Giant Rubber Duck Explodes In Taiwan

In many ways, 2013 was the year of the giant yellow duck.

While the 59-foot tall artwork was first created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman in 2007, its 2013 world tour, with residencies in various Asian cities and and a pit stop in Pittsburgh, brought it worldwide recognition. In China the duck even became a political hot potato, with counterfeit duckies appearing and online censors banning searches for "Big Yellow Duck" after a politically charged Photoshop circulated online.

As such, it's perhaps apt that the giant yellow duck went out of 2013 with a bang. According to AFP, the duck was docked in Taiwan's Keelung city on Tuesday when it suddenly burst. A crowd nearby, waiting for a New Year's Eve celebration were visibly shocked:

So why did the duck deflate after all this time? According to Taiwanese new agencies, its suspected that rubber lining may have been scratched by an eagle's claw.