The History of Rubber Duckies and How They Came to Make Bath Time Lots of Fun

Simon Whistler explains the history of rubber duck toys and how they came to make bath time lots of fun in an episode of Today I Found Out. The episode also addresses the popular Sesame Street song “Rubber Ducky” and how it helped cement a place for rubber duckies in tubs across the country.

In 1970, everyone’s favorite orange roommate sang a song to his bathtime buddy. “Oh, rubber duckie, you’re the one. You make bathtime lots of fun,” cooed Ernie to his squeaky yellow friend. While the rubber duckie had been around for at least a century prior to Ernie and his mellow melody, this Sesame Street tune shoved the bathtime toy into the popular culture lexicon where it has remained ever since. From a chew toy to a piece of art to Ernie’s best friend (sorry, Bert), here’s the story of how the world got into the bath with the rubber duckie.