Rubber Ducky, you're my very best friend, it's true!

May 18, 2013 8:16 AM

We've read about Florentijn Hofman's giant rubber duck before (previously), and it made it's way earlier this week to Hong Kong to spread joy :D

Well, unfortunately, the duck was also viciously murdered (warning: may be graphic to younger viewers), and many already blame chinese mainlanders for it.

o<

posted by yeoz (23 comments total)

Been seeing these photos all over Facebook for days now (including deflated ones), but actually hadn't really checked out the background info. Thanks for the post.

I miss Hong Kong, gotta get back there sometime. Cause, inflatable ducks excluded, you can eat yourself some goddam tasty duck in that town.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:23 AM on May 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Combined with the deputy prime minister's comments about Chinese tourists, the mainland is getting some stick this week.
posted by arcticseal at 8:29 AM on May 18, 2013

16D. Please identify the metaphor in the images above:
☐ Children must rejoice in the Subjugation of Nature
☐ Thank God it wasn't Made In China
☐ Never buy humongous rubber ducks at IKEA

16E. Please write a tweet with an allegory involving aforementioned Giant Rubber Duck:
____________________________________________________________
posted by Foci for Analysis at 8:39 AM on May 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Well, the last image in the viciously murdered says that the organizers of the duck told CNN that they intentionally deflated the duck.
posted by plastic_animals at 8:40 AM on May 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

It says as much in the last linked article too:

“There have been rumours that Hong Kong’s big yellow duck was ‘burned to death’ by tourists from Shenyang, which had thrown 30 lit cigarette butts at it. Today Hong Kong has confirmed that damage was not man-made. Organisers are just doing a routine physical examination.”

Of course, no one is going to get let the truth get in the way of their hatred and/or bigotry.

(full disclosure: i'm ethnically chinese, and my parents are from mainland china)
posted by yeoz at 8:48 AM on May 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

"Thank God it wasn't Made In China"

Actually, I think the article stated that the artist said earlier this month something to the effect of "it was made locally, so if there is an issue they have the materials on hand to fix it"


Quack.
posted by Debaser626 at 8:51 AM on May 18, 2013

They should have just taken it away and then replaced it with a giant Peking Duck.
posted by orme at 8:55 AM on May 18, 2013

Anyone else cringe when they saw a dude standing on the deflated duck? I know it's unlikely that it would sink in the middle, but if it did, he would be dead, too.
posted by e40 at 9:02 AM on May 18, 2013

Combined with the deputy prime minister's comments about Chinese tourists, the mainland is getting some stick this week.

Spitting and talking loud? I thought all the bitching was about a propensity to crap in public.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 9:36 AM on May 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

\_o<
posted by Ideefixe at 10:04 AM on May 18, 2013 [3 favorites]

>Amid bird flu fears, a huge dock strike, miserable weather and the endless Legco filibuster, Rubber Duck was a happy sight for the city

Well, there ya go.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:05 AM on May 18, 2013

Didn't anybody read the page and see this?

"Eventually, according to CNN, the organizers explained it was a planned deflation."

There was no murder.
posted by megatherium at 10:58 AM on May 18, 2013

There was no murder.

That's what they want you to think.
posted by octothorpe at 11:09 AM on May 18, 2013 [1 favorite]

Anyone else cringe when they saw a dude standing on the deflated duck? I know it's unlikely that it would sink in the middle, but if it did, he would be dead, too.

More likely with someone standing on that point, of course...
posted by jaduncan at 11:27 AM on May 18, 2013

Damn it, people, that duck CANNOT be roasted for Peking Duck!
posted by Yellow at 1:26 PM on May 18, 2013

Alex Jones' twitter account has already started a #FalseFlag hashbomb on twitter, blaming the CIA and NSA for the deflationary event we are witnessing. The Obama Administration is commenting cautiously from from the sidelines, citing concerns of blowbackup.
posted by Annika Cicada at 3:50 PM on May 18, 2013

Not unlike what happened to Hong Kong's Giant Inflatable Poop (that one has since been repaired and reinflated). Coincidence? I think not.
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:35 PM on May 18, 2013

I'd recently moved to China when I came upon a father holding his kid over a bin in the vegetable section of Ren Ren Le so he could urinate next to and over the apples (targeting was not accurate). We washed all veggies very well after seeing that.
posted by arcticseal at 11:06 PM on May 18, 2013

''What'd you do today?'' ''Not much, just saved some baby ducks.''
posted by homunculus at 10:45 PM on May 21, 2013

It wasn't me
posted by Teakettle at 11:04 PM on May 21, 2013

Censored in China: ‘Today,’ ‘Tonight’ and ‘Big Yellow Duck’
posted by homunculus at 3:14 PM on June 4, 2013

Yay, the duck is coming to Pittsburgh in September.
posted by octothorpe at 6:26 PM on June 4, 2013

Happy Dead Duck Day, Everyone!
posted by homunculus at 3:48 PM on June 5, 2013