Duck Tales: Maggi’s DCUK romance
Naturally, we grow very fond of our hand-crafted characters. Our greatest hope is that someone will love them as much as we do! So hearing from collectors like Maggi Stenhouse means the world to us. With a flock forty-six strong and growing, Maggi shares the story of her DCUK romance and how her beloved ducks finally won even her husband’s affection!
It is a truth universally acknowledged…that a duck collector must begin somewhere
Maggi started her collection 20 years ago - not long after our first ducks hatched!
“My first one was Natalie,” Maggi recalls. “I saw and bought my very first DCUK duck back in 2004. We were at Lyme House with my Mum, because it was used in the BBC Pride and Prejudice as Mr Darcy’s house. She loved going round any place that had been used in it.”
Maggi has always loved ducks, and our flock were happy to hear about her strict culinary policy: “I do not allow any duck meat to be brought into my house or to be eaten in my house.” Maybe it was the romantic Pemberly setting or perhaps Maggi’s love of things made from wood - Natalie is one of our original Natural Ducks - but that day was the start of a beautiful relationship: “They have such a charm and character about them that makes them special, each and every one, in their own way.”
You’ll have to stop at 12!
It wasn’t long before Natalie found a friend or two… “My husband saw more coming into the house and said that I had to stop at 12. Well as you can see, that didn’t happen. I now have 46, and the furthest from home I bought one from was Denmark, on holiday. I always keep an eye open for them. ”
Of course, every duck needs a nice place to perch. “As my collection grew, we realised that they needed more space, so we bought two corner units to put them on in the living room.” And, as time went by, it seems our little charmers worked their magic on Maggi’s husband too: “When we have friends over that have never been before, my husband loves to show off the ducks. Sometimes he will take them to see them, or I do. But the reaction is always the same. OMG and then they stand staring and laughing in disbelief.”
Hmm, what can we get Maggi for Christmas?!
Some ducks are particularly meaningful for Maggi. “I have two Graduation Dinky Ducks who represent my son and daughter, with the dates they graduated on which are special for me. But I have quite a few that were bought for birthday and Christmas presents. My friends and family are never stuck on what to get me. “My daughter is a nurse and on my 60th birthday, her friends, who some are in the emergency services, bought me three ducks: the Nurse, Paramedic, and Doctor. Then my husband’s work colleagues bought me another two ducks with hats and welly boots on. “I also like to collect them by the names of my family members as well, which I have a full set of now, except both my children have just recently got married, so now I need another two…”
The duck chooses the collector, Mr Darcy...
Some ducks simply call to you, especially if they're pirates! “I love the character ducks.” Says Maggi, “I have the pirate duck that I found on a cruise ship, so I just had to have him. But I have never seen any more of these, so I would love just a few more like him in a set.” We’ll have to get swashbuckling! In the meantime, our noble sea parrots, the Puffins, might shiver your timbers! Maggi is very discerning when finding the perfect fi t for her flock: “How I pick a duck is by first looking at the name tag. If the name doesn’t match the duck or there is something I feel is wrong, I will not choose it. So the name, the look and the feeling I get from the duck have all to be right. My husband thinks I’m mad. “Here are a few photos. The one with me on is with my favourite characters. The one next to the pirate at the back is my Denmark duck. On the last photo, the large duck without a name tag is Natalie, my first DCUK duck that started it all off.”
Share your story
To say that stories like Maggi’s make our day would be a vast understatement. So in the spirit of kindred affections, we’ve set up a dedicated inbox, [email protected].
Whether you have one very special duck who waddled into your heart or a few more, we’d love to hear what DCUK means to you! Please send your photos and stories to [email protected] .
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