In 2018, Zoe Duffin, a biology student at the University of York started to feed an Indian runner mallard duck that was particularly sociable on campus. Friends noted how tall he was (70cm) and affectionately named him ‘Longboi’.
Students on campus were soon obsessed with the duck, and Zoe made things official by setting up an Instagram account (@longboiyork) to share photos and videos of the campus’ favourite new friend. With his shiningly social personality, the legend developed that Longboi was no ordinary pond-dwelling mallard, but that he was likely once a domestic pet that may have been left at the University of York lake by his owners.
Birth of a Campus Icon
For many new students, leaving home at eighteen also means leaving behind their family pets, so campus pets can help fill the hole in students' hearts whilst they are away from the pets they may have grown up with. They are a bit of a classic - at Cambridge University you’ll find six different cats loved by the students across the colleges, Utica College in New York had a campus squirrel called ‘Sparky’ and the University of Washington even has a husky called Dubs who leads the football team onto the field during homecoming games. But a duck is slightly more unusual!
The University of York completely embraced Longboi and before long he officially became the unofficial mascot! The campus shop began stocking multiple lines of Longboi merch, the Longboi society was established, and students were even getting Longboi tattoos as graduation gifts.
In 2023, the Biology Department even created an art trail of Longboi's all over campus:
Going Global
But campus fame wasn’t enough for the unusually long mallard duck! Her was destined to become a global icon and it was a Reddit post of Longboi that shot him to fame. Originally posted in 2020 at the time of writing the post had over 33k likes and 660 comments. Even though the post professed his height to be a foot taller than he actually was, people from all over the world totally loved this oddly tall duck.
"I'm from India and my friends and family in India knew who Longboi was and they were like "Oh my God, you go to the same university as Longboi!"
Soon enough James Corden was talking about him on the Late Late Show in LA, footballer Peter Crouch commented on their similarities, and Radio DJ Greg James
expressed his fandom on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show.
Check the Longboi section on the Late Late Show out at 11:40:
"Look at that duck! If you throw anything less than an entire loaf of bread he's just gonna come for ya"
The Death of an Duck
By Spring 2023, campus seemed quieter than usual. Weeks passed and Longboi wasn't seen, leading the the ground team to conclude that Longboi had likely passed away.
The Student Union sprang into action to ensure this duck would not be forgotten and they crowdfunded for a 71cm tall statue to be commissioned in his honour. Within a few weeks they had raised £4000, enough to apply for statue to erect the statue in the gardens where Longboi spent most of his days. The statue was approved and the Student Union enlisted local sculptor Neil R Mason to create the piece.
A Proper Goodbye
In September 2024, longtime fan of Longboi, Radio 1 DJ Greg James, caught wind that the statue was going to be unveiled and decided it was time to enlist the Radio 1 breakfast team and the York Student Union to orchestrate a proper goodbye for the campus duck.
On Thursday 26th September 2024 the Celebration of Longboi's life took place in the Central Hall on campus at the University of York and was broadcast live on Radio 1. Greg James arrived to the service fully clad in black lace mourning-wear including a veil and gloves and opened with an incredibly touching eulogy about how animals bring out the best in people.
“Some people might not get why we’re doing this today. They might wonder why everyone put in so much time and effort for something that, on the surface, looks silly. But silly things are important. Silly things get us through the day. And look silliness brings us together, and our favourite animals get us through the day too. We love them because they show us the best of ourselves. So when you get the chance to celebrate silliness and to celebrate animals at the same time, you have to seize it with both hands, and that’s what we’re going to do today."
A choir sang a Longboi version of Chappell Roan's HOT TO GO:
The statue was revealed, moulded from clay in York and cast in bronze in Greece, It stands as a visible reminder of the love the University of York had for a humble, friendly mallard duck.
The final component of Longboi's Celebration of Life was a Viking funeral. As the actual body of Longboi was never found students pushed an inflatable duck onto the river at Derwent Lake as ducks gathered with the students to say their final goodbyes.
Since his passing, professors of Sociology at the University of York have actually studied 'The Long Boi Phenomenon' to understand why people connected with this duck so much. Professor Ruth Penfold-Mounce believe his love is rooted in community:
'I think it's about forming community and how people coming from all over the world, all over the British Isles, and they are connecting over this single animal.'
Long live Longboi!
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