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Long Boi

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This article is about the Indian Runner duck. For American Jazz musician, see Charlie Green (musician).

Long Boi
Long Boi by Heslington Fish Pond in 2021
Other name(s)Longboi
SpeciesDomestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus)
BreedIndian Runner duck–Mallard cross
SexMale
Hatchedbefore 2018
Diedc. April 2023
York, United Kingdom
Known forTallness, memes, popular culture, media appearances
ResidenceDerwent College, University of York
Heightaround 70 cm (2 ft 4 in)

Long Boi (fl. 2018 – April 2023) was an unusually tall male duck that lived by Derwent College, University of York, England. He was thought to be an Indian Runner duck-Mallard cross, standing out among the other ducks on the campus due to his height. He went viral and became an internet meme in 2021. His popularity saw him become an unofficial mascot for the university.[1][2] At least one commentator has branded him 'Britain's most famous duck'.[3]

In May 2023, Long Boi was presumed dead, having not been seen on campus for several weeks.[4][5] A memorial service for Long Boi was held on 26 September 2024, which was presided over by Greg James and broadcast live on BBC Radio 1, and culminated with the unveiling of a bronze statue of Long Boi.[6]

Biography

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Little is known about Long Boi's origins, although it is believed that he was left on the University of York campus as an unwanted pet.[7] Students fed him to help him to settle into his new home, noting that he didn't seem to fit in with the other ducks at first.[8]

Long Boi spent most of his time on and around Heslington Fish Pond next to Derwent College,[9] where he eventually integrated with the other campus waterfowl.[8] His friends included a smaller male Indian runner duck called Chonky Boi, some female mallards, and a male mandarin duck called Fancy Boi.[8]

Rise to popularity

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Long Boi has become a University of York campus celebrity and informal mascot,[10] often mentioned in welcome talks and graduation ceremonies.[11] Long Boi fluffy toys have been presented to the university's graduates.[12]

Long Boi became an internet sensation in 2021 following a Reddit post that incorrectly described him as the tallest mallard ever, at over 1m tall (in fact he was around 70cm tall, and not a true mallard duck).[7]

Long Boi was subsequently mentioned by James Corden on his US late-night talk show The Late Late Show in April 2021, who showed an edited image of Long Boi dressed in a trench coat and quipped, "Put a trench coat on that duck and he looks like two ducks trying to get into an R-rated movie".[13] Followers of Long Boi's Instagram account, run by University of York biology student Zoe Duffin, increased to 16,300 people in less than 24 hours.[13] Footballer Peter Crouch, who is 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), shared his appreciation of Long Boi, tweeting "That's my kind of duck!".[10]

In 2022 Long Boi was mentioned by Greg James on BBC Radio 1 who hoped to do a show with Long Boi.[14] After some planning and with help from the university's social media team and the University of York Students' Union, this was able to happen in March 2023 where he was able to 'quack' on the show.[15][16]

Long Boi has been the subject of April Fools jokes by The Tab, claiming that the university planned to feature Long Boi on its new logo and that Vice-Chancellor Charlie Jeffery had awarded him an Honorary Doctorate, calling him the "perfect ambassador" for the university.[17] At the university he inspired the Long Boi Society, a student society centred on an interest in waterfowl and on Long Boi himself.[18]

In April 2023, third-year Environment, Economics and Ecology student Tom Howes received a tattoo of Long Boi while on a university volleyball tour in Portugal. The tattoo made national news and added to Long Boi's virality.[19]

Disappearance

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In early May 2023, students and staff at the university raised concerns that Long Boi seemed to have gone missing from campus; The Tab reported that he had not been sighted since 22 April, whilst a post on Long Boi's Instagram page claimed the last known sighting was "sometime around mid-March."[4][20] A spokesperson for the university told the York Vision: "Long Boi is a much-loved character on campus and whilst we haven't seen him around over the past few weeks, we continue to keep a lookout for him and hope to see him again, safe and well, soon."[15]

