Ducky Mayhem

Let me explain...

It's the first week of November. We are smack in the middle of our school's fall fundraiser: selling 3lb tubs of cookie dough. (Yes, I said 3lb tubs.) Chocolate chip, triple chocolate, snicker doodle, sugar, white chocolate macadamia, rocky road, peanut butter and peanut butter chocolate chip, candied butter crunch, lemon cranberry...am I missing any? As an incentive to sell these monster tubs of dough the kids are able to earn rubber ducky key chains. (Yes, I said, rubber ducky key chains.) On specific mornings they arrive at school early, join the ducky line and receive a ducky, or two, or three, or four as an award for their amazing salesmanship.

Weeks before the fundraiser was to begin we all wondered at the effectiveness of the duckies. Really? Duckies...dressed as a football, leprican, skeleton, flag? Our kids will really be begging to sell cookie dough just to own a prize ducky? But our cookie dough rep, the one that actually came up with the idea (the one we now worship), assured us that it would work, that at other schools the duckies were a hit. We would not be disappointed. Okay...sign us up. Who wants to be left behind the ducky wagon?

So here I am 5 days into selling cookie dough, and I can personally attest that the ducky mayhem is in full force. Full. Force.

 

The "ducky line" this morning? A mile long. Total mad rush. 

Parents who have never stepped onto campus? In the "ducky line", with their kids.

Kids who have never participated in a fundraiser? Selling cases of cookie dough.

Trading duckies? Oh yeah. Deals are going down on the playground.

Feeding the duckies? You have to! At recess time the "feeder moms" come out to feed them pretzels and crackers...their favorite food.

Nap time for duckies? Of course! When they are in the classroom. Asleep in the cubbies.

A special ducky of the day? Uh huh. Announced every morning--a special prize for the lucky owner.

Twenty four different ducks? Twenty four. And new ones every year.

Peer pressure at it's finest? Yep. Who wants to be left standing with out a duck?

 

Money being raised for our public school? Yes and hallelujah!

Best (and stupidest) piece of marketing I have ever seen?  You bet.  And it's working. 

Worth it? Totally.

If it raises money for a sorry California, budget anemic school then I say, bring on the duckies! We have five more days of living on ducky planet and I can live with that. Because who knew that our little public school could be saved by such a silly fun little rubber ducky?

That skeleton ducky? Number one coveted ducky. Only 10 of them exist at our school. If you own one, you guard it with your life.