Yellow Rubber Ducks: A Display of Happiness and Innocence

Most of us, when we look back upon our blissful childhoods, recall a most dreadful time of the day: bath time. We would fight and squirm, kick and scream as our strong-willed mothers stripped us naked and plopped us in the bathtub for a thorough wash. In order to appease us and make us more willing to be scrubbed head to foot with soap, we were given a multitude of bath toys. Perhaps the most significant and iconic toy is none other than the yellow rubber duck. With its aesthetically pleasing color scheme and child-like appearance, this toy has marked itself as the top selection for a warm bath time companion, but there are some who would abuse this gift for their own malevolent purposes.

Let us begin with the physical appearance of a yellow rubber duck. I specify yellow because in our post-modern society, we have been given many shapes, colors and forms of rubber ducks. If I did not state which kind of rubber duck to which I am referring, I would surely come under fire by those who, upon reading my analysis completely, would say, “Who are you to define all rubber ducks in this manner? My rubber duck represents none of these things you’ve claimed!” Therefore, I must make it absolutely clear that I mean the classic yellow rubber duck and not any of its variations.

The classic rubber duck consists of a yellow body, an orange beak, and large eyes. Usually, the beak is slightly open, giving the impression of a smile. This is a friendly duck, not an aggressive, territorial creature. The yellow color indicates two things: happiness and infancy. Yellow is a warm color. It is the color of the sun, certain types of flowers, potato chips, and a variety of other items that generally make people happy. Most importantly, yellow is the color of newly hatched ducklings. They are babies who need the love and nurturing of their mothers just as human children do. Thus, the yellow duck makes an immediate connection with a child, for both are simply babies in a bathtub. The rubber duck makes bath time an enjoyable experience because it reminds the child that water is safe and fun.

Unfortunately, there is a dark twist to the usage of the yellow rubber duck. I am sure the vast majority of people today are familiar with the Sesame Street character Ernie and his song in which he proclaims his love for his yellow rubber duck. Throughout the video, Ernie forcibly squeezes the duck multiple times in order to make it squeak. At first glance, this may seem like it is all in good fun, but pay close attention to the nature of the duck’s sounds. Are they jovial and excited? No. They are desperate, loud, and tortured. Each high-pitched squeal is an ignored cry for help. The duck clearly wishes for Ernie to stop forcing it to speak and then create his own meaning from its sounds. This is misrepresentation and oppression at its finest, but why would Ernie assert himself over a rubber duck like this? The answer is the simple, yet unfortunate matter of color. Consider for a moment the visible spectrum. In its most basic form, there is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Orange precedes yellow—it is on top of and above yellow. Ernie is orange and he is asserting his own interests above the yellow rubber duck’s, squeezing it rapidly, scrubbing it with a large, bristly brush, and touching its most sensitive underside. This is when bath time goes horribly, horribly wrong, but at least Ernie serves as an example of how not to treat our rubber ducks.

Essentially, the yellow rubber duck has given us a great gift of bath time companionship and a connection of life experiences as young children. Like everything, these gifts can be misused, but if we hold fast to moral values, generations upon generations will continue to enjoy and be comforted by rubber ducks.

Image from here.