie of his own. In Me Cookie!, one can be seen in a young Cookie Monster's bath. In the Journey to Ernie segment "In the Jungle", Big Bird finds one belonging to a tiger named Bernie (First: Episode 4033). Gabrielle's Aunt Kayla hands her one for her bath in Episode 5329. However, as Bert said in Episode 0406, he doesn't have a rubber duckie, and doesn't want one. However, in the song "I Gotta Be Clean", Bert actually has a Rubber Pigeon.
Sesame English, Episode 107: Mine! shows that Niki's baby cousin Jake has a rubber duckie of his own, which he won't share with Tingo. Niki would later on in the episode give Tingo a rubber duckie to call his own, which would later be seen again in Episode 127: Tingo's Cold.
In a couple of episodes of Little Muppet Monsters, during the Pigs in Space (animated) segments, Link Hogthrob is shown to have a rubber duckie of his own.
Baby Animal has a couple in The Muppet Babies' Playtime Book and one in My First Muppet Dictionary.
Admiral Bronzo has one in his array of bath toys in What's a Gonzo?.
Miss Piggy has one with her near her bubble bath in an appearance on Dolly.
Kermit has one near him in Magic Pen Painting Book, Fozzie asks for one in Fozzie's Bubble Bath, and Baby Kermit bathes with one in Baby Kermit's Bath Book.
One can be seen on a fish's bathtub in his performance of "Splish Splash" in episode 102 of The Jim Henson Hour.
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew finds his lost Rubber Duck in the It's Story Time short story, "Where's Beaker?"
One can be seen when Otto first appears in It's Not Easy Being Green.
Robin has a few in his bedroom in the Yes, I Can series.
Andy Pig plays with one in the tub in Wild & Wacky Gags & Giggles.
A couple are seen in a Real World Muppets segment in episode 205 of Muppets Tonight.
In a V-chip PSA parody of "Venus", Beaker squeezes one to represent the TV-Y rating.
A special Rubber Duckie with invisibility spray was used by Fozzie in Muppets from Space.
In "Everybody in the Tub" from Bear in the Big Blue House, Pip gives a rubber duck a bubble bath beard. One of them is present in Mama Duck's nest in "When Harry Met Hallie."
The Pajanimals have at least three of them. Two of them can be seen sitting in the windowsill above their bathtub in the song "Stick to the Plan" and in the "Bathtime Boogie" song in the full series. A third sits inside a toy boat on the edge of the bathtub.
Notes[]
- The original Alan-Jay Rubber Duckie, in white, was used in a promotional shot with Beauregard.
Book appearances[]
- The Sesame Street Storybook (1971)
- More Sesame Street Finger Puppets (1972)
- The Sesame Street 1, 2, 3 Storybook (1973)
- Bert's Big Band Paint-with-Water Book (1976)
- The Sesame Street Postcard Book (1976)
- Ernie and Bert's Counting Book (1977)
- The Sesame Street Mix or Match Storybook (1977)
- The Sesame Street Cookbook (1978)
- The Sesame Street Bedtime Storybook (1978)
- The Case of the Missing Duckie (1980)
- Early Bird on Sesame Street (1980)
- I Can Do It Myself (1980)
- The Sesame Street Dictionary (1980)
- A Day in the Life of Oscar the Grouch (1981)
- Prairie Dawn's Upside-Down Poem (1981)
- Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1981)
- Ernie's Bath Book (1982)
- First Day of School (1982)
- One Rubber Duckie (1982)
- Sesame Street Finding Out Encyclopedia 11: The R Book (1982)
- Who's Who on Sesame Street (1982 and all later editions)
- Puppy Love (1983)
- The Sesame Street Word Book (1983)
- A Baby Sister for Herry (1984)
- Grover's Book of Colors (1985)
- Baby Animals on the Farm (1986)
- Sesame Street ABC (1986)
- Through the Year (1986)
- A Rainy Day on Sesame Street (1987)
- Shape Up! (1987)
- A New Playground on Sesame Street (1989)
- Happy Mother's Day! (1989)
- Museum of Monster Art (1990)
- My Name is Ernie (1991)
- Mini-Boxes to Color & Share (1992)
- The Sesame Street Book of Poetry (1992)
- I Spy: A Game to Read and Play (1993)
- Elmo's Big Lift-and-Look Book (1994)
- Rubber Duckies Don't Say Quack (1994)
- Elmo's Lift-and-Peek Around the Corner Book (1996)
- Where's the Duckie? (1996)
- Christmas Songs (1997)
- Elmo Loves You! (1997)
- Tubby Time for Little Ernie (1998)
- 123 Sesame Street (2001)
- Look and Find Elmo (2002)
- Friends All Day (2002)
- Elmo Good Night Stories (2006)
- Elmo's Piano (2007)
- Elmo's World Super Sticker Book (2007)
- Friendly, Frosty Monsters (2007)
- Music Player Storybook (2007)
- Sesame Street Super Sticker Book (2007)
- Elmo's Christmas Countdown (2008)
- Lovies (2008)
- Yucchy! Yucchy! (2008)
- Big Bird's Tree-Trimming Party (2008)
- Love, Elmo (2009)
- All Tucked In on Sesame Street! (2014)
- Love from Sesame Street (2018)
- Elmo Asks Why (2023)
Merchandise[]
