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Rubber Duck

Rubber Duck
Rubber Duck is an installation created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman built to resemble the yellow bath toy. The 16.5-metre giant Rubber Duck arrived in Hong Kong on May 2, 2013, having visited 12 cities, including Sydney, Osaka and Auckland.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Tai Kwun in Central has played host to a wide array of art events since it opened in May 2018 – among them, Inner Glow, which in September 2022 saw digital and 3D mapping technology used to project animations and images onto the facades of buildings. Photo: Edmond So
Art

In the public eye: Hong Kong’s best art spaces in the great outdoors

Tai Kwun is an unrivalled heritage art space, TeamLab: Continuous and Florentijn Hofman’s Rubber Duck transformed Victoria Harbour, while the West Kowloon waterfront has hosted anthropomorphic grapes

Art

Inside Hongkongers’ sudden heart for art, from TeamLab to those lovable ducks

Hong Kong culture

Hongkongers ignore gloomy skies to say farewell to beloved double duck art show

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Hong Kong

Editorial | No ducking the issue, we all need to smile

Two giant inflatable rubber ducks in Hong Kong’s famous harbour have brought a welcome wave of humour.

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A deflated giant rubber duck has sprung back to Tamar and has been reunited with its twin at the Central harbourfront, two days after withering in Hong Kong’s sweltering heat. Photo: May Tse
Hong Kong tourism

All puffed up: deflated rubber duck returns to Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour

Tourists and local fans snap shots of reunited duo, calling their return ‘pleasant surprise’.

Hong Kong tourism

Hong Kong’s swooning duck to return to Victoria Harbour after reliability tests

Workers raced to repair giant rubber duck which was deflated because its surface stretched in hot weather.

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Hong Kong

Opinion | What lies beneath the surface of Hong Kong’s cheery giant rubber ducks?

Those groaning under the pressure to be happy and ‘enjoy the moment’ with ‘double ducks’ plastered seemingly everywhere might find an alternative message if they look deeper.

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A duck-themed display is seen at Admiralty MTR station on June 1. With ducks seemingly everywhere on the network, some may feel trapped in a juvenile hell. Photo: Sam Tsang
Hong Kong society

Out of duck: Hong Kong firm forced to scrap giant figure similar to famed artwork

Authorities order removal of rubber duck, which looks similar to well-known installations by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman.

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong’s favourite rubber duck is returning but it’s grown and it’s got a friend

Two giant yellow ducks being tested in dockyard in Tsing Yi before being towed to waters off Admiralty.

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Fashion

Hong Kong-inspired face masks reflect city’s troubles

From the coronavirus to a yellow rubber duck and a bamboo steamer, theatrical costume designer Edmond Kok is making creative face masks that reflect the pandemic, life in Hong Kong and its politics.

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Edmond Kok models one of his face masks, with a design inspired by the now ubiquitous CCTV camera, a tool of public security and control. Photo: AP
Coronavirus pandemic

Rubber Duck artist on virus, and his selfie-taking giant panda

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s giant yellow rubber duck installation made waves in Hong Kong. He talks about his next major work – a selfie-taking giant panda in Sichuan, China. ‘I want people who travel there to touch it,’ he says.

An artist’s impression of Florentijn Hofman’s Selfie Panda, now under construction. Photo: Florentijn Hofman
Art

Giant duck, army of pandas: this man knows what people like

Lam Shu-kam, founder of design studio AllRightsReserved, brought Florentijn Hofman’s giant rubber duck to Hong Kong, as well as Kaws’ Companion and Paulo Grangeon’s 1,600 pandas. More recently he has turned to Japanese artists.

Focus

At 94, is Hong Kong’s rubber duck man the oldest start-up guy?

China society

Rubber Duck artist makes trunk call to Chinese city

Bubblecoat Elephant sits on top of the MixC World Mall in Shenzhen. Photo: AllRightsReserved

Update | Giant duck explodes, a victim of earthquake

Taoyuan officials are planning to borrow another Hofman-designed duck commissioned by Kaohsiung city government. Photo: Reuters

Giant rubber duck bids Beijing adieu after bringing in over HK$127m

Hong Kong team questions production quality of Beijing Rubber Duck

The "authentic" Beijing version might not have been produced properly, say the team that made the Hong Kong version. Both ducks were designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman.

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Rubber Duck not all it's quacked up to be as Beijingers bemoan entrance fee

Security guards try to prevent photographers taking pictures of the inflated rubber duck created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman in Beijing on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Pictured: Giant rubber duck arrives in Beijing

Beijing prepares for bigger, better rubber duck than Hong Kong

Rubber duck fever is mounting in Beijing ahead of the imminent arrival of another enormous inflatable duck designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, tempered by questions about the cost of viewing it and the traffic jams it might cause.

Shanghai ‘roasts’ the giant Rubber Duck

Florentijn Hofman’s Rubber Duck installation gained rave reviews when a 16.5 metre-tall version arrived in Hong Kong this summer.

A boat made to look like a roasted duck is seen on the Huangpu River in front of the financial district of Pudong in Shanghai. Photo: AFP

Giant Rubber Duck to swim in Beijing's imperial Summer Palace?

The announcement of the duck's arrival. Screenshot from Sina Weibo.

Thousands gather to bid farewell to Rubber Duck

Blow-ups inflate the debate on what defines art

Wealth Blog | Government attempts to hijack Rubber Duck

Behind closed doors at Government Towers the timing of Rubber Duck's appearance and subsequent antics caused great consternation.

'Teamwork' by Harbour City, the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the government helped make the Rubber Duck exhibition a roaring success. Photo: Sam Tsang

Party mouthpiece People's Daily quacks about outbreak of ducks

Developers are using yellow ducks to attract buyers. Photo: AFP
Taobao

Opinion | Want your own giant rubber duck? Buy one on Taobao

Rubber Duck now available in Lego

Fans of the Rubber Duck can catch another glimpse of their 16.5-metre tall yellow friend at City Gallery - the city's first planning and infrastructure gallery. Opened in 2002, the gallery displays Hong Kong's major planning proposals and infrastructure projects.

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