Considering Long Boi's popularity and importance to the university, the Ground and Estates team reportedly searched the campus while also reminding students that, as a wild animal, he may simply have left the university grounds. The main speculation was that Long Boi was a victim of a recent fox attack,[21] while rumours spread that he had died but the university's student union had postponed reporting his death due to York's defeat in the 2023 Roses Tournament.[22] A duck expert also highlighted that, considering the time of year, it was possible that Long Boi had temporarily left the grounds of the university in order to find a mate.[23] A 3 May 2023 post from Long Boi's Instagram account said that there is "a strong possibility that Long Boi may have passed away."[1]

The Daily Telegraph reported that there were calls among students for a statue of Long Boi to be erected in light of his disappearance.[24] This was not the first time that this idea had been suggested, with a suggestion on YUSUggestions from 2022 campaigning for this. Two consecutive YUSU presidents supported the idea in principle but raised concerns over how financially viable the idea was and proposed a crowdfunding campaign.[25]

On 11 May 2023, the University of York concluded that Long Boi had died. He had not been seen on campus for nearly two months.[5]

In May 2024 a post on a university confessions page claimed that Long Boi had been killed by a member of the Lancaster University men's hockey team who were at York for the 2023 Roses Tournament. Members of the team were quick to debunk it, while other students questioned how realistic it was, notably the claim that the confessor found loose bricks around the campus. This seemed unlikely, given the absence of bricks around Derwent Common.[26]

Legacy

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Long Boiology Art Trail

In August 2023 the Long Boi Society was put up for adoption, meaning that it had been unable to have a full committee when reratifying with YUSU.[27]

In September 2023, the Department of Biology launched its "Long Boiology [sic] Art Trail", celebrating art, science and education in the Biosciences at York through the medium of Indian Runner duck silhouettes decorated by staff and students attached to various locations on West Campus.[28][29]

Jeremy Corbyn expressed his condolences to the student community, stating “If an appropriate memorial appears I will wish to visit it…I would happily take a selfie with him.”[30]

The official merchandise for the 2024 BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend featured Long Boi.[31]

Statue

[edit]
The Long Boi statue draped in a red scarf

The University of York reported on 11 May 2023 that YUSU was working on plans to organise a fitting tribute to Long Boi.[32] On 15 May the YUSU president, Pierrick Roger, announced plans to erect a to-scale memorial to Long Boi.[33] If £1,000–£2,000 was raised, a bench with a plaque to Long Boi would be constructed. If more than £2,000 was raised, a statue would be installed. Any excess donations would be donated to a 'Travel Abroad Award' as a York Futures Scholarship named after Long Boi.[34]

The £1,000 target was surpassed within a day, and the £2,000 target was reached by 17 May 2023.[35][36] Ultimately, £5,500 was raised, and the plan was to for the statue to be made of bronze (although ceramic and silver was suggested), and placed on Derwent Common.[2]

In December 2023 the wildlife sculptor Neil R. Mason was chosen as the artist to complete the sculpture.[37]

With an absence of updates, and considering the context of the serious financial situation students were in when the money was raised, some students raised concerns that the funds were not being used to build the statue as promised, and even that Pierrick Rogers had absconded with them.[38] The design for the sculpture was revealed in May 2024, with the clay moulds being sent to Greece to be cast in bronze.[39]

