Rubber Duckie used by Ernie on Sesame Street

Rubber Duckie used by Ernie on Sesame Street

Usage conditions apply
Downloads
Description (Brief)
Ernie, one of the main characters of the children’s television program Sesame Street, enjoys taking bubble baths with this rubber duck toy. He often sings the song “Rubber Duckie” about his beloved rubber duckie. The song was released as a single and peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 26, 1970.
Sesame Street (1969-present) is the longest-running children’s television series in American history, and one of the most influential and impactful programs in the history of the medium. First developed by producer Joan Ganz Cooney to use all the entertaining tools of commercial television to teach preschool aged children, the series was also a notable effort to use public television to reach minority and low-income communities who otherwise lacked educational opportunities. The series combines live action sequences set in a Harlem-like neighborhood of urban brownstones and small businesses with animated segments, catchy modern music, popular culture parodies, and integrates Jim Henson’s Muppets, a memorable mélange of entertaining scenes that have made Sesame Street a favorite of children and parents alike. Sesame Street is a production of Sesame Workshop (known before 2000 as the Children’s Television Workshop) and premiered on the National Educational Television (NET) network in 1969 before that early educational broadcaster transitioned to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in 1970. Since 2016, Sesame Street has aired new episodes on HBO although reruns still air on PBS.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
Duck, Toy
date made
ca. 1969
1970s
Physical Description
rubber (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 4 in x 4 in; 10.16 cm x 10.16 cm
ID Number
1979.0952.02
accession number
1979.0952
catalog number
1979.0952.02
Credit Line
Gift of Children's Television Workshop (through Robert A. Hatch)
subject
Sesame Street
Television
Children's television programs
Television broadcasts
Children's television programs
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
Popular Entertainment
Jim Henson
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Nominate this object for photography.   

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.

Note: Comment submission is temporarily unavailable while we make improvements to the site. We apologize for the interruption. If you have a question relating to the museum's collections, please first check our Collections FAQ. If you require a personal response, please use our Contact page.