Rubber Duck becomes potato-chip product extension for Okashi Land

The public art display of the 50-foot inflatable Rubber Duck  , created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, was the talk of the town and Facebook earlier this month.

Four Seas Mercantile Holdings, owner of Okashi Land, which has a chain of more than 60 retail snack shops, launched the special product on Wednesday. The proceeds from its sale will go to local NGO Joyful Mental Health Foundation.

Peggie Lau, general manager of the company's communications department, said the products was actually meant to debut earlier, when rubber-duck-fever was at its height. "But due to the production delay, we could only launch the product now," she said

The popularity of the duck demonstrated the high repect shown to the Dutch artist's work, and this could help change the public's view of local artists who are not held in high esteem in Hong Kong.

The rubber duck craze not only put a smile on the faces of kids and the young-at-heart but also brought joy to brand owners who capitalised on the occassion. For example, Harbour City's  Bo-Lo’Gne Café  launched a duck-set menu, Paul Lafayet created yellow duck macaroons (pictured below), Superga, an Italian casual shoe brand changed its window display to yellow duck images, and the Chinese restaurant Super Star Seafood Restaurant created a duck-shape dim sum. And news vendors at the Star Ferry pier, where the duck was anchored, were doing a brisk business selling hand-sized rubber ducks to eager children.