On 26 September 2024, the finished statue was revealed in ceremony led by Greg James and broadcast on BBC Radio 1.[40] The ceremony, held in the university's Central Hall and supported by York SU Technical Theatre Society (TechSoc), was attended by hundreds of people and included short remarks by Vice Chancellor Charlie Jeffery, a minute of quacking, and musical performances of Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again" by organist Anna Lapwood and Chappell Roan's "Hot to Go" by the university's Sing Song Society.[6]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b @longboiyork (3 May 2023). "Dear followers, fans and friends of Long Boi" – via Instagram.
  2. ^ a b Barton, Andrew (1 August 2023). "Long Boi: £5.5k raised for statue of missing University of York duck". BBC News. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  3. ^ Harvey, James (11 May 2023). "In memory of Long Boi - Britain's most famous duck". WhyNow. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b Dale, Tim (3 May 2023). "University of York's tall duck Long Boi is missing". BBC News. Archived from the original on 4 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Long Boi: Missing University of York duck presumed dead". BBC News. 11 May 2023. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  6. ^ a b Bryson, Julia; Russell, Rachel (26 September 2024). "Long Boi: Statue of missing York duck unveiled live on BBC Radio 1". www.bbc.com. BBC. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Tall duck becomes social media sensation". BBC News. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Fernando, Christine. "Meet Long Boi, a big (but not the biggest) duck that's become a 'superstar' at the University of York". USA Today. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  9. ^ Al-Mahdawie, Sara (November 2023). "RIP Long Boi". The Derwenter. p. 18.
  10. ^ a b Chudy, Emily; Elliott-Gibbs, Sam (30 April 2021). "Huge duck Long Boi has own Instagram account and is loved by Peter Crouch". Mirror. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Long Boi - About the University, University of York". www.york.ac.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  12. ^ "PSA: Uni of York is selling mini Long Bois to all graduates next week". University of York. 13 July 2022. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  13. ^ a b Laycock, Mike (1 May 2021). "WATCH: York duck Long Boi stars on The Late Late Show with James Corden". York Press. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  14. ^ "Uni of York is campaigning for Long Boi to go on BBC Radio 1 and it's iconic". University of York. 6 December 2022. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  15. ^ a b Beattie-Zarb, Kaitlyn (3 May 2023). "BREAKING NEWS: Long Boi Missing". York Vision. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  16. ^ @uniofyork (7 March 2023). "'Anything for Long Boi' is our new life motto 🦆" – via Instagram.
  17. ^ "Uni of York logo is officially changing to have Long Boi in it". The Tab. 31 March 2022. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  18. ^ "Long Boi Society". University of York Students' Union. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  19. ^ "A York student has just got a Long Boi tattoo and I'm very jealous". University of York. 5 June 2022. Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  20. ^ "Long boi (@longboiyork) - Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  21. ^ McAndrew, Orla (2 May 2023). "Confirmed: Long Boi missing". Nouse. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  22. ^ Smith, Emily (1 May 2023). "York students express concern for Long Boi as rumours spread about his wellbeing". The Tab. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  23. ^ @bbcyorkshire (4 May 2023). "Have you seen him? 🦆" – via Instagram.
  24. ^ Somerville, Ewan (4 May 2023). "'Long Boi' the celebrity duck vanishes". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  25. ^ "Erect a statue of Longboi on campus". University of York Students' Union. 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  26. ^ Rolfe, Jess (23 May 2024). "Erm, a Lancaster student has confessed to killing Long Boi but the uni has said otherwise". University of York. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Long Boi Society". University of York Students' Union. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  28. ^ "Who was Long Boi?". University of York. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  29. ^ "Long Boiology: the Biology Art Trail". University of York. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  30. ^ Beattie-Zarb, Kaitlyn; Shaw, Eleanor (13 December 2023). "Jeremy Corbyn Takes the Stage at the University of York". York Vision. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  31. ^ Wilson, Heidi (28 May 2024). "BBC Radio 1 has released official Long Boi merch, designed by Greg James". The Tab. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  32. ^ @uniofyork (11 May 2023). "Following a period of almost two months without a confirmed sighting of Long Boi, we are today forced to conclude that he has passed away" – via Instagram.
  33. ^ @yusupresident (15 May 2023). "🦆 HELP US REMEMBER OUR BOI 🦆" – via Instagram.
  34. ^ Pierrick, Roger (15 May 2023). "A Memorial for our beloved Long Boi". York Unlimited. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  35. ^ Pierrick, Roger. "A Memorial for our beloved Long Boi". York Unlimited. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  36. ^ Pierrick, Roger. "A Memorial for our beloved Long Boi". York Unlimited. Archived from the original on 17 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  37. ^ McAndrew, McAndrew (3 December 2023). "Long Boi Memorial Artist Announced". Nouse. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  38. ^ Davis, Matt (7 March 2024). "£5,347 Cash Found in a Hole Underneath YUSU Offices". The Lemon Press. p. 5.
  39. ^ "Long Boi: Uni of York duck sculpture designs revealed". BBC News. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  40. ^ Gouldsbrough, Patrick (26 September 2024). "Memorial event takes place for viral duck 'Longboi' as BBC's Greg James pays tribute". The Northern Echo. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 26 September 2024.

Media related to Long Boi at Wikimedia Commons

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