Rubber Duckie (song)

"Rubber Duckie" is Ernie's signature song, a tribute to his beloved Rubber Duckie. The song enjoyed popular fame, reaching number 16 on Billboard's "Hot 100 Singles" chart in 1970.The Greatest TV Moments: Sesame Street Music A-Z It was even nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children, but it lost to The Sesame Street Book & Record, which also contains the song.
Ernie originally performed the song in the first season of Sesame Street, singing in a bathtub in a room that resembled his living room. The most common version, filmed for the second season, features Ernie in a bathroom with a plain blue background. The song has been dubbed into many different languages, a montage of which was featured in the special Sesame Street: 20 and Still Counting.
In 1974, Ernie sang the song as "El Patito," with a new Latin arrangement, translation by Wyatt Day, and Spanish-language vocals by Jim Henson. This version was released on the album ¡Sesame Mucho!, and later issued as a single backed with the original English version in 1976.
A new version of "Rubber Duckie" with Ernie was filmed in season 30, using the original album recording with Jim Henson's vocals . Similarly, the same track was also used for a film segment showing various kids taking baths . In addition to Ernie, the song has also been covered by Little Richard, Bob McGrath and other artists.
==Performances==
Image	Year	Description
 	1970	Sesame Street 
Sung by Ernie.A brief clip from this version was featured in The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years.
 	1970	The Sesame Street Book & Record
Sung by Ernie.
 	1970	Sesame Street 
Sung by Ernie.
 	1971	Evening at Pops
Ernie performs the song with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops.
 	1974	¡Sesame Mucho! - "El Patito"
Sung by Ernie.
 	1978	Sesame Street Fever - "Rubber Duckie Disco"
Sung by Ernie with female backup singers.
 	1979	Sesame Street Episode 1227
Sam the Robot warbles an off-key robotic version of the song as Luis, Maria, and Mr. Hooper work during a blackout.
 	1980	A Sesame Street Mystery: The Case of the Missing Rara Avis
Sung by Ernie and Anything Muppets.
 	1982	Sesame Street 
Sung by Ernie and his statue likeness.
 	1982	Sesame Street Sing-Along!
Performed as part of a medley of Sesame Street songs, sung by Ernie, Bert, Big Bird, and the cast.
 	1987	Sesame Street Live: Big Bird's Sesame Street Story
Sung by Ernie.
 	1991	Bob's Favorite Street Songs
Sung by Bob McGrath.
 	1994	Sesame Street 
Sung by Little Richard.
 	1997	Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Sung by Ernie and the cast.
 	1998	Elmopalooza
Ernie sings a verse of the song as part of the "Songs" medley.
 	1998	The Rosie O'Donnell Show on Sesame Street
Sung by Roberta Flack, Rosie O'Donnell, Elmo, Big Bird, Count von Count, Rosita, Baby Bear, Zoe, and Telly Monster, as part of a Sesame Street medley.
 	1999	Sesame Street 
The album recording with Jim Henson as Ernie plays over footage of kids taking baths.
 	1999	Sesame Street - Episode 3826
Sung by Susan and Gordon.
 	1999	Sesame Street 
Sung by Ernie, using the original Jim Henson recording.
 	1999	Big Bird's Sunny Day Camp Out
Sung by Ernie and Bert.
 	1999	Music Maker
Sung by Elmo and Ernie.
 	2000	Elmo's World: Singing
Ernie sings a verse (using the original Jim Henson recording) during Elmo's quiz segment.
 	2000	Sesame Street 
Bert sings the song at Ernie's request in case he's away and can't sing to Rubber Duckie.
 	2000	Evening at Pops
Sung by Gordon as a part of the closing medley
 	2001	Sesame Street - Episode 3949
Ernie sings the song to show Telly that one can make music with a rubber duckie.
 	2001	Sesame Street - Episode 3961
Performed by Ernie and his band including Big Bird, Mr. Snuffleupagus, Elmo, and Rosita.
