Florentijn Hofman’s Rubber Duck project will make its West Coast debut Aug. 20 when it joins the Grand Parade of Sail in San Pedro’s Tall Ships Festival L.A., a four-day event featuring more than a dozen tall ships.

Los Angeles will be only the second North American city to feature the globally famous Rubber Duck, developed by Hofman of The Netherlands, to represent bringing cultures together. The Dutch artist launched the project in 2007 as a way to bring joy to the world via a universally friendly image.

The yacht-size inflatable duck measures 85 by 66 by 105 feet and weighs more than 1,300 pounds.

“The Rubber Duck knows no frontiers, it doesn’t discriminate, … and it doesn’t have a political connotation,” Hofman said. “The friendly, floating Rubber Duck has healing properties: It can relieve the world’s tensions as well as define them.”

“Los Angeles is the ideal place for the duck to celebrate the world’s diversity and culture,” said Craig Samborski, Tall Ships Festival L.A. executive producer.

The duck has appeared in Australia, Taiwan, China, Belgium, Japan, New Zealand, Brazil and Pittsburgh.

For information, visit www.TallShipsFestivalLA.com.

— Donna Littlejohn