Giant Rubber Duck Explodes

Life's not easy for an intrepid, jet-setting rubber duck. Earthquakes, typhoons, stabbing, drowning and censorship are just some of the hardships that Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s oversized plaything has faced since first venturing from the bath in 2007.

And now, an explosion that’s making international headlines. Twelve hours before the bird was scheduled to become the unrivalled star of Taiwan’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, it deflated without warning in front of crowds of shocked fans, turning into nothing but an enormous piece of yellow plastic.

So far, no one really knows why. The sun was shining; the water was still — to all eyes, the northern port of Keelung in which the duck was floating seemed as safe as a hot tub.

“We want to apologise to the fans of the yellow rubber duck,” organiser Huang Jing-tai said to journalists. “The weather is fine today and we haven’t found the cause of the problem. We will carefully examine the duck to determine the cause.” According to the Central News Agency, an eyewitness suggested that eagles may have been the problem, having been spotted scratching the avian invader with their claws.

This is the second occasion on which one of Hofman’s ducks has exploded in Taiwan. Last month, in Taoyuan, strong winds following a 6.3 magnitude earthquake caused the installation’s back end to burst during inflation.

Having proved quite a hit at Cockle Bay last year, the Rubber Duck will return to Sydney Festival on 10 January, this time taking up residence in the Parramatta River. Its visit will not be affected by these overseas traumas; a separate Rubber Duck is safely sequestered away for the event.

Via ABC.