Farewell to the Yellow Rubber Duck in Ocean Plaza on the 8th; "Happy Duck" to Take Over Exhibition on the 9th

▲The Yellow Rubber Duck in Keelung will wrap up its 50-day exhibition on Saturday, February 8. (Photo / from the “Yellow Rubber Duck Comes to Keelung Rubber Duck Welcome To Keelung” Facebook page)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

The Yellow Rubber Duck will conclude its stay at Keelung Ocean Plaza tomorrow (February 8), marking its final day. Although many who haven’t yet seen the duck hope to extend the exhibition, according to the contract, the Yellow Rubber Duck will bid farewell around 2 p.m. on the 8th under the cheers of the public. Meanwhile, an 18-foot "Happy Duck," created by local vendors, will take over the spotlight alongside a giant golden rooster, keeping visitors company during the Lantern Festival.

The number of visitors to Keelung to see the Yellow Rubber Duck finally exceeded 3 million on the 6th. According to organizers, the 50-day exhibition has generated a business impact of NT$1 billion.

Looking back at the Yellow Rubber Duck’s journey across Taiwan, it passed through Kaohsiung’s Glory Pier and Taoyuan’s Xinzhuang Pond, but seemed to face particularly tough luck at Keelung Ocean Plaza. Even before the exhibition opened, it was embroiled in a copyright dispute between Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman and local organizer Fan Kechin, which led to Hofman storming out of the opening ceremony. Then came days of continuous rainy weather, resulting in fewer visitors than expected. Environmental issues also caused the Yellow Rubber Duck to turn into a "black-and-white hero," becoming the first duck in Taiwan to be publicly given a bath. Among these negative stories, the events of December 31, 2013, were the most memorable.

▲The Yellow Rubber Duck in Keelung had a rough journey, first “dying suddenly” on December 31 last year (left image), and then shortly after being revived, it faced a cable detachment that caused it to tilt (right image), among other problems. (Photo / by reporter Chang Kai-wen; provided by netizens)

On the last day of the old year, under bright sunshine, many duck fans flocked to see the duck. But in the afternoon, the Yellow Rubber Duck suddenly and unexpectedly burst from its right eye, deflating into a flat rubber sheet in just six seconds. Afterwards, not only did netizens widely share parody videos of the duck bursting, but the "achievement" of the Yellow Rubber Duck “dying twice” in Taiwan quickly made headlines in international media.

The reborn Yellow Rubber Duck still faced hurdles such as competition from the "Happy Duck" and a cable detachment causing the duck to spin on its own. However, as the weather improved nearly every day in the later stages of the exhibition, visitor numbers finally increased as hoped, breaking the 3 million mark just before the end of the exhibition period.

Organizers stated thatat around 2 p.m. on the 8th, they will bid farewell to the Yellow Rubber Duck as it leaves Ocean Plaza, and Hofman will not attend the closing ceremony.Meanwhile, the "Golden Rooster," which had already been set up at Keelung Port’s East Pier 3 at the end of January, was originally scheduled to be on display only until the 9th. However, the lessee, Yu Sheng Company, said that due to the positive response to the Golden Rooster’s exhibition, they have applied to the port authority to extend its display until February 16. In addition, the 18-meter-tall "Happy Duck," also created by Yu Sheng Company, will be installed on Sunday (the 9th) to accompany the public during Valentine’s Day and the Lantern Festival.

The "Rooster" introduced by the organizer after the Yellow Rubber Duck left, which was originally scheduled to stay until the 9th, may now have its exhibition extended to the Lantern Festival. (Photo / fromthe Golden Rooster sss (Taiwan) fan page))