[[File:Archie McPhee duckies (cropped).jpg|thumb|A variety of novelty "Devil Duckies"]]
rubber duckies :3
The history of the rubber duck is linked to the emergence of rubber manufacturing in the late 19th century. The earliest rubber ducks were made from harder rubber when manufacturers began using [[Charles Goodyear]]'s invention, [[Vulcanization|vulcanized rubber]]. Consequently, these solid rubber ducks were not capable of floating and were instead intended as chew toys.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rubber Duck|url= http://www.toyhalloffame.org/toys/rubber-duck|website=National Toy Hall of Fame|access-date=31 March 2016}}</ref>
Sculptor [[Peter Ganine]] created a sculpture of a duck in the 1940s. He then [[patent]]ed it and reproduced it as a floating toy, of which over 50 million were sold.<ref>{{cite news |date=13 August 1974 |title=Peter Ganine; L.A. Sculptor |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |location=Los Angeles, California }}</ref>
Besides the ubiquitous yellow rubber duck with which most people are familiar, there have been numerous novelty variations on the basic theme, including character ducks representing professions, politicians, or celebrities, a concept introduced by Mark Boldt's [[Rubba Ducks]].<ref>Mike Blahmik. "Rubber Duck Dreams." ''Star Tribune''. Retrieved 2021-09-10.</ref> There are also ducks that glow in the dark, quack, change color, have interior [[LED]] illumination, or include a wind-up mechanism that enables them to "swim". In 2001, ''[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]'', a British tabloid reported that [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] had a rubber duck in her bathroom that wore an inflatable [[crown (headgear)|crown]]. The duck was spotted by a workman who was repainting her bathroom.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/uk/newsid_1581000/1581293.stm |title=Queen Goes Quackers at Bath Time |work =BBC News |date=5 October 2001 |access-date=17 August 2009}}</ref> The story prompted sales of rubber ducks in the United Kingdom to increase by 80% for a short period.
Rubber ducks are collected by enthusiasts. The 2011 [[Guinness Book of Records|Guinness World Record]] for World's Largest Rubber Duck Collection stood at 5,631 different rubber ducks, and was awarded to Charlotte Lee.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-collection-of-rubber-ducks |title=Largest collection of rubber ducks |date=10 April 2011 |publisher=Guinness World Records Limited| access-date=8 January 2019}}</ref> In 2013, the rubber duck was inducted into the [[National Toy Hall of Fame|Toy Hall of Fame]], a museum in [[Rochester, New York]], along with the game of [[chess]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=D'Zurilla|first1=Christie|title=Toy Hall of Fame inducts chess, rubber duck; snubs Army men, 8-Ball| url= http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-sh-toy-hall-of-fame-rubber-duck-chess-20131107-story.html|access-date=13 February 2018|work=Los Angeles Times|date =7 November 2013}}</ref> Toys are selected based on factors like icon-status, longevity, and innovation.<ref name="cnn">{{cite news|last1 =Gallman |first1 =Stephanie|title=Chess, rubber duck squeak into National Toy Hall of Fame|url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/11/07/living/national-toy-hall-of-fame-2013/index.html|access-date=13 February 2018|work=CNN|date=7 November 2013}}</ref>
== In popular culture ==
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