Oct 22, 2013 2 min read

The 40-foot-tall rubber duck that was moored in the Allegheny River adjacent to Pittsburgh’s Point State Park until Sunday possessed “healing properties” and could “relieve mondial tensions as well as define them,” in the words of its creator, Dutch artist Florentijin Hofman.

By the same token, detractors shrugged and dismissed it as yellow, floating foolishness and, if you’ll pardon the pun, an overinflated stunt.

Either way, there’s no denying that the duck got the cash registers ringing.

The duck came to the region at the end of September as part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s International Festival of Firsts, which hosts an assortment of performing and visual artists from around the world. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Friday that the duck was the most well-attended event in the Cultural Trust’s history, drawing over 1 million visitors and selling loads of duck-related merchandise. Even nearby attractions saw a significant boost in attendance – the Fort Pitt Museum, located in the park, saw a 252 percent increase in the number of people passing through its doors compared to the same period in 2012. Alan Gutchess, the museum’s director, described the growth in attendance as “spec-quack-ular.”

Despite entreaties that the duck’s visit be extended, it has been deflated and is contractually obligated to stay out of anyone else’s waters until at least January. After that? Given its money-generating abilities, it would almost certainly be welcome no matter where it is buoyed.