Duck mania in the US - 25th August 2023

It's duck season in Maryland, USA as Rubber Duck fans journey for miles just to see their favourite toy. As for fan Amber Mundy, she's thrilled she doesn't have to travel that far.

Amber Mundy: "I'm here to see the giant duck! I love ducks! I collect them! And so, I wanted to see it for the first time. So, I've seen it like, growing up, and so like, I was like, oh I wanna see it for real now. And it came to Maryland. So, I was gonna go to Toronto to see it but I'm glad it came here."

The big duck attracts people of all ages. David Lewis and his wife have travelled nearly 100 miles to see it in real life.

David Lewis: "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to come see this duck. I've never seen it before, never heard about it. We drove 91 miles one way just to come see the duck in beautiful Leonardtown, Maryland."

The Rubber Duck sculpture was originally designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman who based it on a model created by Hong Kong company Tolo Toys. It made its first appearance in 2007, and since then has travelled around the world.

At each location, the Rubber Duck's made from scratch as Hofman wants it to feel like street art. A sewing machine is used to create each duck from 200 pieces of plastic, with each part connected by hand. Each duck contains a fan inside to inflate it at any time. The ducks come in various sizes but never lose their charm.

Maria Sandoval: "I'm looking at it now and it's definitely a lot bigger than I expected it and it's, it's really cool."

Also known as 'Mama Duck', the rubber duck's been travelling for 20 years and her followers have grown up with her. For Emily 'Ducky' Donoghue, it's been a childhood dream to meet her.

Emily Ducky Donoghue: "I've been wanting to see this duck for as long as I can remember. My sister showed me a picture of this like, when I was maybe like 11 years old. And since then, I've been wanting to see this duck for so long, cause I've been in love with ducks since I was just like so little. And this is like a dream come true."

Which Mama Duck fans will get to meet her next?