Mr. Squawker, a rubber toy duck from the 1950s, is part of the collection on display at The Rubber Duck Museum in Washington state. It was designed for the Ohio-based Rempel Manufacturing “with a cheerful expression and a distinctive squawking sound when squeezed,” the museum’s plaque reads.
Neil King
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Neil King
If you had to pick just one place to take the temperature of relations between the U.S. and Canada right now, consider The Rubber Duck Museum in Point Roberts, Wash.
The museum is located in a small U.S. town attached to Canada, not the U.S. mainland. The only way to drive to the town, which is at the end of a peninsula, is to go through Canada. This unique location makes the town of about 1,200 people dependent upon its northern neighbor for nearly everything, including customers looking to add to their rubber duck collections.
Neil and Krystal King are the owners of the rubber duck museum and gift shop. On display, they have ducks from the Soviet era, early Disney toys and a rubber ducky belonging to Sesame Street star Ernie. But a big draw — and what keeps the museum afloat — are the 3,000 ducks for sale. Most are whimsical, featuring celebrities and historical figures, and cartoon and holiday-themed characters.
But the ducks are no longer flying off the shelves. Since President Trump launched tariff wars on countries, including Canada and China, and began insisting Canada will be the 51st state, far fewer Canadian visitors have flocked to this U.S. outpost. After months of dismal sales, and now looking at 145% tariffs on goods from China, the Kings say they are packing up the ducks and moving them across the border into Canada.
The Kings will continue to reside in Point Roberts, their beloved home where they are raising their 3-year-old daughter.
Even if the tariffs were suddenly lifted by President Trump, the Kings have decided to relocate their small museum to Canada.
“The constant uncertainty of waking up each day and wondering about the tariffs is just not sustainable for any small business, especially one that relies on Canadian tourism,” Neil explained.
“Moving the ducks to Canada was not our first choice,” Krystal added. “We cherish our quaint little shop here, but it’s not about choosing between keeping them here or moving them to Canada. It’s about the choice between relocating to Canada or shutting down.”
