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The Original Bush Face
The one that started it all. A classic yellow rubber duck with its head and face covered by a dense cluster of sculpted green foliage, leaving just two big cartoon eyes peeking out. Fun bath toy or novelty desk gift for anyone who likes something a little different.
Specifications
| Material | Phthalate-free vinyl (PVC) body, sculpted polyester foliage |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 3.6 x 3.3 x 3.9 in |
| Weight | 2.3 oz |
| Color | Classic yellow with dense green foliage overlay |
| Age Grade | 3+ years. Not a certified flotation device. |
| Origin | Designed on Vashon Island, WA (originally a garage in 1971) |
| Care Instructions | Wipe clean with a damp cloth. Do not trim the foliage, no matter how tempting. |
The Full Story
The duck that started an empire began life as an accident of proximity. In the winter of 1971, the workbench in the back of the repair shop sat about four feet from a shelf of leftover hedge-trimming samples a customer had left behind after a dispute over a broken transistor radio. Nobody remembers exactly whose idea it was to start gluing the trimmings to the shop's mascot duck, but by February the duck could no longer be reasonably described as "yellow." It was green, textured, and looking at you through a wall of foliage like something that had lost a fight with a hedge.
The name "Bush Face" was not chosen. It was simply what everyone in the shop called it, and by the time anyone thought to ask if they should call it something more dignified, it was too late, customers were already asking for one. The first batch of forty units was hand-foliaged over three consecutive weekends by all three founders, a process that involved a hot glue gun, a great deal of arguing about leaf density, and, according to shop legend, one minor kitchen fire that was absolutely not caused by the glue gun.
Today the Original Bush Face is manufactured on a somewhat larger scale, though we like to think each one still carries a bit of that original chaos. Quality control still occasionally rejects units for "insufficient face coverage" or "too much personality showing through," a standard nobody has ever been able to fully define but that everyone on the floor instinctively understands.
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Customer Reviews
I've bought probably nine of these over the years, one for every desk I've ever had. There is something deeply calming about a duck whose face you cannot see. It watches you work through the foliage and says nothing, which is more than I can say for my coworkers.
Sits on my desk at work, gets compliments constantly. Docking one star because after about a year some of the smaller leaves start to come loose and I've found them in my keyboard on more than one occasion. Otherwise a genuinely lovely object.
Read the About Us page after buying this and now I feel like I own a piece of history, which is a wild feeling to have about a rubber duck, but here we are. Great gift for literally anyone.
This is exactly as advertised, which is my complaint. I did not think through the fact that 'Bush Face' means you cannot see the face. My kids find it unsettling. I find it unsettling. Product works fine, concept haunts me.
Got this as a white elephant gift and I now refuse to give it up even though it was supposed to be a rotating gift. My office has staged two interventions. The duck stays.
Ordered this thinking I was getting an actual small hedge shaped like a duck for my garden. It is a rubber duck with plastic leaves glued to it. Should have read more carefully I guess. Returning it.