The yellow rubber duck factory in Keelung exposed: 840-meter giant canvas stitched together to form the "duck skin"

Reported by Chen Zi-Yin / Taipei

Keelung's yellow rubber duck revealed early: Organizers unveiled the duck’s production inside the factory on the 4th. The enormous duck, made from a massive canvas, required 840 meters of material — its total length is equivalent to two Taipei 101 buildings.

The yellow rubber duck is set to make its debut in Keelung. It will stay at Keelung Harbor from December 21 until February 8, 2014, spanning Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Chinese New Year. To offer the public a unique view of the duck, the Keelung organizing committee has planned five must-visit duck-viewing spots, promising a diverse perspective on this special attraction.

▲The yellow rubber duck made from an ultra-long canvas is as long as two Taipei 101 buildings. (Photo / Provided by the organizers)

According to the Keelung County Government organizers,the yellow rubber duck took six craftsmen 21 days to complete — from drawing the design, cutting the pieces, sewing, gluing, to assembling — using a total of 240 canvas patches of various sizes.The entire canvas measures 840 meters in length, which is about the height of two Taipei 101 buildings (Taipei 101 stands at 450 meters tall). The longest single canvas piece is 1900 cm, with an average width of around 250 cm. After laboriously piecing the duck together and inflating it, it takes the strength of 40 adults to hold the duck up — a highly labor-intensive process.

 

▲The yellow rubber duck took six craftsmen 21 days to complete — from drawing the design, cutting the pieces, sewing, gluing, to assembling. (Photo / Provided by the organizers)

In addition, to ensure the yellow rubber duck remains “plump and adorable” throughout the exhibition period, four fans are installed inside and operate in rotation. This not only reduces the risk associated with prolonged fan use, but also ensures that any malfunctioning fan can be quickly replaced.