In September there was a bit of a controversy ahead of the Rubber Duck's visit, when
the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust stopped a local museum from profiting off t-shirts depicting the generic bath toy. That, um, flap was relatively minor compared to the hullabaloo in Keelung, Taiwan, where
the Rubber Duck has caused a "commercial circus":
Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman was upset about the arrangement for his Rubber Duck installation on display in Keelung and criticized the organizers for turning it into a “commercial circus,” local media reported yesterday, citing a letter written by the artist.
A day earlier, Hofman canceled his trip to inaugurate the duck display in the northern city, expressing disappointment over how the sculpture is being portrayed in Taiwan.
