Cheese and Quackers! DCUK’s Aardman Ducklings are Gift of the Year Finalists!
DCUK’s first-ever licensed collaboration, the Wallace & Feathers Ducklings, was shortlisted in the Best Branded & Licensed Gift Product category at Gift of the Year 2026 🎉
The gift that grins back
Some gifts are useful, some are beautiful, and some make you stop, smile and say, “Oh, that’s brilliant.” That’s the kind of gift we hoped to create with Aardman.
Wallace & Gromit are part of the fabric of British life. They’re funny, familiar and full of heart. DCUK ducks are a little like that, too. So when our ducklings dressed up as their heroes, Wallace and Feathers McGraw, something just clicked. Not only for us, but for many of you.
We wonder if these little characters became gifts people wanted to give because they were already friends. Each one gives a respectful nod to a favourite film, a family tradition, a shared joke or a treasured collection. A “this made me think of you” moment. Isn’t that what the perfect present is all about?
More than a famous face
Wallace and Feathers are instantly recognisable, and that helps a lot. But we think the secret of these ducklings’ success is that they are still unmistakably DCUK.
Aardman characters are famously handmade from clay. DCUK ducks are handmade from bamboo. That human touch is crucial. Wallace and Feathers are not mass-produced replicas. They’re made from a natural material, hand-carved, hand-painted and full of tiny differences that make each one special. Feathers has his famous red glove hat, and Wallace has his cosy knitted pullover. But underneath the costume, they’re still our ducks: warm, tactile and charming.
Maybe a good character gift doesn’t just show what someone loves, but also shows you know them.
Flying off the shelves, into the imagination
The Aardman Ducklings have found homes with Wallace & Gromit fans, DCUK collectors, film lovers, families, friends and thoughtful gift-givers alike. We were overwhelmed by how quickly they sold out. Twice! Retailers have watched them fly from their shelves, and they’ve become our bestselling characters of the year.
Penguin-led heists and train chases now regularly feature in our sleep, and we’re not complaining. These characters have sparked our imaginations, and really, that’s the dream.
A little gift, a really big moment
We’re so happy that our Wallace & Feathers Ducklings have been recognised as Gift of the Year contenders. Especially in a category that celebrates design, originality, quality and that all-important “wow factor.” It means so much to everyone who helped bring these characters to life.
For us, gifting is about so much more than an object. It’s about the imaginations that dreamt it, the hands that made it, the materials that shaped its form, and the stories it tells.
✨A very special thanks✨
And speaking of charm, quality, and imagination, we can’t finish without a huge thank you to Denise, our Chief Duck Designer. Her artistic ability, creativity, and dedication to the flock are at the heart of DCUK, and we’d be nowhere without her. Thank you, Denise!
