It’s good to be quack! Giant rubber duck returns to Hong Kong harbour after ten years

It’s not every day that you see a giant 60-foot-tall rubber duck floating in Hong Kong waters, let alone two.

But ten years after Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s giant ‘Rubber Duck’ sculpture made waves by appearing in Victoria Habour, the rubber toy is back – and this time with a new friend.

The two bright yellow inflatable ducks sailed into the harbour to undergo their sea trials ahead of Hofman’s new exhibition ‘Double Ducks’ this weekend.

Hofman debuted the original duck in 2007 with the aim of ‘putting a smile’ on people’s faces. 

Since then, the duck has been seen around the world in countries including China, New Zealand, Belgium, Japan and the United States.

It’s not every day that you see a giant 60-foot-tall rubber duck floating in Hong Kong waters, let alone two

But ten years after Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s giant ‘Rubber Duck’ sculpture made waves by appearing in Victoria Habour, the rubber toy is back – and this time with a new friend

The two bright yellow inflatable ducks sailed into the harbour to undergo their sea trials ahead of Hofman’s new exhibition ‘Double Ducks’ this weekend

The duck first visited Hong Kong in 2013 and on the tenth anniversary of that visit, the yellow rubber has sailed to the city again – this time accompanied by a friend.

The pair underwent sea trials Victoria Harbour near Tsing Yi island at the end of May, prior to the June 10th official exhibition opening which will see the ducks sail around Hong Kong for two weeks. 

The enormous ducks were spotted being tugged by two boats that looked small in comparison to the oversized bath toys. 

Hofman said his latest art instillation is aimed at representing unity and togetherness.

‘Due to Covid-19 we learned that spending time together is so valuable,’ Hofman said in a statement. 

‘Making moments and memories for real, living in the here and now, are things to cling on to. “Double Ducks” is not about looking into the past but enjoying the moment together.’

The enormous ducks were spotted being tugged by two boats that looked small in comparison to the oversized bath toys

Hofman debuted the original duck in 2007 with the aim of ‘putting a smile’ on people’s faces

The pair underwent sea trials Victoria Harbour near Tsing Yi island at the end of May, prior to the June 10th official exhibition opening which will see the ducks sail around Hong Kong for two weeks

The two bright yellow inflatable ducks sailed into the harbour to undergo their sea trials ahead of Hofman’s new exhibition ‘Double Ducks’ this weekend

Hofman said his latest art instillation is aimed at representing unity and togetherness

The exhibition’s organiser, All Rights Reserved, say the Double Ducks are ‘happiness icons’ and aim ‘to spread the healing power of art and bring joy to everyone via this large-scale public art exhibition’.

They added: ‘Hofman’s freewheeling imagination of childlike wonder has gained notice from the public, inspiring people to take a break from their mundane daily life and connect with one another.’

Hofman has deployed his original rubber duck worldwide. In 2014, it was spotted sailing into the Port of Los Angeles. 

And in 2013, it arrived in Victoria Harbour to much fanfare before it was mysteriously deflated overnight before being reinflated days later.