World’s largest rubber duck is Clearwater’s new snowbird

Go for a walk in the park and you’ll see your fair share of ducks waddling around quacking. The City of Clearwater has ratcheted things up a notch or 60.

Meet “Mama Duck,” a 61-foot-tall, 64-foot-wide inflatable rubber duck basking on the lawn at Coachman Park on the downtown waterfront. The ginormous blow-up waterfowl is the world’s largest rubber duck and, along with her 10-foot-tall inflatable baby duck “Timmy,” part of a traveling public art installation in town until January 26th. The city is commemorating their stay with two weeks of special events. It’s part of Clearwater’s ongoing efforts to generate more activity and foot traffic downtown. Those efforts also include a Friday night Fresh Start Market that runs through February 6th, with a special Super Bowl weekend event on Saturday, February 7th. There’s a rotating group of vendors to match each week’s theme.

“When I started in this role three and a half years ago, I wanted to bring rotating art installations to Coachman Park,” says Clearwater Arts & Cultural Affairs Manager Amber Brice. “This was one of the first things I found in my research. I made it my goal to bring the duck to Clearwater. I said, ‘I’m going to get this thing here eventually.’ And here she is three years later.”

Mama Duck is drawing a crowd, Brice says. People love to come take a selfie with the duck.

“People come from all over to see it. It’s something fun and friendly and cute,” Brice says. “There’s something that appeals to all age groups. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but it’s definitely a positive thing for everybody.”

Scheduled special events at Coachman Park include “Rubber Ducky’s Birthday Bash” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 17th. The family-friendly free event will have concerts by children’s musicians Mr. Brad and Jack Hartmann, a hands-on animal experience presented by Clearwater Marine Aquarium, kids crafts, bounce houses, face painting, and vendors. From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, January 23rd, the city’s Scenes on the Green in Coachman Park series will feature the animated movie “Migration.” Of course, rubber ducks are a popular accessory for Jeep owners. That connection is the theme for the Duck ’n’ Drive Jeep Invasion taking place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, January 24th. That event will have live music by Phil Collins tribute band Turn It On Again, touch-a-Jeep areas in Coachman Park and on Cleveland Street, food trucks, a beer garden, axe throwing, and a flock of vendors.

The mama and baby inflatable rubber ducks are owned by  Big Duck LLC. The city’s expenses for the duck public art installation and associated events and entertainment is approximately $60,000. Funding comes from a variety of sources, including the city’s Downtown Development Board, vendor fees, and sponsorships. 

For safety reasons, Mama Duck is deflated and taken down when winds exceed 15 mph. It takes 90 minutes to two hours to inflate depending on weather conditions. To check if she is inflated and upright, there’s a live video feed of Coachman Park, temporarily known as “Duckcam” on the City of Clearwater’s website.
For more information and the live feed from the camera in Coachman Park, go to Mama Duck