Rose Thornquist’s cheery bedroom—recently painted in her color choices of lilac and apple green—contains an unexpected surprise: a bookcase stacked with yellow ducks in many forms. Actually, several aren’t yellow: they are lilac and green like her room.
When asked how many she has, she replied: “I counted yesterday and I have 134.”
That seems like a lot for someone just 10 years old and who only started collecting seriously about two years ago. Actually, the first duck in her collection can be traced back to before she was born. It had been given to her mom, Mary, at a baby shower. So is this collecting mania genetic, one wonders?
In truth, many of the ducks were given to Rose by family and friends, when they learned of her fascination. About age 8, she realized that she had about 20, so began requesting more.
Classmates at Hillcrest Elementary School have even taken it upon themselves to do a bit of research on the topic in the Guiness Book of World Records. Yes, there is an entry.
They discovered, said Rose, that a woman has 6,000 rubber ducks. However, she has a few more decades of collecting on Rose. “All of my friends are saying that I have to beat her.” They have told her that once she reached 100 more they want to enter her in a category for most ducks collected by a kid. She has yet to agree.
Rose’s favorite subject is Language Arts: “I want to be a writer.” Although she hasn’t written about her collection —yet—she did take some to school to create a diorama, highlighting a book report on ducks. So, not only is her collection whimsical; it has educational value, too.
Speaking of education, one duck sports a “‘U” on its chest. He was a gift from an older brother who is a rising senior at the University of Oregon, where the athletic teams are known as “The Ducks.”
Many of the ducks take other guises. There’s one dressed in “sheep’s clothing,” and is part of a duck manger scene for Christmas. A Hanukkah duck has a shawl, or Tallit, draped on his body.
Four of her ducks are ready for Halloween, with costumes for the occasion: a witch, vampire, Frankenstein and mummy. Perhaps the most unusual accessory worn by any is a gas mask. Or, consider a cow that is in the shape of a duck.
When Rose told her friends at Hillcrest Elementary about the interview, they told her to be sure she said her friends were helping. Surpassing 300 may not be difficult now that Rose has had her “15 minutes of fame.”
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