 	2001	Sesame Street - Episode 3964
Ernie sings a bit of the song to introduce a film of kids singing their favorite songs.
 	2002	Sesame Street - Episode 3999
Ernie and Zoe try singing the song to Rubber Duckie when he loses his squeak. When his squeaker gets fixed, Maria, The Amazing Mumford, and his duck, Louie join them in a reprise of the song.
 	2004	Elmo's World: Bath Time
Ernie and Elmo sing a verse of the song to establish the episode's theme of baths.
 	2004	Sesame Street - Episode 4067
In a flashback sequence, The Electric Three (Gordon, Bob and Luis' garage rock band) perform the song.
 	2005	Open Huis in Sesamstraat
Sung by Ernie.
 	2007	Elmo and the Bookaneers
Sung by Ernie and the Bookaneers.
 	2010	Elmo Rocks!
Sung by Ernie.
 	2012	Jim Henson's Musical World
Sung by Ernie and Elmo, with Bert, Cookie Monster, Gordon, Bob, Susan, Leela, Gina, Alan, and Maria.
 	2017	Sesame Street YouTube channel
Sung by Daveed Diggs and Ernie.
 	2017	Sesame Street - Episode 4710
Sung by Ernie, Elmo and Nina.
 	2017	Sesame Street - Episode 4710
Sung by Ernie, Bert, Tori Kelly, James Corden, Jason Derulo, Sia, Anthony Mackie, and Daveed Diggs.
 	2018	The Jim Henson Retrospectacle Live in Concert
Sung by Ernie and Bert.
 	2019	Tiny Desk Concerts
Sung by Ernie as part of a medley of Sesame Street songs.
 	2019	A Swingin' Sesame Street Celebration
Sung by Ernie.
 	2019	Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration
Sung by Ernie and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as part of a medley.
 	2020	The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo - episode 101
Sung by Kacey Musgraves.
 	2021	The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo - episode 206
Sung by Leslie Odom Jr. This performance was later used in Episode 5329.
 	2022	Sesame Street: The Musical
Sung by Ernie.
 	2023	Elmo's Mindfulness Spectacular
Sung by Ernie, Cookie Monster and Juanpa Zurita.
 	2024	Sesame Street - Episode 5411
Sung by Bert, Ernie, Louie, and Telly Monster as a barbershop quartet
 	2025	Sesame Street - Episode 5504
A jazz version is performed by Mama Bear and the Monsters, along with the other Sesame Street residents
==References==
* Ernie sang a few lines from the song in a segment where he prepares for a bath. 
* The Two-Headed Monster sing a line from the song in a 1980 sketch where they take a bath.
* Maria hums the tune as she works in Episode 1774.
* Bob whistles the tune as he bathes in Episode 1797.
* In Episode 2197, Elmo and Oscar argue over whether Gordon should play "Swamp Mushy Muddy" or "Rubber Duckie" on his flute.
* The sketch "Best Friend Blues" begins with Hoots the Owl asking Ernie if he wants to sing "Rubber Duckie."
* In Episode 2722, the cast tries to clue Forgetful Jones in on his birthday celebration by saying the day is marked with a special song ("Happy Birthday to You"). Forgetful instead launches into the first line of "Rubber Duckie."
* In Episode 2741, as Gina and Mike are about to take Oscar's Sloppy Jalopy for a drive, they turn on the radio and come across a station where chickens are clucking the song.
* A brief portion of the song is sung in the Sesame Street Live show Sleeping Birdie.
* An instrumental version of the song is heard during a 1996 sketch starring Grover and Mr. Johnson in a department store.
* In A Brief History of Motion Pictures, near the end of the musical number, Ernie squeaks his duckie while singing "Vo-vo-vo-dee-oh!" to the tune of the song which previously has the similar line, "A-vo-dee-oh-doh".
* An instrumental version of the song is used as the music button for a season 30 sketch where Ernie loses Rubber Duckie.
