Will Rubber Duck Mania Hit Kansas City? What You Need To Know

Update: News reports say "Mama Duck" sustained a 12-foot rip while in Chicago and her appearance at the Region 7 Head Start Association's 2023 conference in Overland Park has been canceled. 

Expect "Mama Duck" to cause rubbernecking and slowdowns on Interstate 435 after it's fully inflated in the parking lot of the Overland Park Convention Center sometime on Monday. Here's why "Mama Duck" is coming to town and how you can experience it for yourself.

According to Fox 4 "Mama Duck" is coming to town as part of the Region 7 Head Start Association's 2023 conference. The Region 7 Head Start Association is an organization representing early childhood programs across Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. So what's the duck have to do with early childhood education? Well, their conference is titled “Getting Your Ducks in a Row — Reimagining and Reorganizing Your Organization”.

"Mama Duck" is heading to Overland Park after spending this past weekend in Chicago as part of a music festival in Chicago called Heatwave according to the World's Largest Rubber Duck Facebook page.

While there isn't any big story behind "Mama Duck" it does seem many times when she's inflated, she's inflated in water.  Mama Duck's slogan is "The world is her bathtub" and loosely it seems part of her mission according to the duck's Facebook page is to provide inspiration to folks to enjoy the world's waterfronts.

Fox 4 reports "Mama Duck" will be at the Overland Park Convention Center in the parking lot from Monday, June 12, 2023, at 4:30 PM CDT through Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at 8:00 PM CDT. Overland Park Mayor Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog will be there Monday at 4:30 to welcome her.

The television station reports people are welcome to stop by the convention center to take pictures of and with "Mama Duck" which is 64 feet wide, 74 feet long, and 61 feet high. I would also expect an opportunity to purchase "Mama Duck" related merchandise, although that's just my speculation. Merch is also available on the inflatable duck's website.