Boon Odd Duck Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought Odd Duck Jane a couple of months back, she was the extra $5 I needed to spend to get free shipping on an order, and I was intrigued by the idea of a bath duck that didn't contain PVC. It seems almost all bath toys - 'rubber' ducks especially - are made of PVC. So, while most of our bath toys are unconventional, we do have the obligatory vinyl ducks made by the untrustworthy company Schylling. When my daughter developed a strong attachment to our scary vinyl ducks and wanted to carry them all over the house, I figured it was time to pull Jane out and give her a try.

She was an immediate hit: My daughter passed off all the old yellow ducks in favor of this brightly-colored, excitingly decorated alternative, and she's been carrying Jane around the house for days now. She's also been for a few swims in the bath without the leakage problem others have spoken of, so I guess we got lucky on that count. Jane measures about 4" long, has a weighted bottom so she will float nicely in water, and is even able upright herself if she is knocked over. Which is pretty cool; you'll never find her doing that dead-duck-on-her-side thing. She has a rigid non-pliable head and beak, and her body is somewhat squishy, though less so than a traditional PVC duck.

I noticed, on first opening the packaging Jane came in, an odd smell. Sort of like an uncapped Sharpie, and I immediately flipped her over to look for the recycling code. Nothing. No details on what plastic she's made of on the packaging either. Luckily the smell faded, and I - who am extremely sensitive to smells - can no longer detect it. Consider that I'm paranoid, so that's actually a point in this toy's favor.

I did, however, want to know what kind of plastic they made this toy out of since it is phthalate-free and PVC-free, so I asked.

Boon ducks are made of Styrene Ethylene Butadiene Styrene (SEBS), a subtype of synthetic rubber that was created by the Shell Oil Company in the 1960's and is marketed under the trade name Kraton-G (there's actually a Wikipedia article on this). It's used in everything from tires to medical devices and gloves, and - of course - increasingly in toys as a PVC alternative. Its main benefit, of course, being that it is pliable but does not require the use of the dangerous plasticizers that are used in the manufacture of soft PVC. It is known to have a strong odor, as I can attest, but Greenpeace in a 1996 article stated it was a viable and safer alternative to PVC. It does seem to be a safer alternative - so far as we know at this time - though I'm surprised how little real data exists on it, whereas you can find a wealth of information on many more commonly-used plastics. The Material Data Safety sheet documents this plastic as a low hazard in all areas.

While I don't think it's wise to trust a company (particularly one with China manufacturing - Odd Ducks *are* made in China, like most things) just because they say that a product is minus known toxins (not all alternative plastics are created equal), in this case the alternative seems to be an improvement over the current standard.

The duck herself is sweet, and I'm glad to have a potentially less toxic option available, as bath duckies seem like one of those 'must-have' toys for little kids. I can certainly see collecting the others in the future, and would - based on all current information available - recommend these ducks to anyone wanting a safer bath toy for their children.

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Product Description:
Funky colors and unusual shapes make these the hippest ducks in the tub. Yes, he is hip, has mod graphics and bold colors, but this duck is just fashionable. Completely PVC and phthalate-free, and no BpA either! All Ages.

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