* Ernie hums the song to himself in the beginning of a sketch with Baby Bear. 
* In Elmo's World: Babies, an instrumental of the song plays when Elmo starts counting ducklings.
* In Episode 3860, Big Bird and Telly try to cheer up his hamster, Chuckie, by singing "Rubber Chuckie," which doesn't work.
* In Episode 3954, a hip-hop version of the song plays on Gordon's tape recorder and makes Ernie rap and dance to it.
* In the Journey to Ernie segment "Disco" , a disco version of the song is played, Big Bird even comments, "That's a catchy tune." The disco instrumental reappears in an Ernie and Bert skit about dancing.
* In Episode 4019, the song serves as the ringtone on Ernie's cell phone given by Maria.
* The song underscores the "Ducks in a Row" game on Play with Me Sesame.
* "Another Sunny Day" from the Sesame Street Live show Out of This World briefly changes to the tune of "Rubber Duckie" as Ernie sings a solo verse about his duck.
* "Rubber Duckie" is quoted musically several times in the Journey to Ernie segment "Musicland." Ernie and the Two-Headed Monster also sing lines from the song.
* In the Journey to Ernie segment "Jungle" , a tiger named Bernie hums the song after Big Bird finds him with a duckie of his own.
* The song is used in the score of Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic, as Ernie and Bert imagine themselves in a bathtub.
* A clip of the Season 30 remake is seen in a 2008 promo for Sesamestreet.org. The score quotes a bit of the song as the clip plays.
* Chris hums the song while taking a bath in Episode 4214.
* Cooper (wearing duckies on his head) hums the song in a segment for Kinect Sesame Street TV.
* In the online game, "Ernie's Dinosaur Daycare", the player can click on a prehistoric rubber duckie which will make Ernie hum a bit of the song.
* At Sesame Street at SeaWorld, a hidden interactive element on the back door of 123 Sesame Street (enabled only by the park's special Elmo wands) has Ernie singing the first verse of the song.
==Videos==
File:Sesame Street Ernie and his Rubber Duckie|Ernie sings "Rubber Duckie."
File:Sesame Street Little Richard Sings Rubber Duckie|Little Richard performs "Rubber Duckie."
==Notes==
thumb|300px|"Rubber Duckie" spent 9 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, starting the week of August 15, 1970. The song peaked at #16 during the week of September 26.
* Jeff Moss squeaked a duckie during the original recording, and has squeaked the duck in all subsequent Rubber Duckie recordings. The same Rubber Duckie has been used because nobody could find a duckie that could match the sound of the original.Christopher Cerf, Songs from the Street: 35 Years of Music booklet, page 12
* Before the documentary Sesame Street Unpaved aired on TV, Noggin's website featured "Rubber Duckie" and three other classic clips for fans to vote on (with "Rubber Duckie" getting the most votes).
* The Season 30 remake was directed by Jim Martin and taped on December 22, 1998.script documents provided by trusted source Performers included Kevin Clash (puppeteering Ernie to Jim Henson's vocals) and Matt Vogel (Ernie assistant).Jim Henson's World: Q&A with Craig Shemin & Stephanie D'Abruzzo (Oct. 3, 2020) (00:42:03)
==Publications==
*Sesame Street Songbook Vol. 1
*The Sesame Street Song Book (1971, 1992 and 2007 editions)
*Songs of Sesame Street (1977)
*The Songs of Sesame Street in Poems and Pictures (1983)
*The Reader's Digest Children's Songbook (1986)
*Favorite Songs from Jim Henson's Muppets (1986)
*Jim Henson: The Works (1993)
*Sesame Street Unpaved (1998)
==See also==
*International Rubber Duckie
*Ernie and Bert songs
==Sources==
==External links==
*Rubber Duckie: the Story Behind Sesame’s Iconic Bath Time Tune at Sesameworkshop.org
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Rubber Duckie
Category:Friendship