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The 'Bath-Time' Duck
A classic yellow duck in a tiny blue-and-white striped bathing suit, sitting inside a miniature white clawfoot bathtub shape. Fun bath-time novelty duck.
Specifications
| Material | Vinyl (PVC), fabric swim cap, sculpted tub-shaped body base |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 3.8 x 3.2 x 3.6 in |
| Weight | 2.4 oz (heavier than average due to the sculpted tub base) |
| Color | Classic yellow, blue and white striped cap, white tub base |
| Age Grade | 3+ years. Genuinely does float well, unlike some of its costumed siblings. |
| Origin | Designed on Vashon Island, WA · Assembled overseas |
| Care Instructions | Wipe clean. Cap is fixed fabric, spot clean only. |
The Full Story
The Bath-Time Duck is, in a fairly meaningful sense, the design that most directly honors where the entire company started, a deliberately simple, purebred classic rubber duck concept released as something of a palate cleanser after a long stretch of increasingly elaborate costumed designs. Someone on the product team, reviewing an internal catalog planning document in the early 2010s, pointed out that the company had somehow gone nearly a decade without releasing a duck that was, straightforwardly, just a duck taking a bath, and treated this realization with the mild horror of someone discovering a genuinely embarrassing oversight.
The sculpted clawfoot tub shape built into the base of the duck itself, rather than sold as a separate accessory, was a genuinely tricky engineering choice, requiring the mold to account for water drainage and stability in a way none of the standing or seated character ducks needed to worry about. Early prototypes, without proper drainage consideration, held water inside the little tub shape long after bath time ended, resulting in, according to one tester's report, "a small, unplanned, slightly upsetting science experiment" after about two weeks of unnoticed standing water.
The striped swim cap was nearly left plain white before someone on the team pointed out the classic blue and white stripe pattern "just felt correct," a level of design justification that, we'll admit, sums up quite a lot of decisions made across this entire product line.
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Customer Reviews
The little tub base is such a clever touch, makes it feel more like a proper bath toy than most of the costumed ones. Great little addition to the collection.
Genuinely a great bath toy, floats really well, kids love the cap detail.
Looks great sitting on the edge of the tub, exactly the vibe I wanted.
Didn't realize water could pool inside the little tub shape until I noticed a slightly off smell after a couple weeks. Make sure to dry it out properly after each bath, this should really be clearer in the care instructions.
After buying several of the more elaborate costumed ducks, there's something really nice about this one just being, simply, a duck in a tiny bathtub. Sometimes simple really is correct, as the design team apparently concluded too.
Minor note, if your little one likes to actually squeeze or chew on bath toys (mine does), the fabric cap has a slightly rough texture compared to the smooth vinyl body. Not a safety issue, just a texture preference thing.