Snake way for ducklings

Boston Python’s mascot is called “Snake Way for Ducklings.” The design is based on the Boston ducklings from Robert McCloskey’s children’s book Make Way for Ducklings, published in 1941 and widely read for generations. The story follows Mrs. Mallard guiding eight ducklings—Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Oack, Pack, and Quack—through Boston to a pond in the Public Garden. The book’s pencil illustrations and the real-life sculpture in the Public Garden make the ducklings a major Boston cultural symbol. The ducklings appear in costumes for holidays, sports events, and themed days, and they are celebrated with a Mother’s Day duckling parade. The mascot adapts this imagery by featuring a snake while keeping the ducklings quacking, signaling playful rather than harmful intent.

"This is the mascot for Boston Python. It's called Snake Way for Ducklings: My son Ben drew it, which makes me very happy. He also drew Sleepy Snake. Wearing this image on a shirt around PyCon, I had to explain it a number of times. People in Boston understand it almost immediately, but others need more background."

"In 1941, Robert McCloskey wrote a children's book called Make Way for Ducklings. It's a classic, selling millions of copies and never going out of print. We read it to our own children growing up many times. The book is the story of Mrs. Mallard making her way through Boston guiding her eight ducklings (Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Oack, Pack, and Quack) to a pond in Boston's Public Garden."

"The book led to a sculpture in the Public Garden near the actual pond: The sculpture is sized and placed for kids to play on, and is widely known and beloved in Boston. The ducks are dressed in costumes for all kinds of occasions: holidays, sports events, even Star Wars day. On Mother's Day, there's a duckling parade: families bring their children dressed as ducklings. In Boston, the ducklings are a big deal."

"And it's not just fiction. So it seemed natural to Ben to riff on the ducklings for Boston Python. One observer thought a snake eating the ducklings seemed kind of dark, but you can see the ducklings are still quacking, so they are fine! BTW, Boston also has Duck Boat tours, but that's completely different."

Read at Ned Batchelder