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Long Boi statue unveiling – as it happened

York live

26 September 2024

These were our updates as the legendary duck’s memorial was unveiled

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‘A wonderful, engaging, distinctive duck’: Vice chancellor Charlie Jeffery

University of York vice chancellor Charlie Jeffery and Pierrick Roger, the student who started the Long Boi fundraiser. Photograph: Sarah Dunphy

Here’s the University of York vice chancellor Charlie Jeffery paying his tribute to Long Boi.

Absolutely no idea that a duck, a wonderful, engaging, distinctive duck, could generate so much passion.

So we’re going to have at Central Hall at the university, 700 or so students. It’s eight o’clock in the morning, and they’re all ready.

Students don’t normally do that! So this, this is a big thing for the university and for our students. They just love our animals on campus, and this one really took their imagination.

‘My mum was so excited to see Long Boi’

Here’s another personal memory of the lofty lake dweller, this time by Gen Andrews…

Tributes pour in to Long Boi: ‘A staple of my life’

Our Sarah Dunphy has been talking to folk on the University of York campus about their memories of Long Boi, the tall duck.

Here’s Kaitlyn Beattie-Zarb:

I saw him pretty much every day if he was on campus, I saw him, and I would walk past him on my way to lectures, and it was great, and you would feed him. And, like, it was just such a he was such a staple of my life there in first year.

Pictures from the University of York before the ceremony

Our reporter Sarah Dunphy is at the scene of the unveiling, the University of York.

Greg James’s is broadcasting his Radio 1 Breakfast Show live from the scene (you’ll be listening to YorkMix Radio of course).

Here’s what’s going on there today.

Long Boi is on Wikipedia

As befits a global legend, Long Boi is on Wikipedia.

Here’s how the entry begins…

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. At least one commentator has branded him ‘Britain’s most famous duck’.

In early May 2023, students expressed concerns that Long Boi had not been seen in at least a week. On 11 May, the university concluded that he was presumably dead. He had not been seen on campus for nearly two months.

You can read the whole entry here.

Some pictures of the great duck

Here are a few Long Boi pictures from our archives to remember him by.

Long Boi. Photograph: turtleq_chak238on Instagram
Long Boi. Photograph: University of York
Chonky Boi (L) and Long Boi (R) at the University of York – Picture Iwan Stone from York Vision
Top of the bill: Long Boi. Photograph: longboiyork” target=”_blank”>longboiyork on Instagram