Travelers on cruise ships around the world are taking a new approach to souvenirs by bringing – and leaving – rubber duckies around the ships.
The trend has people buying rubber ducks and hiding them near cruise ships. In the past year alone, TikTok videos garnering thousands of views show users hiding and finding ducks. as if it were a game.
In a Facebook group, called “Cruising Ducks,” which has more than 284,000 members, the trend is described as “a cute and fun way to have fun on a cruise and brighten other people's days.”
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Reports say a young girl named Abby Davis started the Easter egg idea – and it has since taken off.
The Facebook group explains: “Our goal is to see how far our ducks will travel and where their journey might take them. Keep or hide, it's up to you, but please post your ducks' journeys here so that all the world can benefit from it.”
Members are then asked to post a photo of their rubber ducky on board a ship and specify which cruise line they are on.
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Last month, around 3,500 posts were made on the Facebook page.
One person posted a photo of their children, writing: “The kids came back with around 20 ducks. They loved seeing them! Carnival Dream, September 21-29.”
Another person posted a photo of her 113 ducks found during Carnival Cruise Lines' jubilee in September, saying she had five “active hunters” on the ship and brought more than 400 to hide.
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The trend also caught on on Reddit, with one traveler posting to the subreddit “r/royalcaribbean” claiming he paid for a carry-on just for his rubber duckies.
Reddit users took to the comments to weigh in on the offbeat trend, with one person writing: “I hate to be a killjoy, but there's really no reason for it. Just go on a cruise and enjoy what's out there. already there.”
Another user explained that hiding and finding ducks on the ship was a fun activity for their children on sea days when the ship didn't stop at ports.
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“My daughter works on the Utopia of the Seas and loves finding them! Once her contract is up, she plans to hide all the ducks she collected around the ship,” another Reddit user commented.
Cruising Ducks also has its own line of rubber ducks which can be purchased to take on board cruise ships.
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For between $14 and $26, customers can purchase different types of themed ducks: Dorothy, Glinda the Good Witch, “The Godfather” and even Donald Trump.
Several theories online claim that some cruise ships discourage guests from hiding ducks on board.
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Fox News Digital has contacted Cruising Ducks, Carnival Cruise Lines, Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean for comment.