The rubber duck?s image as the quintessential tub toy was sealed in 1970 when Ernie, the cheerful orange Muppet on "Sesame Street" sang the ditty, "Rubber Duckie." The catchy song went on to become a childhood hit, in the same way that the ducks themselves had become standard parts of the landscape of childhood. Simple, durable, and inexpensive, they outlasted other less timeless, more complex toys.