By MOOK Travel Life Chen Guanxin, compiled and reported
The Yellow Duck that spreads happiness and joy will make its appearance at Keelung Marine Square on December 21. Since the duck’s playground is near the sea with strong gusts, Keelung’s Yellow Duck not only follows the original adorable and healing design by creator Florentijn Hofman, but also boasts a vinyl skin stretching a total length of 840 meters—nearly the height of two Taipei 101 towers—to give the Keelung Duck the strongest build. This ensures it can healthily spend the three major holidays of Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Lunar New Year with its fans over the 50 days in Keelung.
Countdown to the birth of Keelung’s Yellow Duck. (Image source / from the Yellow Duck Comes to Keelung fan page)
Huang Jing-tai, the initiator of Keelung’s Yellow Duck, said that a total of 240 pieces of vinyl fabric, spanning 840 meters in length, were used to sew the Keelung Duck—equivalent to the height of two 450-meter Taipei 101 towers. The production process involved six craftsmen who spent three weeks completing steps such as drafting, cutting the pieces, sewing, gluing, and assembling. In about another ten working days, the Keelung Duck will be successfully born.
After three weeks of work by six craftsmen, the robust Keelung Yellow Duck has taken shape. (Image source / from the Yellow Duck Comes to Keelung fan page)
To avoid the situation where the previous Taoyuan Yellow Duck couldn’t withstand strong winds, Huang Jing-tai said that Keelung’s Duck has specially added reinforcement strips, increasing its wind resistance to an average of level five and up to level seven. Additionally, to keep the Yellow Duck looking plump and cute throughout the exhibition period, four blowers will operate in rotation inside. This not only reduces the risk of blower failure due to prolonged use, but also allows for immediate replacement if any issues arise, ensuring the Keelung Duck stays in good health.
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The dedicated rotating float platform for Keelung’s Yellow Duck was recently tested. (Image source / from the Yellow Duck Comes to Keelung fan page)