Plastic Duckies

 
On January 29, 1992 a 40-foot container fell off a ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Inside the container were 29,000 "Floatees," small bathtub toys. There were blue turtles, yellow ducks, red beavers, and green frogs. Over the next few years, these toys washed up on shores all around the Pacific, especially in Indonesia, Australia, and South America [Friendly Floatees].

The story of these Floatees has been told many times. For years beachcombers around the world have been talking about Beachcombing Science from Bath Toys.

Thousands of the Floatees drifted north where they passed through the Bering Straight and became locked in the pack ice north of the Arctic Circle. The prediction was that they would emerge into the Atlantic in 2003 and, sure enough, Floatees started to turn up in New England and Great Britain. More are expected this year [Drake's other armada].

There's a picture of a plastic duckie on the cover of this month's Harpers magazine. The feature story is MOBY-DUCK: Or, the Synthetic Wilderness of Childhood by Donovan Holn. It's a wonderful read. Donaovan Holn has weaved together the story of the Floatees and his personal voyage of discovery. As you follow along you will learn about ocean currents, flotsam and jetsam, beachcombing, childhood, and so much more.