Little Yellow Duck Project

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The Little Yellow Duck Project is a UK-based international effort started in 2014 to raise awareness about organ, stem cell, and blood donation and to encourage small acts of kindness. People knit or crochet small yellow ducks and leave them in public places for strangers to find. Each duck has a tag with information about the project and often the duck’s name, inviting the finder to log the discovery on the project website. There, they can learn about donation and how to become a donor.

The project was started by Emma Harris in memory of her friend Clare Cruickshank, who died from cystic fibrosis at 26 on 15 April 2013 while waiting for a double lung transplant. Cruickshank loved rubber ducks, which inspired the idea.

The project has received worldwide media coverage from crafting blogs, knitting magazines, and an Australian radio show. It launched on 15 April 2014, the first anniversary of Cruickshank’s death. By 3 August 2025, 15,909 ducks had been recorded in 96 countries. Earlier counts listed up to 107 countries, but in March 2022 the system was changed to count only sovereign countries, excluding places like the Isle of Man.