Gigantic Rubber Duckie Floats Down the Loire River in France!

Artist <a href="http://www.florentijnhofman.nl" target="_blank">Florentijn Hofman</a> has created a gigantic yellow rubber duckie and sent it floating down the Loire River in France, where the temporary sculpture brings a smile to the faces of all the people it passes. The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/big-yellow-bunny-made-from-local-swedish-materials-is-easily-the-size-of-a-building/">oversized sculpture</a> bobs and weaves, bringing onlookers together as it travels downstream.

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/cute-gigantic-muskrat-sculpture-pops-up-in-the-dutch-countryside/" target="_blank">The Dutch artist created</a> the giant yellow duckie with the mission of bringing people together simply through the presence of art.

Treating the Loire as a giant bubble bath, The Rubber Duck brings a message of joy, without political or sociological connotation, its bill twisted into a child like smile.

The duck itself is a durable vessel, made from inflatable rubber-coated PVC, a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/turanor-planetsolar-worlds-largest-solar-ship-set-to-complete-trip-around-the-world/" target="_blank">pontoon boat</a>, and generator to help propel it forward downstream.

It gently moves throughout the environment without disrupting the nature of the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/hannes-bends-eclipse-installation-opens-our-eyes-to-the-artificial-reef-catastrophe/" target="_blank">marine life</a> in the river below. Rising 82 feet by 82 feet wide, the bath time toy conjures up childhood memories and nostalgic narratives, undeniably creating smiles as it passes through each town.

Hofman’s work often deals with simplistic happiness, created as a diversion to ease the tensions of modern life. Experiencing his <a href="http://inhabitat.com/3013-installation-made-from-recycled-wood-cascades-down-a-london-building/" target="_blank">oversized installations</a> gives onlookers a moment of serenity, amidst a time of economic and political turmoil.

Traveling a 40 mile stretch from Saint-Nazaire to Nantes, the Rubber Duck traveled to France as part of the Loire Estuary art exhibition. The Rubber Duck has already delighted the shores of both Osaka and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/a-sao-paulo-eco-village-receives-brazils-first-solar-track/" target="_blank">Sao Paulo</a>, and will likely make its way to other waterways around the world.