hey @britishmuseum give us your best duck

January 6, 2019 4:26 PM

In which [summary article] the Museum Of English Rural Life (@TheMERL) called out one museum by name, but ended up calling out every museum in the world. [Ed. note: it's a really long twitter thread and it starts out a bit slow, but once it gets going, it REALLY gets going.]

An early personal favorite is contributed by the Museum Of Brands.

posted by hippybear (30 comments total)

This is the best thing.
posted by paduasoy at 4:35 PM on January 6, 2019 [1 favorite]

I want to know more about duck dowsing.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:36 PM on January 6, 2019 [2 favorites]

This is what twitter was made for
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 4:40 PM on January 6, 2019 [2 favorites]

It is our mission to make you regret it every day made me crack up.
posted by bile and syntax at 4:44 PM on January 6, 2019 [3 favorites]

The MERL twitter is a gem! They were on the blue before with the Thicc-boi post.
posted by feste at 4:48 PM on January 6, 2019 [3 favorites]

Oooh, I hope that Sue the T-Rex gets in on this!
posted by TwoStride at 4:51 PM on January 6, 2019 [1 favorite]

This was extremely sweet. My favorite parts are when the museums are like "Yes we have a duck! Here's everything you need to know about this duck!" I like it when things, be what they are. Like yes, a personified museum acting like I would expect a personified museum to act, I love it.

Another thing I loved about this was that the way ancient peoples made their practical items shaped like animals for no particular reason other than it looked cool, is one of my favorite things.
posted by bleep at 4:54 PM on January 6, 2019 [16 favorites]

I wonder what the first institutional Twitter account with a personality was.
posted by cichlid ceilidh at 5:21 PM on January 6, 2019

Previously the MERL charmed everyone on the Internet with an absolute unit. I have to imagine that whomever is responsible for their Twitter account would be great to have at a dinner party.
posted by ardgedee at 5:40 PM on January 6, 2019 [2 favorites]

Goose!
posted by Frayed Knot at 5:55 PM on January 6, 2019 [2 favorites]

Sweet and cheering--thanks, hippybear!
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:08 PM on January 6, 2019

Tweet thread that had me laughing begins with "what is 'otibl'?"
posted by pykrete jungle at 7:14 PM on January 6, 2019 [14 favorites]

They're good ducks, Brent
posted by mmoncur at 7:29 PM on January 6, 2019 [5 favorites]

I have to imagine that whomever is responsible for their Twitter account would be great to have at a dinner party.

did anyone else get this ending in bandersnatch
posted by ActingTheGoat at 7:51 PM on January 6, 2019 [1 favorite]

I follow them on IG and it is nowhere near this sharp.
posted by fiercekitten at 9:07 PM on January 6, 2019

It's a duck call-out!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:10 PM on January 6, 2019 [1 favorite]

Such a strange coincidence. I was at the Louvre on Wednesday and kept joking with my daughter about the paintings in the collection needing more ducks. At the Uffizi several years ago we were on the lookout for cats. At the Louvre, just this week, it was ducks. There was the occasional dead one in the stillebens of bounty. I was hoping that a Bruegel would provide a charming living example but the galleries of Flemish paintings was closed for the day (sad face).
posted by St. Oops at 9:30 PM on January 6, 2019 [1 favorite]

chicomuseum: Why a duck? @grouchomuseum
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 9:58 PM on January 6, 2019 [5 favorites]

I love how the MERL has just committed to using social media to hit way way above thier weight class.
posted by The Whelk at 10:13 PM on January 6, 2019 [11 favorites]

We already know which museum has the best snail!
posted by nicebookrack at 3:51 AM on January 7, 2019 [1 favorite]

For my wedding we had a duck race. So every guest spent some of the day in the "Duckorating tent" turning little green plastic ducks into things a lot like these early contributions.

After the race they were retrieved and kept, so many of my friends now have oddly decorated green plastic ducks in their house.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 3:57 AM on January 7, 2019 [4 favorites]

Previously the MERL charmed everyone on the Internet with an absolute unit. I have to imagine that whomever is responsible for their Twitter account would be great to have at a dinner party.

- ardgedee

He is. He used to be the social media officer for the Bodleian Libraries, where I sat alongside him, and I've had the privilege of hanging out with him many a time.

As it doesn't look like anybody's mentioned it yet, here's the Twitter thread about the time that a mouse broke in to the MERL's storage and got itself killed by an antique (but apparently still-functional) mousetrap.
posted by avapoet at 4:23 AM on January 7, 2019 [21 favorites]

avapoet! You must convince him to join MeFi--he'll fit right in.
posted by orrnyereg at 7:13 AM on January 7, 2019 [4 favorites]

Today I learned that the world of novelty rubber ducks is much larger and more complex than I would have believed.
posted by Frowner at 8:50 AM on January 7, 2019 [3 favorites]

I AM HERE FOR THESE DUCKS
posted by Going To Maine at 8:54 AM on January 7, 2019

Duck meet Bagel meet Biscuit meet Pancake.

PANCAKE! *squee*
posted by twilightlost at 10:36 AM on January 7, 2019 [1 favorite]

The Spadina Museum has "resting" ducks.
posted by jb at 2:24 PM on January 7, 2019 [2 favorites]

"Big duck energy."

I literally can't even. This is fantastic on every level.
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:59 PM on January 7, 2019

I enjoyed this little side battle between the railway museum and the army museum
posted by epersonae at 1:33 PM on January 8, 2019 [2 favorites]

Our local art museum has an ancient Roman Mosaic chikkin I've always been fond of. But sadly, 'tis no duck.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 6:20 PM on January 8, 2019