Rubber ducks - in their original state at least - have been floating around bathtubs for decades, oblivious to the fact that the enormity of their fame has resulted in a number of strange variations and events being produced in their honour. From rubber duck races to enormous floating replicas, rubber ducks are truly a part of our culture. For example...

Duck Races

Image Credit: The Sun

The photo above shows just some of the 250'000 ducks released into the river Thames last year to take part in the record-breaking Great British Duck Race. The previous attempt saw a measly 165'000 complete the 2km jaunt down the river, the competitors of which are coloured blue so as to deter spectators throwing in their own. There are similar rubber duck races the world over on an annual basis, from Singapore through to Canada.

Pond Wars

Image Credit: Firebox

Pictured above is (of course) Duck Fadar, just one of a collection of 4 by the name of Pond Wars Ducks. In case you were wondering, the others are called Pondtrooper, Princess Layer and Luke Pondwalker. They're all owners of water-activated LED lighting in their bases meaning as soon as they hit the bath, the flashing starts. Check out the product page over at Firebox for more information and a whole host of puns.

Electric Bath Duck

Image Credit: Walyou

Artist Nicolaus Gaudron designed the Electric Bath Duck a couple of years ago but understandably still has no plans to manufacture the piece. On the reverse of the packaging it states: Please Make Sure You Have Made The Right Decision. Wise words to print on a rubber duck which could put an end to your baths for good.

World's Largest Rubber Duck

Image Credit: Guardian

The gigantic rubber duck above docked at the mouth of the Loire River in France in 2007 as part of a contemporary art exhibition. Created by artist Florentijn Hofman, the megaduck was built using rubber-coated PVC and measures a whopping 26x20x32 metres. Mr Hofman enjoys floating these things so much that he's done it with different models, all huge, in 9 separate locations. See his website for photos.

Hi-Tech Rubber Ducks

Image Credit: UberGizmo

As technology develops, so too must the humble rubber duck. Here we have the remote controlled duck, a toy which negates the need to even move your arm the distance required to push the thing around the water. As we all know, that very action was always a nuisance as a child. Apparently after charging the duck for 5 minutes the duck will obey you for approximately one hour. If you need more time than that, you need help and probably have skin like a prune.