In 1844 Charles Goodyear of New York, New York received a patent for a machine used for the manufacturing of corrugated or shirred rubber fabrics. Rubber strips were sandwiched between fabric, stretched and pressed between two rollers, one calendared, creating a rubber impregnated cloth.
These Rubber Ducky brand condoms were distributed by entrepreneur Steve Finley of Irving, Texas during the late 1980s. The box features an image of a cartoon duck giving a “thumbs up” signal. The box claims that Rubber Ducky condoms are “The fit that won’t quit.” The box contained 3 condoms which were individually tested and lubricated for sensitivity.
Finley tried to market his Rubber Ducky condoms to a younger audience. In an interview with D Magazine Finley said, "Rubber Ducky condoms are hip, fashionable. Kids are having sex at a much earlier age now. With such a young audience you’ve got to make using condoms a cool thing to do and at the same time convey the message that not wearing condoms is just plain stupid.” The Rubber Ducky theme would have had a strong nostalgic appeal to adolescents in the 1980s as they were among the earliest audiences of Sesame Street.
