Story of love and sacrifice connected to viral Ducknana statue
Luke Martin was leisurely looking online when he noticed the hurried headline.
“So much panic buying going on,” he recalls the Reddit post saying. “Only two Ducknanas left.”
Luke sent the post featuring a picture of the surreal statues, which had duck heads attached to banana bodies, to his wife.
“It’s just so absurd,” Montana Martin laughs. “You can’t help but love it.”
So Montana responded to her husband’s message with “I want one.” And without even asking if she was going bananas or not, Luke rushed off to buy it as a surprise for her birthday.
“I came across the largest duck banana statue I’ve ever seen in my life,” Luke says.
It was more than a metre tall, which made self-checkout a challenge, but transportation not una-peel-ing.
“The company was lacking,” Luke says of the trip home with the Ducknana buckled into the passenger seat of his small pickup truck.
“But the looks I got from people as I went down the road was incredible."
To appreciate why the Ducknana was riding shotgun, we need to go back to when Luke was disposing of bombs.
“I decided to do the hardest, most meaningful thing that I could,” Luke says. “And for me that was joining the Canadian Army.”
After spending a decade travelling the world as a bomb disposal technician, including a seven-month deployment in Ukraine, Luke has retired and says his focus is now Montana.
“I’m going to seize every opportunity I can to make her happy,” he says.
After being away for most of his wife’s birthdays, Luke hoped this gift would make her smile.
But a few hours later Montana noticed a bunch of other Ducknana posts online.
“Immediately I said, ‘What is this?’” Montana says. “And he was like, ‘Dang it!’”
Luke never imagined that pictures of his Ducknana purchase would go viral on Reddit – inspiring countless comments, store sell-outs, and a Ducknana meet and greet at a local park – let alone be seen by Montana.
“He’s like, ‘Do you want your birthday present early?’” Montana says, before laughing. “What kind of question is that? Obviously yes!”
After Luke presented his wife with the Ducknana, he pulled out his camera, and captured a couple seconds of her laughter, which lasted a few minutes.
“I couldn’t have loved him more in that moment,” Montana smiles. “Nailed it. Perfect birthday present.”
While the couple are still deciding where to place the Ducknana in their garden, they did name him Bill, and are planning to include him in future celebrations.
“I do plan to decorate him with bunny ears for Easter and a Santa hat with a wreath around his neck for Christmas,” Montana laughs. “(It) makes him that much more amazing and funny.”
So keep your eyes "peeled" on for what Bill the Ducknana does next.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.