A rubber ducky phone case only appeals to babies, the occasional Starbucks barista, and me

Weird Phone Case of the Month is a monthly series in which we live with, and subsequently review, our time with a phone case. Phone cases are one of our only ways to express individuality with our smartphones, so what do our phone case choices say about us?

The rubber ducky was the obvious choice. My friend Casey visited me from LA earlier this month, and during a trip to Flushing, New York we stopped in a massive mall. I needed a new Weird Phone Case of the Month, I told her. I faced a wall of phone cases. Most had at least some glitter, others featured popular cartoon characters, but the rubber ducky case — the only one in the store — stood out. It had to be mine. What called me to it I can’t say exactly. It’s kind of like when you see an attractive person on the train and know you’re into them, but you can’t pinpoint why. Ducky and I, yeah, we’re a pair. 

The case cost $15. It’s made of silicon and is soft to the touch. The duck presents both challenges and practical benefits. For instance, I can’t figure out how to hold the phone because I typically only hold about half of it in my hand at once. I never grab the entire phone, so I don’t fully have a strategy for holding it against my ear. Do I grab the duck? Do I slip my finger underneath it? Do I just try to support the weight of my phone with less space? I’m still trying to figure this out.

The duck is removable, by the way, which is important because it creeps into most photos. I can see a slight yellow shadow in the left-hand corner of my photos from the past month. This is a major con. The phone case is stretching over time. It keeps coming off in my bag, and I don’t like that.

Frankly, I don’t know how to feel about the corners, which are extra squishy. Is there a word for their shape? The corners are weird, but then again, a giant rubber duck is weird, too. Maybe they add to its novelty and cuteness.

Listed above are the case’s only negatives. I love that it doubles as a stand, which makes it easier for me to see texts when my phone is resting on a desk. Obviously having this massive 3D object on my phone at all times also makes it easy to find in my bag, no matter how much stuff I’m carrying.

I’ve also gotten lots of compliments, like from a Starbucks barista in my neighborhood who I’ve seen playing Pokémon Go and a guy wearing a suit in the elevator at The Verge’s building. It’s a conversation piece for sure. Babies particularly love to stare at the case, which makes it good for photo-taking — that’s just a random plus that strangely came up during my time with this phone case.

Many people are dismayed when I tell them the duck doesn’t squeak, but that doesn’t bother me. I accept the duck for what it is. 

The article was published on : theverge