Ruby - #0008

DuckDex Entry #0008: Ruby

DuckDex Number: #0008
Museum Name: Ruby
Original Product Name: Not yet documented
Brand: Bath & Body Works
Object Type: Rubber duck
Colors: Maroon-red with orange beak
Date: Undetermined
Acquisition: Purchased by Nichole
Museum Collection: Bath & Body Works Collection

❤️ Captain Quackers' Curator Notes

"Ruby shows how much difference a single design choice can make. Her familiar rubber-duck form is finished almost entirely in a rich maroon-red, giving her a very different presence from the bright yellow, patterned, and costumed ducks elsewhere in the Bath & Body Works collection. We don't yet know what Bath & Body Works originally called her, when she was sold, or the circumstances of her release. Until those answers surface, Ruby offers something equally valuable: a surviving object that helps us document the remarkable variety found within this still-mysterious retail duck tradition." 

🧳Adventure Log

📍 Current Home: The American Rubber Duck Museum Collection

🛍️ Collection: Bath & Body Works

✨ Known For: Rich monochromatic finish

🎨 Special Talent: Proving that sometimes one color is all a duck needs

🦆 Mission: Help document the variety of designs represented in the Bath & Body Works duck collection

📅 Adventure Status: Preserved for future museum display

🏛️ Museum Label

Ruby
Bath & Body Works Collection
DuckDex Entry #0008

This maroon-red duck is a surviving example of Bath & Body Works' rubber duck merchandise. Molded Bath & Body Works markings establish its brand attribution, while its original product name, release date, manufacturer, and retail context remain under investigation. Ruby's predominantly monochromatic finish offers a useful contrast to the patterned, costumed, multicolored, and apparently seasonal variants in the museum's growing Bath & Body Works collection.

💝 Provenance

Brand/Marking: Bath & Body Works

Manufacturer: Not yet identified

Country of Manufacture: China (object marked “Made in China”) 

Acquisition Source: Purchased by Nichole

Acquisition Date: [if known]

Story Connection: Nichole added Ruby to the museum as part of her effort to document the range of Bath & Body Works rubber duck merchandise. Her predominantly maroon-red appearance makes her especially useful for comparison with more elaborately decorated examples in the collection. As additional objects and historical evidence are documented, Ruby may help the museum better understand the range and development of Bath & Body Works duck designs.

🌞 Conservation Notes

Ruby retains a glossy maroon-red surface finish with an orange beak. The molded underside markings remain legible. Condition documented at the time of cataloging. 

🔎 Research Notes

🟩 Confirmed: Bath & Body Works attribution is established by molded markings on the surviving object.

🟩 Confirmed: The surviving object has a predominantly maroon-red finish with an orange beak.

🟨 Not yet established: Original product name, release date, manufacturer/vendor, original retail price, and specific promotional or seasonal context.

🟨 Production era: Not yet established.

❤️ Why Captain Quackers Loves This Duck

Every duck has a story...

"Ruby reminds me that a duck doesn't need elaborate patterns, costumes, or decorations to stand out. Sometimes a familiar shape and one striking color are enough to make you stop and look twice. And when we don't yet know when a duck was made or what she was originally called, looking closely becomes even more important. Every detail might eventually become part of the answer." 

❤️ Captain Quackers

Chief Curator & Adventure Officer 

🦆 Every Duck Has A Story...

"...and Ruby proves that sometimes one striking color is enough to make a familiar duck unforgettable."