Rubber Duckie

"Rubber Duckie"

Single by Ernie (Jim Henson)
from the album The Sesame Street Book and Record
B-side	"(Can You Tell Me How to Get to) Sesame Street"
Released	1970
Recorded	1970
Genre	Children's, pop
Length	2:25
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Jeff Moss
Producer(s)	Thomas Z. Shepard

"Rubber Duckie" is a song sung by the Muppet character Ernie (performed by Jim Henson) on Sesame Street. The song is named after Ernie's toy, a rubber duck affectionately named Rubber Duckie.

The song, written by Jeff Moss and arranged by Joe Raposo, was first heard by children watching an episode of Sesame Street on February 25, 1970.^[1] It was popular enough to be recorded and released as a 45 rpm single and became a surprise mainstream hit, peaking at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 26, 1970.^[2] and it peaked at number 10 in Australia.^[3]

It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children in 1971 but lost out to the album The Sesame Street Book & Record, which contained the song.^[4] The song had follow-ups "Do De Rubber Duck", "D-U-C-K-I-E" and "The Honker Duckie Dinger Jamboree" was the centerpiece of 1988's "Put Down the Duckie", performed by Hoots the Owl but also featuring Ernie.

YouTube Encyclopedic

1/3
Views:
36 783 139
5 391 242
16 313 597

Transcription

ERNIE: Well, here I am in my tubby again, and my tubby's all filled with water and nice fluffy suds. And I've got my soap and washcloth to wash myself. And I've got my nifty scrub brush to help me scrub my back. And I've got a big fluffy towel to dry myself when I'm done. But there's one other thing that makes tubby time the very best time of the whole day. And do you know what that is? It's a very special friend of mine, my very favorite little pal. [MUSIC PLAYING] ERNIE: (SINGING) Oh, rubber ducky, you're the one. [SQUEAK SQUEAK] ERNIE: (SINGING) You make bath time lots of fun. [SQUEAK SQUEAK] ERNIE: (SINGING) Rubber ducky, I'm awfully fond of you. [SQUEAK SQUEAK] ERNIE: (SINGING) Boh-boh-boh-di-oh. Rubber ducky, joy of joy. [SQUEAK SQUEAK] ERNIE: (SINGING) When I squeeze you, you make noise. [SQUEAK SQUEAK] ERNIE: (SINGING) Rubber ducky, you're my very best friend, it's true. [SQUEAKING] ERNIE: [GIGGLES] (SINGING) Oh, every day when I make my way to the tubby, I find a little fellow who's cute and yellow and chubby. Rub-a-dub-dubby. Rubbery ducky, you're so fine. [SQUEAK SQUEAK] ERNIE: (SINGING) And I'm lucky that you're mine. [SQUEAK SQUEAK] ERNIE: (SINGING) Rubber ducky, I'm awfully fond of you. [SQUEAKING] ERNIE: Hey, rubbery ducky, would you like me to scrub your back with my nifty little scrub brush? [SQUEAKING] ERNIE: You would? OK, how's this? [SQUEAKING] ERNIE: [GIGGLES] Hey, you want me to scrub behind your ears. [SQUEAKING] ERNIE: Oh, I see! You don't have any ears, do you? [GIGGLES] Well, how about your tummy? [SQUEAKING] ERNIE: Scrub his little ducky tummy. [SQUEAKING] ERNIE: Ooh, he's ticklish! [GIGGLES] [SQUEAKING] ERNIE: (SINGING) Oh, every day when I make my way to the tubby, I find a little fellow who's cute and yellow and chubby. Rub-a-dub-dubby. Rubber ducky, you're so fine. [SQUEAK SQUEAK] ERNIE: (SINGING) And I'm lucky that you're mine. [SQUEAK SQUEAK] ERNIE: (SINGING) Rubber ducky, I'd like a pond of-- rubber ducky, I'm awfully fond of you. [SQUEAKING] [GIGGLES]

Composition

The song is written in the key of B-flat major.^[5]

Other recordings and performances

In 1971, one of The Irish Rovers sings the song in one sketch as part of one of the episodes of The Irish Rovers Show. Little Richard performed a rock-and-roll version of the song as a guest on a 1994 episode of Sesame Street. Bob McGrath recorded the song in his album Bob's Favorite Street Songs. The song made a brief appearance in a scene in Three Men and a Little Lady, and during an episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway? Daveed Diggs, in costume as Mr. Noodle's Brother Mr. Noodle, performed a hip-hop infused version on Sesame Street's YouTube channel and it’s just like Shake a Tail Feather and When I See an Elephant Fly.

Little Richard also performed a rockabilly-tinged version of the song, which can also be found on Sesame Street's official YouTube channel.^[6]

Stride pianist Dick Wellstood included a performance of the song on his 1974 live album Walkin' with Wellstood. Jane Krakowski sings the song on her live album The Laziest Gal in Town.

A 2017 re-recorded version of the song features guest appearances by Tori Kelly, James Corden, Sia, Jason Derulo, Anthony Mackie and Daveed Diggs.^[7]