Do you have a rubber duck question that we don't have the answer to?

Please ask us!

• Do you know if there are any union jack rubber ducks in existence?

I’m not sure if they ship internationally or what, but here are two web pages that offer a Union Jack Rubber Duck:
Penny Ha'Penny Online
PriceHot

And these guys have some other English-themed rubber ducks you might be interested in:
Union Jack Wear

Now, of course, we here at RubaDuck don’t specifically endorse any particular store or service with regard to rubber ducks, and we have no affiliation with any of the above linked sites, so we can’t really vouch for their character or customer service.

• How do I clean out the inside of my rubber duck?

If you need to clean out the inside of your duck, there must have been some way that the dirt got in.  There has to be some hole or opening for the dirt to get in.  Either he's a squeaker, a squirter, or somehow he got punctured.  The good news is that since there's a way for the dirt to get in, that same way can be used to get the dirt out.  If the stuff was small enough to get through the opening, then it's small enough to come back through.

To get it out, just use water.  Just like you fill and squirt a squirter duck, fill and squeeze out your duck.  First immerse the guy completely in water (don't worry, rubber ducks can hold their breath very very well) and squeeze out all the air.  Then, while he's still under water, relax the squeeze and let the duck pull in water through the opening.  Once he's almost full, pull him out into the air, give him a good shaking (like we said before, don't worry, rubber ducks are very resilient), and then squeeze hard to force the water out quickly.  While you're squeezing out the water, hold him so that the orifice is pointing down so that gravity helps pull the dirt out.

Keep doing this until you've got him all clean.  Remember, when you're filling him with water, don't fill him all the way.  That way there's still some air in there to allow the shaking to really work at the dirt.  Also, we recommend hot water as the temperature will help the water 'wet' the dirt.

• Why are rubber ducks yellow, as most "real" ones are not?

Most rubber ducks are made with the classic look of bright yellow body with orange bill. There are plenty of rubber ducks out there NOT sporting the classic look. But why is bright yellow with orange bill the ‘classic look’ in the first place? I don’t believe there is a definitive answer out there (no plastics manufacturers are weighing in with a single, compelling reason) but I have some thoughts on the subject. In one word, I would say the reason most rubber ducks are yellow is simply ‘tradition’. It’s an easily identified and cheerful color scheme that has endured over time and become synonymous with ‘rubber duck’. Here’s another thought: Rubber ducks are essentially a child’s toy, designed to be cute and appealing, so are modeled after the coloring of the cuter and more appealing duckling, rather than the adult duck. As pictured, ducklings are often bright yellow with orange bills and feet, thus lending the classic rubber duckie look some semblance of reality. It should be noted, however, that not all ducklings are so colored. The bottom line here at RubaDuck is that rubber ducks are classically bright yellow with orange bills because that is the cutest coloring for a rubber duck to be.