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The Pirate Captain
A classic yellow duck kitted out as a pirate captain, with a tiny tricorn hat, an eye patch, and a small fabric beard. A fun bath toy or shelf piece for pirate fans of all ages.
Specifications
| Material | Vinyl (PVC) body, fabric beard, felt tricorn hat |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 3.7 x 3.4 x 4.0 in (hat included) |
| Weight | 2.4 oz |
| Color | Classic yellow, black hat and eye patch, black fabric beard |
| Age Grade | 3+ years. Eye patch is decorative and non-removable by design. |
| Origin | Designed on Vashon Island, WA · Assembled overseas |
| Care Instructions | Spot clean the beard only. Do not machine wash. Do not, under any circumstances, use as an actual eye patch. |
The Full Story
The Pirate Captain is, according to internal sales records, the single most re-ordered design in the company's history, which is a strange thing to be able to say with total confidence about a rubber duck wearing an eye patch. The concept dates back to a company trip in 1988, when a group of employees rented a boat for a team-building exercise that was, by all accounts, mismanaged from the start. Nobody had sailing experience. The boat briefly ran aground. One employee, in a fit of nautical enthusiasm nobody has ever adequately explained, began speaking exclusively in pirate voice for the remainder of the trip and refused to stop even after they returned to the office on Monday.
The design team, inspired equal parts by the incident and by a sincere love of tiny hats, produced the first Pirate Captain prototype within the month. The fabric beard went through eleven revisions before settling on its current length, after early versions were deemed either "not piratey enough" or, in the case of prototype seven, "alarming."
The eye patch, we should note, is purely decorative. We have received a small but consistent volume of customer correspondence over the years asking whether it can be removed and worn by a human. It cannot. Please do not try. Legal has asked us to reiterate this point specifically.
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Customer Reviews
My daughter named him within about four seconds of unboxing and he has had a full backstory ever since, involving a rival duck pirate named Sudsy who apparently stole his treasure. I don't ask questions anymore.
Hat and eye patch are really nicely made for the price. The fabric beard drops a few loose threads in the first wash but settles down after that. No complaints beyond that.
Handed these out as party favors for my son's 7th birthday and they were a bigger hit than the actual cake, which took me eleven hours to make. I have feelings about this.
Cute design but the glue holding the beard on gave out after about a week of normal handling. Contacted customer service, they were polite but the replacement had the exact same issue. Might just be bad luck, but two for two isn't a great track record.
I want to talk about the eye patch placement specifically, because I think it deserves recognition. It's angled ever so slightly, giving the duck a rakish, roguish quality that a symmetrical eye patch simply would not achieve. Whoever made this decision at Bushface HQ deserves a raise, a promotion, and possibly a small parade. I bought three.
As someone with a genuine interest in 18th century maritime history, I have to say the tricorn hat styling is closer to a costume shop approximation than an accurate period piece. I know it's a rubber duck. I still had thoughts. One star for accuracy, though I acknowledge that was never really the point.