Instagram account @duckingmsu is home to numerous photos of students and staff members perching and finding plastic ducks all around Montclair State University.
The campus clearly needed more animated decor, and these tiny ducks add just the touch.
The person who speaks for the ducks, who chooses to remain anonymous, started the journey as a family joke but brought it to Montclair State with happiness in mind.
A blue duck taking an important phone call in Richardson Hall.
Meagan Kane | The Montclarion
“I was taking a walk around campus and I just put it [a duck] down as a laugh, and then I put another one down,” they said. “Then, I realized that if I found some random, little duck hanging out, I would probably be really happy.”
Those who need a distraction from stressors or just want to explore the beauty of the campus can pick up a new hobby with this secretive scavenger hunt.
Light blue duck enjoying some fresh air behind Bohn Hall.
Meagan Kane | The Montclarion
“[It’s] for a moment to be taken out of the academics and just be silly for a sec and laugh about it,” the creator said. “It’s to make you forget sometimes that maybe there’s a quiz and you’re scared, or you just feel overwhelmed, you just get to pick up this goofy little duck and maybe put it somewhere else or keep it.”
The bright ducklings are hidden anywhere one may imagine, from buildings such as Dickson Hall and even waddling their way over to Cole Hall.
Students and other community members have the opportunity to go hunting by searching high and low to find these creatures. Once found, participants can either keep the ducks or place them someplace else. They also can send in a photo to be featured on the Instagram account.
The Instagram profile @duckingmsu, where Montclair State community members submit photos of ducks they found or hid.
Meagan Kane | The Montclarion
Hebert Logerie, a biology academic advisor who knows the mastermind behind the ducking, believes the first thought of beginning the miniature duck-hunting saga was whether or not students would engage.
“Initially I’m like ‘eh,’ it’s wishful thinking,” Logerie said. “Students just commonly don’t care about things like that or they don’t even see it because they’re just on their phones all the time. But, I’m glad that it is catching fire and it’s just a really nice thing where you see a duck, you catch a smile.”
Miles Banks, a freshman information technology major, helps the owner of the account hide the ducks. He enjoys hiding them in creative places, especially somewhere peculiar inside Blanton Hall.
Miles Banks likes to go all out when hiding his ducks, placing them on laundry in Blanton Hall's laundry rooms.
Meagan Kane | The Montclarion
“[My favorite spot is] probably the laundry rooms of Blanton [Hall],” Banks said. “No one expects it, like if someone’s laundry is just out in the open [and] no one’s there, I just put a duck on top of it.”
Now, with over 100 eager followers, more people are beginning to jump in on the fun.
Bobby Serrani-Pezzino, a marketing and communications coordinator for University College, was excited when finding his very first duck.
Bobby Serrani-Pezzino (left) and Katya Reyes (right) found their first ducks at Red Hawk Central, located in Cole Hall.
Meagan Kane | The Montclarion
“I found my first duck in Red Hawk Central next to the university bell,” Serrani-Pezzino said. “I saw it [the duck], and it was the best thing in the universe.”
The thoughts that came to his mind were confusion, but also joy.
“My first thought was ‘what?’ and I giggled when I saw it [the duck],” Serrani-Pezzino said. “It just made me chuckle but it was a nice little positive moment where it was just like that’s cute.”
He now wants to help the account grow by hiding his found ducks.
“One of my favorite things to do with the ducks is hide them in places that I think are obvious, but you have to pass it in order to find it,” Serrani-Pezzino said. “One of the things that I actually did recently was I put one over the sign by Dickson Hall, and someone submitted [to the Instagram] that they saw it and they were like ‘it’s Duckson Hall’.”
Katya Reyes, a junior advertising major, felt adored by the small birds.
“I found a white duck next to the [university] bell,” Reyes said. “I also found a yellow duck on the Red Hawk Central sign by the desks. It was really cute. They’re adorable, like how do you not smile when you see them everywhere?”
Ashley Vizcaino, a sophomore biology major, is happy to see this scavenger hunt come to life at Montclair State.
Ashley Vizcaino holding a purple duck in Richardson Hall.
Meagan Kane | The Montclarion Photo credit: Meagan Kane
“It’s a way to kind of show people that Montclair [State] has a lot of little things to look out for which I think is really cute,” Vizcaino said. “It’s such a fun thing to find because they’re not obvious all the time.”
The creator’s message is that college may be difficult, but there are ways to make it enjoyable. They love seeing that others are finding something small so fun.
“College is hard, and college is stressful,” they said. “When you’re here, you’re in the zone. I am so proud that my goofy little dumb thing for myself is now something other people get some pleasure out of.”
