HONG KONG: Thousands said farewell yesterday to a giant inflatable yellow rubber duck which has captivated Hong Kong, on its final day in the city’s harbor before it heads to the United States.
The southern Chinese city has taken the 16.5 meter-tall duck, conceived by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, to its heart since it arrived under tow on May 2 to cheering crowds.
Duck mania has gripped the city — and parts of the Chinese mainland — since its arrival, with hundreds of thousands of locals and tourists in Hong Kong flooding the streets near where the giant replica bath toy is moored to catch a glimpse.
Stalls and shops sold replicas and merchandise ranging from T-shirts to three-dimensional duck tote bags. Restaurants created special duck dishes.
In mainland China, copies of the duck made an appearance in several cities — prompting a rebuke from the communist party newspaper the People’s Daily for what it called unoriginal copycat behavior.
The duck was even embroiled in mainland politics, in the run-up to the 24th anniversary on June 4 of the Tiananmen suppression of pro-democracy activists by the army.
Internet searches on the mainland for “yellow duck” were banned after users circulated a mocked-up image of a famous 1989 photo, with tanks replaced by plastic ducks.
In Hong Kong thousands were seen taking their last look Sunday at the genuine duck, wishing it well for the journey ahead and thanking it for bringing joy to the Asian financial hub.
“I hope that it can bring happiness to the people in the different countries it visits,” 30 year-old Sam Tsang told AFP.
“The rubber duck has brought us a lot of happiness...I hope it will come back,” said 34 year-old teacher Tina Yip.
Shopping mall Harbor City, organizers of the exhibit, said in a statement the duck has “spread joy and positive energy to everyone in town and has received so much love and support from fans and media.”
Since 2007 the duck has traveled to 13 different cities in nine countries ranging from Brazil to Australia.
Hofman said he hopes the duck, which will now travel to the US city of Pittsburgh, will act as a “catalyst” to connect people to public art.
The duck was to be deflated early Monday before being shipped out.
“Missing you already ducky! Must let you go to bring happiness to people around the world!!” Annie Hung wrote on Hofman’s Facebook wall.
Duck tops the bill in farewell Hong Kong appearance
Duck tops the bill in farewell Hong Kong appearance
Christmas Eve winner in Arkansas lands a $1.817 billion Powerball lottery jackpot
- The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19
- The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said
ARKANSAS, USA: A Powerball ticket purchased at a gas station outside Little Rock, Arkansas, won a $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday’s Christmas Eve drawing, ending the lottery game’s three-month stretch without a top-prize winner.
The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19. The winning ticket was sold at a Murphy USA in Cabot, lottery officials in Arkansas said Thursday. No one answered the phone Thursday at the location, which was closed for Christmas. The community of roughly 27,000 people is 26 miles (42 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock.
Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher than previous expected, making it the second-largest in US history and the largest Powerball prize of 2025, according to www.powerball.com. The jackpot had a lump sum cash payment option of $834.9 million.
“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, was quoted as saying by the website. “We also want to thank all the players who joined in this jackpot streak — every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country.”
The prize followed 46 consecutive drawings in which no one matched all six numbers.
The last drawing with a jackpot winner was Sept. 6, when players in Missouri and Texas won $1.787 billion.
Organizers said it is the second time the Powerball jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas. It first happened in 2010.
The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said. The company added that the sweepstakes also has been won on Christmas Day four times, most recently in 2013.
Powerball’s odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes growing as they roll over when no one wins. Lottery officials note that the odds are far better for the game’s many smaller prizes.
“With the prize so high, I just bought one kind of impulsively. Why not?” Indianapolis glass artist Chris Winters said Wednesday.
Tickets cost $2, and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
