Long Boi

Long Boi (fl. 2018 – April 2023) was an unusually tall male duck that lived by Derwent College, University of York, England. He was thought to be an Indian Runner duck-Mallard cross, standing out among the other ducks on the campus due to his height. He went viral and became an internet meme in 2021. His popularity saw him become an unofficial mascot for the university. At least one commentator has branded him 'Britain's most famous duck'.

In early May 2023, students expressed concerns that Long Boi had not been seen in at least a week. On 11 May, the university concluded that he was presumably dead. He had not been seen on campus for nearly two months.

Biography
Little is known about Long Boi's origins, although it is believed that he was left on the University of York campus as an unwanted pet. When first found, he appeared "very lonely and nervous" and didn't fit in with the other ducks. Students fed him to help him to settle into his new home.

Long Boi spent most of his time on and around Heslington Fish-pond, which is next to Derwent College. He had become more confident and accepted by other ducks. His friends included a smaller male Indian runner duck called Chonky Boi, some female mallards, and a male mandarin duck called Fancy Boi.

Rise to popularity
Long Boi became an internet sensation in 2021 following a Reddit post that incorrectly described him as the tallest mallard ever, at over 1 m tall (in fact he was around 70 cm tall, and not a true mallard duck). Long Boi was subsequently mentioned by James Corden on his US late-night talk show The Late Late Show in April 2021, who showed an edited image of Long Boi dressed in a trench coat and quipped, "Put a trench coat on that duck and he looks like two ducks trying to get into an R-rated movie". Followers of Long Boi's Instagram account, run by University of York biology student Zoe Duffin, increased to 16,300 people in less than 24 hours. Footballer Peter Crouch, who is 6ft 7in, shared his appreciation of Long Boi, tweeting "That's my kind of duck!". In 2022 Long Boi was mentioned by Greg James on BBC Radio 1 who hoped to do a show with Long Boi. After some planning and with help from YUSU, this was able to happen in March 2023 where he was able to 'quack' on the show.

Long Boi has become a University of York campus celebrity and informal mascot, and has a student society dedicated to him. Long Boi fluffy toys have been presented to the university's graduates. He has been the subject of April Fools jokes by The Tab, claiming that the university planned to feature Long Boi on its new logo and that Vice-Chancellor Charlie Jeffery had awarded him an Honorary Doctorate, calling him the "perfect ambassador" for the university. At the university he inspired the Long Boi Society, which is centred on an interest in waterfowl and on Long Boi himself.

In April 2023, third-year Environment, Economics and Ecology student Tom Howes received a tattoo of Long Boi while on a university volleyball tour in Portugal. The tattoo made national news and added to Long Boi's virality.

Disappearance
In early May 2023, students raised concerns that Long Boi had not been seen for at least a week by anyone. A spokesperson for the university told the York Vision: "Long Boi is a much-loved character on campus and whilst we haven't seen him around over the past few weeks, we continue to keep a lookout for him and hope to see him again, safe and well, soon."

Considering Long Boi's popularity and importance to the university, the Ground and Estates team reportedly searched the campus while also reminding students that, as a wild animal, he may simply have left the university grounds. The main speculation was that Long Boi was a victim of the increasing number of recent fox attacks, while others thought that he had died but that YUSU, the university's student union, had not reported his death due to York's defeat in the 2023 Roses Tournament. A duck expert also highlighted that, considering the time of year, it was possible that Long Boi had temporarily left the grounds of the university in order to find a mate. A 3 May 2023 post from Long Boi's Instagram account said that there is "a strong possibility that Long Boi has passed away."

The Daily Telegraph reported that there were calls among students for a statue of Long Boi to be erected in light of his disappearance. This was not the first time that this idea had been suggested, with a suggestion on YUSUggestions from 2022 campaigning for this. Two consecutive YUSU presidents supported the idea in principle but raised concerns over how financially viable the idea was and proposed a crowdfunding campaign.

On 11 May 2023, the University of York concluded that Long Boi had died. He had not been seen on campus for nearly two months.

Legacy
The university reported on 11 May 2023 that YUSU was working on plans to organise a fitting tribute to Long Boi. On 15 May the YUSU president, Pierrick Roger, announced plans to erect a to-scale memorial to Long Boi. If £1,000–£2,000 was raised, a bench with a plaque to Long Boi would be constructed. If more than £2,000 was raised, a statue would be installed. Any excess donations would be donated to a 'Travel Abroad Award' as a York Futures Scholarship named after Long Boi.

The £1,000 target was surpassed within a day. The £2,000 target was then reached on 17 May. Ultimately, £5,500 was raised, and the plan is to for the statue to be made of bronze (although ceramic and silver was suggested), and placed on Derwent Common. In December 2023 the wildlife sculptor Neil R. Mason was chosen as the artist to complete the sculpture. In August 2023 the Long Boi Society was put up for adoption, meaning that it had been unable to have a full committee when reratifying with YUSU.

Jeremy Corbyn expressed his condolences to the student community, stating “If an appropriate memorial appears I will wish to visit it…I would happily take a selfie with him.”

With an absence of updates, and considering the context of the serious financial situation students were in when the money was raised, some students raised concerns that the funds were not being used to build the statue as promised, and even that Pierrick Rogers had absconded with them. The design for the sculpture was revealed in May 2024, with the clay moulds being sent to Greece to be cast in bronze.

In May 2024 a post on a university confessions page claimed that Long Boi had been killed by a member of the Lancaster University men's hockey team who were at York for the 2023 Roses Tournament. Members of the team where quick to debunk it, while other students questioned how realistic it was, notably the claim that the confessor found loose bricks around the campus. This seemed unlikely, given the absence of bricks around Derwent Common.

The official merchandise for the 2024 BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend featured Long Boi.