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The Disco King
A duck covered in tiny reflective mirror tiles that catch the light. Fun retro novelty piece, great for a bathroom shelf or as a quirky gift.
Specifications
| Material | Vinyl (PVC) body, individually applied mirror-tile facets |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 3.5 x 3.3 x 3.7 in |
| Weight | 2.6 oz (heaviest duck in the collection, tile adhesive adds up) |
| Color | Silver mirror finish, orange bill |
| Age Grade | 3+ years. Reflective surface, not intended for signaling aircraft. |
| Origin | Designed on Vashon Island, WA · Assembled overseas |
| Care Instructions | Dust with a dry cloth only. Do not use glass cleaner, it degrades the tile adhesive. |
The Full Story
The Disco King is, without exaggeration, the most labor-intensive duck we manufacture, a fact our production costs reflect and our margins quietly resent. Each duck is covered in several hundred individually applied mirror-tile facets, a process that was originally done entirely by hand by a single very patient craftsperson in the early days, working off a disco ball she'd bought at a thrift store specifically to study the tiling pattern.
The design was pitched, somewhat implausibly, during a slow Tuesday in the early 80s when someone brought a broken disco ball into the office after a work party and left it sitting on a shelf for three weeks before anyone thought to do anything with it. What they eventually did with it was disassemble it, tile by tile, and glue the pieces to a duck, mostly out of boredom, and the result was popular enough among the office that it went into limited production almost immediately.
We have, over the years, fielded more than one request from wedding planners asking if we do bulk orders for centerpieces. We do. We are, somewhat to our own surprise, a legitimate option in at least two regional wedding planning guides, filed under "unconventional but memorable."
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Customer Reviews
Catches every bit of light in the room, looks incredible on a sunny windowsill. Genuinely one of the most fun objects I own, and I say that with a straight face about a rubber duck.
Beautiful little thing. A couple of the tiles near the tail were slightly uneven when it arrived, doesn't bother me but noting it for the perfectionists out there.
Bought as a gag gift for a friend who's obsessed with the 70s. She screamed when she opened it. Mission accomplished.
Really pretty duck but one of the mirror tiles popped off after about three weeks sitting on a shelf, no rough handling involved. Tried to glue it back myself, wasn't quite the same after.
We ordered fourteen of these for our wedding after seeing them mentioned online and they were the talk of the reception. Multiple guests asked where to buy their own. Would absolutely recommend to any couple with a sense of humor about their big day.
Didn't expect a rubber duck to feel like a paperweight. All those little tiles add up I guess. Not what I pictured when I ordered it, though I'll admit that's on me for not reading the weight spec.