Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE starting June 12 2026

Burst giant duck back on show in Taiwan

A giant, yellow inflatable duck that exploded in a Taiwanese port on New Year's Eve has been repaired and brought back to a big welcome.

A giant, yellow inflatable duck that exploded on New Year's Eve has returned to a Taiwanese port after it was repaired and cleaned, organisers say.

Hundreds turned out in Keelung on the north of the island on Friday to welcome back the 18-metre-tall duck following two days of maintenance after it burst and deflated into a floating yellow disc on Tuesday.

It was the second time a replica of the bath toy had burst while on show in Taiwan. The duck exploded hours before crowds gathered to count down the new year.

"The warmest welcome for the little yellow duck to come back to Keelung port. I am very excited and happy all over again," fan Mandy Liu wrote on a Facebook page created for the Keelung exhibition.

Another fan, Wu Hsien-che, wrote: "We should pray to the gods and ghosts to ensure the exhibition can go on smoothly."

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

The duck burst because of rising pressure caused by rapid temperature changes.

Devices have since been put inside the duck for 24-hour monitoring of temperature and pressure, organiser Huang Jing-tai told reporters.

Since 2007, the original duck designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman has travelled to 13 cities in nine countries, including Brazil, Australia and Hong Kong, on its journey around the world.

Three Taiwanese cities exhibited their versions of the yellow duck in 2013. But all were forced to temporarily suspend the exhibit due to bad weather or damage.

In November, a duck in the northern county of Taoyuan deflated during a 6.3-magnitude earthquake when an air pump stopped working.

Powerful winds caused the duck's rear end to burst while it was being re-inflated.


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world